The story
The Tresemer-Guzmán family has lived in Uvita since 1972, decades before the town became a tourist destination. John, a sociologist with what his own family describes as a deep-rooted vision of sustainability, and his wife Bella, grounded in Costa Rican community values, spent years working the land before turning part of it into a lodge in 1995. The family's connection to conservation here goes further than their own property: John was instrumental in the creation of the national parks at Bahía Ballena and Isla del Caño — the same protected waters La Cusinga now looks out over.
The lodge takes its name from the Cusinga, the local name for the fiery-billed aracari, a toucan species that nests on the property. Ten cabins, built from reforested wood and local materials, sit in a 250-hectare private reserve of primary and secondary forest bordering Marino Ballena National Park directly — guests can see Ballena Island and the park's rocky islets from the restaurant. The Aracari restaurant runs on produce from the lodge's own organic farm and daily catches from local fishermen, with a long wooden bar running the length of the dining room and unobstructed ocean views.