Origins Luxury Lodge (Floral) — Hotel in Bijagua

I have traveled to wonderful resorts and hotels throughout the world and I can earnestly say that this is the first time I truly felt like I was on vacation. When you come to Origins, expect that you will make minimal decisions and all of your needs will be quickly satisfied. The concept blends nature and resort in a way that few places can match.

From the moment we arrived, the location felt like an oasis high in the rainforests of Costa Rica. The staff had already prepared a recommended agenda for each day and sat down to walk us through it, including times for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A well thought out plan was already established - as it should be for a true vacation.

The rooms are immaculate, with very thoughtful design elements and concepts. The bedroom uses wonderful materials and is structured as a circle, keeping the bed as the center point to view the gorgeous scenery all around you. The bathroom is spacious and calming, including both an indoor and outdoor shower. Each product, from lotion to soap, is developed at Origins itself in their workshop, using only local plants and essential oils. There is ample seating and accent lighting within each room, as well as seamlessly integrated closets and storage. Coffee, teas, fruits, reusable water bottles, ponchos, umbrellas, robes, and chocolates are complimentary.

And then there is the balcony of each room. The balcony is where we spent so much of our time, as it includes a fireplace, infinity hot tub, and ample seating to overlook the majesty of the rainforest. Whether it is raining, cloudy, or clear skies, you will fall in love with the view. You are at such an elevation that you can witness the sun, clouds, rain, and atmosphere dance together while they shift throughout the day. This room and view allowed me to completely unplug like never before.

Special mention must be made for the restaurant, chef, and accompanying staff. Aside for breakfast, each meal is pre-fix to be between 3-5 courses. Let the Chef take you on a artful culinary journey with each course, ingeniously blending tropical flavors using very precise techniques. The idea is for you to sit back and delight in the menu rather than fuss over a static menu. Again, minimal decisions for you to make. Of course, the chef and staff are very accommodating to substitutions, if needed, and are already aware of your allergies and preferences when you arrive (granted you provided them when asked ahead of time). Finally, your view is immaculate, painted with colorful flaura / fauna, exotic birds (within a safe distance), and natural landmarks in the great distance.

Of course Origins comes with a hefty pricetag, but this includes all of your Michelin-level meals / service, immense complimentary items in the rooms, and a wide array of onsite activities. These activities include yoga classes, night walks, gorgeous hikes through the rainforest, horseback riding, medicinal plants tours, lagoon fishing, bird watching tours, and farm tours. If you take advantage of these activities and appreciate the Origins concept, the cost is well worth it if you are in a position to indulge.

Finally, a special thanks to all of the staff at the lodge. They are truly kind and generous with their service. Their inviting and charming personas remind you that good service still exists in an industry that is starting to wain in this aspect. Everyone is dedicated to your well being and satisfaction.

I highly recommend a visit to the Origins. Do yourself a favor and book at least 3-4 nights here so that you do not regret leaving earlier...

Our family recently had the most incredible stay at Origins Lodge; words will not adequately describe our experience. From the moment we arrived, every staff member went out of their way to ensure our stay was nothing short of perfect. The staff's friendliness and attentiveness made us feel like valued guests. Every time our family asked a question, it was evident the passion each person had for what they did with the answers they shared with us.

The dining experience at Origins Lodge was not just about the phenomenal meals, but also about the educational element it added to our stay. Each dish, showcasing the freshest ingredients from the property, was a lesson in local food, geography, and culture. Our server, Sergio, not only provided impeccable service but also shared his extensive knowledge, making our dining experience more than just a meal. It was a journey of culinary and cultural discovery that left us feeling enlightened, culturally enriched, and extremely full!

We took advantage of the various activities, including horseback riding to the waterfall, a night hike, and a medicinal plant tour. The guides were incredibly knowledgeable and passionate, making each excursion educational and exhilarating. We learned so much about the vegetation and animals in the area. Our guide found the red-eyed tree frog and other nocturnal animals on our night hike. In addition, our guide did a great job identifying and labeling the sounds of each animal we heard but couldn’t see. Our medicinal tour guide provided us with the plants and their herbal remedies for ailments. We were able to taste different fruits and herbs. As we walked the property, our guide shared informative stories of how locals use the herbs.

We had a blast at the cocktail class, learning about the history of rum and other local spirits while honing our mixology skills and enjoying the most delicious mojitos. It added a fun and extremely enjoyable dimension to our stay at Origins Lodge, keeping us entertained throughout.

The staff at Origins Lodge demonstrated exceptional dedication; when we accidentally left a speaker behind, they promptly contacted us to arrange for its delivery to the airport before we departed from Costa Rica. This level of commitment is a testament to the high standard of service at Origins Lodge, and it will surely reassure you about the quality of your stay.

A few recommendations: Add the meal plan to your stay. Use the WhatsApp app to communicate from the USA to Origins. I had complications receiving emails from Origins in the US. If traveling to more than one destination in Costa Rica, make this your last stop. You will not find a better experience. We did Origins on the front end and had to readjust our expectations with the other resorts. No one compares to it.

Overall, our time at Origins Lodge was truly unforgettable, and I cannot recommend this luxurious retreat enough. It's the perfect destination for anyone seeking relaxation, adventure, and an authentic connection with nature. The staff at Origins Lodge went above and beyond to ensure that our every...

I am really struggling to be objective in this review of Origins but with each situation I write I seem to criticize more and more. We have stayed at over 18 different properties in Costa Rica and this was the most expensive, not that the price matters but it’s perspective. Let me add that we were the only guests at Origins during our stay. So you would expect to be treated really really well. In fact we continued to feel like intruders. The lodge staff here are some of the most unfriendly, un-Costa Rican people we have met in Costa Rica. They never smile and often they talk so quiet I cannot understand them. They never say good morning or the ubiquitous Pura Vida you hear in Costa Rica. There are times we feel we have been abandoned at this property. We surmised that the primary lodge management must have gone on holiday and left the secondary or tertiary team to attend to us because I cannot believe these are the people who run this beautiful resort. We all feel unwelcomed. I really get the feeling that Origins promotes itself as a very high end property only to make money. If you want to experience Costa Rica there are so many better properties you can go to. I acknowledge that the rooms are beautiful. I get why a travel agent would be impressed by the beautiful room and lodge. I get why someone might gift a honeymoon couple a few nights here. But Costa Rica is so much more than a beautiful free room. You can really get nickeled and dimed here from $10 can of soda to the $37.50 basic cocktail. Origins also promotes its Michelin star chef, health lifestyle, sustainability, and farm to table. Again I think this is just a hype unless you think lobster on a bed of pasta in a heavy cream sauce is healthy or even Costa Rican. I don’t think any of the food we had at Origins came from the farm. And if it did don’t you think someone, even maybe the Michelin star chef would have come out to explain that to the only guests at the resort? One in our group had severe shellfish allergy and didn’t eat fish and another had diabetes so needed low sugar food. It was every day every meal we had to remind them when they preceded to tell us the menu for the day’s meals. (I might mention here that there are no choices for meals. The chef decides what he is cooking). On our second day we watched the chef roll his eyes when told that one of our party would not eat salmon. I have never had to remind a kitchen at any other resort about food requirements. I don’t know if this is just arrogance, having already bought food, or just plain rudeness. Again we never met the chef. If what you want is to tell your friends that you paid a lot of money to stay at what someone was calling a 5 star resort in Costa Rica, sweated at night in a beautiful but non-air conditioned room, ate French food that is not Costa Rican or chosen by you but prepared by a Michelin star chef then this is the resort for you. There are so many better places to stay...