Origins by Mantis

My husband, son and myself spent three days at Origins. It was a culinary experience and definitely very French! The food was amazing! The property is beautiful with many opportunities. The staff was so so kind and friendly, especially to our son. I got to take two private yoga classes in the most beautiful setting with a wonderful instructor (Coro). Our guides (Pablo, Eduardo and Steve) were very patient and knowledgeable. Sharon, Luis and Melany were amazing staff that were very accommodating. Urel and Fernando were excellent servers and the chefs were outstanding!

On our trip through Costa Rica we stayed in this hotel for four night. All food is included except specific drinks for lunch and dinner. We were pleasantly surprised with the food menus that are offered. Although you have to follow the money I can assure you we never caught of guard once. If you travel as extensively as we do you tend to overeat and come back home with more weight on you than KLM allows. The portions are great combined with an enormous choice of great wines and your dinner will be one to remember. I made a couple fo trips with the local guides to show me the wild life. They are ver well experienced and will get out of their way to show you the best spots.

We were really expecting an incredible experience here but were disappointed. There are some very nice touches like the outdoor fire heating the plunge pool and the magnificent views from the rooms towards Nicaragua. However the team there were a bit gruff and the food was very odd - spaghetti bolognese and minestrone soup… not the kind of food you expect to have in Costa Rica! Drinks were insanely expensive..Breakfast was great though. Bed and bedding in room could have been more comfortable. Night walk was super and we saw a lot of wonderful wildlife with our guide. We visited Cagne Negro which was incredible and walked to the Cielo Waterfall which is a must do. The sound of wildlife as you are sleeping and waking is magical. We had come in from Papagayo and there was a huge difference in climate which we had not appreciated. Bring hiking clothes and waterproofs!

This was the most MAGICAL experience. We were greeted by the entire staff upon our arrival. There was nothing I would change about anything. Staff, Claudia, Allen, Fabian, Sharon, Gaspar, Eduardo, Fernando, Steve, the Floral team, the chef, the witnesses for our ceremony, ALL were over the top Professional and became our Family. From the initial contact, 8 mos prior, Carlos and crew designed the wedding of my dreams. The venue, and attention to detail far exceeded anything I had asked for. The lodge and property are a cross between Fantasy Island and Jurassic Park. There is nothing that was not thought of. All of our needs were tended to immediately. I would rate this experience 10 stars!

Booked this place with free cancellation until Dec 19th 23:59. Cancelled early on Dec 18th as we are now going to a different area. Hotel took full payment on Dec 19th! It has been over 3 weeks and they have still not refunded me. They have not responded to my email so I have got the agent involved. Apparently they are ignoring the agent's emails and I've been told they are not picking up calls. Extremely worrying. It's a lot of money (I was also charged huge bank fees as well). I've been completely stung for thousands of pounds and had to report it to my bank who are investigating. Really put a downer on our vacation (and my birthday) and I'd rather not go any more. Please be wary of this place and consider booking elsewhere.