Mei Tai Cacao Lodge

Stay at Finca Mei Tai if you want an authentic stay in Costa Rica close to the Tenorio national park and Rio Celeste. You will feel like part of the family when you leave. This is not a place for you if you want ultra luxurious air-conditioned accommodations. Our family loved our three night stay in the Manta bungalow, a wooden structure on a small pond at the edge of a mountainous rainforest. Finca Mei tai is an operating cacao farm and bed-and-breakfast. The manta bungalow has a spacious outdoor living area and kitchen as well as two separate enclosed bedrooms with a large bathroom that connects the two bedrooms. There was plenty of room for our family of four. The bird watching from the patio area was outstanding and a huge hit with my bird-loving daughter as we saw countless parrots and toucans. Our son enjoyed exploring the trails on the property as well as fishing in the ponds. The best part of the Finca, however, is the delicious made-to-order breakfast that Cecile will serve each morning. We enjoyed fresh-squeezed juices, French press local arabica coffee, made-to-order eggs, homemade bread, locally sourced jams, and even world-class chocolates made with their cacao beans. Cecile has many great suggestions of local places to visit and eat. Take the time to explore the grounds. A stay here is a unique and personal experience, and we hope to return soon!

Wonderful location for starting our vacation. We had an outdoor kitchen for eating/prepping food at after long hikes and we had an outdoor but covered sofa area to use while kicking back, reading a book, watching the wildlife or taking a break while it was raining. Full European style breakfast with fruit, meats, cheeses, eggs and bread. Wonderful selection of rotating jams made by a local chef. I usually like to plan every day of my vacation in advance but Eric correctly suggested by email that there are many things to do and that there is not really a need to plan ahead given it is a non-touristy area - just show up and based on weather and your energy level, the day’s activities can decided. Each morning Cecile helped each of the 4 sets of guests figure out at breakfast what do and helped arrange for tours if that was part of the plan. It was a pleasure to stay with Eric and Cecile.