At high-end hotels across the globe, there is an accepted ethos: the customer is always right. At Origins Lodge in Costa Rica, though, the perspective is a little bit different. “Nature is our first client,” explains general manager, Claudia Silva.

Fortunately, this preservationist attitude serves the hotel’s patrons, too. Even within the confines of one of the world’s most biodiverse countries—which has hung its tourism hat on ecology—this intimate, barefoot luxury property offers an immersion into the lush outdoors that can only be described as rarified.

“There are less and less pure, organic places in the world,” Silva says. “Origins is a true sustainable luxury lodge that helps support the local community through regenerative practices and conservation programs with NGOs.” From an elevated culinary program to having only seven lodges on property and unobstructed views for days, here, visitors experience a true escape from the worries of everyday (unless their worries involve exotic insects). 

Initially, this hotel—set in Upala, Alajuela in the northern rainforest jungle—was conceived as a private vacation estate by the owner, a French entrepreneur. And relaxing on reclaimed wood furniture or a swing at the indoor-outdoor El Salto restaurant, overlooking an entire lush expanse with views all the way to Nicaragua, one can understand why he thought to keep this spot to himself.

It feels like being on top of the world.

Luckily, he decided to share. Now, as countless species of birds—in neon yellows and unabashed teals—flit in and out of the infinity pool like Cinderella’s entourage, guests are served a fresh fusion of French and Tika cuisine (as periodically guided by a Michelin chef). Meals, specifically tailored to each client’s needs, range vastly from rack of lamb with chimichurri sauce, eggplant and plantains to vegan tropical rice pudding.

This sets Origins apart. Most often in this region, visitors feast on a steady diet of casados, traditional plates of rice, plantains, salad and a protein—delicious in their simplicity. But more adventurous eaters (vegetarians, for example) may find it difficult to branch out. At this property, though, there are not only options, but also consciously sourced ingredients—even spices. “Around 65 percent of all vegetables and herbs are from the Origins Lodge farm,” explains Silva, “and about 80 percent come from surrounding farms…small, organic, local producers focused on sustainability. The team knows them well.”

This clean, healthful ethos is threaded throughout the property. In the six one-bedroom lodges and one three-bedroom stilted Vertigo villa, where bright-colored bedding is tastefully integrated with a rustic pre-Columbian aesthetic, the bath products are natural and homemade—and can even be recreated by guests. To preserve energy, the villas’ outdoor soaking tubs are wood-fire heated.

The hotel hosts tours of local cacao farms—with unbelievable hot chocolate and samples of actual cacao fruit—and hikes to jungle waterfalls that culminate in horseback rides at dusk. There are biodiversity and plant medicine walks and cacao scrubs at the thatched Laka Tii Spa Suite. There’s reiki and breathwork and sound healing upon request. And yet, here, wellness is less an offering and more a biproduct of proximity to the wild outdoors. 

Even the most basic activities hit deeper. At the Koora Yoga studio—a large, circular, open-air deck surrounded by the roar of howler monkeys and the buzzing of honey bees—guests enjoy guided practice each morning, breathing in all that nature gives.  

 “Be open to what the forest will bring you,” Silva suggests. And luxuriate in it all.