Finca MEI TAI
Finca Mei Tai

MEI TAI CACAO LODGE

The Well Being place

Charging stationEV welcome
Green Circle
Finca Mei Tai2

Meet the team :

Eric

Eric

Back Office

Boss

Cécile

Customer Care

Family

The Family

Kenya, Eric, Cécile, Sidney & Syr Daria

The 4 Guest Houses

Free Optical Fiber Wifi !!

You Tube

Obviously our place was built to welcome visitors, but Finca Mei Tai is not a hotel. It's more...
We offer 4 units for our visitors and no detail has been overlooked in providing a sanctuary of well being and tranquillity.

Aerial view

Each site offers a fridge and a coffee machine plus unlimited hot water.

Pelicano

Pelicano

Family House

2 + 2

Inside kitchen

82 m² (880 sq feet)
Air conditioning
2 bedrooms

3 (Q/I)
Tiburon

Tiburon

Quadruple bedroom

2 + 2

King bed and Twin bed

51 m² (549 sq feet)
Air Conditioning
Private deck

2 (K/Q)
Tortuga

Tortuga

Quadruple bedroom

2 + 2

King bed and Twin bed

57 m² (613 sq feet)
Air conditioning
Tropical Sofa

2 (K/Q)
Manta

Manta

Family Chalet

2 + 3

Large Queen bed and Twin bed and Individual

82 m² (880 sq feet)
Wooden deck
2 bedrooms

3 (Q/T/I)
Finca Mei Tai

RATES

Book with us directly

Go direct, go cheaper !!

  • 2 people

  • per night

  • 3 people

  • per night

  • 4 people

  • per night

  • 5 people*

  • per night

Indicative All-in Rates - Contact us for more information.


*Accomodation in The Chalet.


Contact Us

Address

Bijagua de Upala, Costa Rica

+(506) 8411 7801 / 8417 8980

info@finca-meitai.com

Download access plan here: (click on the map)

MeiTaiAccessPlan
Where
My Time @ Mei Tai

My Time @ MEI TAI CACAO LODGE

Belgian chocolate of Costa Rica

My Time at Mei Tai: a timeless place to indulge your sweet tooth...

It's an opportunity to discover the chocolate made entirely at the finca. From the organic cultivation of the trees to the making of the typical Belgian pralines, we do everything right here at the finca. And what makes it different from the others?

My Time @ Mei Tai

Natural, ungrafted cocoa

Our cocoa is 100% natural, not grafted. So there's very little fruit on each tree. But, as with the vine, this means that our trees devote all their energy to a few fruits, giving them an unrivalled flavour...

100% organic fermentation

We pick the fruit at perfect ripeness, with no concern for volume, and start the fermentation process in wooden caissons, wrapped in young banana leaves, with no additives.

Local flavors

Our pralines are not only made with cocoa from our own finca, but the ganache is also flavored with local fruit: Isabella, Araza and Odiu will delight your palate.

Chocolate is good! Of course, but how do you get the best out of it? At La Finca, we believe that a well-chosen beverage can work its magic!

A coffee?

We offer expressi, cappuccini and other coffi made with the finest Costa Rican beans.

A liqueur distilled overseas?

We smuggle - in negligible quantities - elixirs from the most remote regions of the flat country that was once ours.

A wine from behind the barn?

We don't have any barn, but we do have a few grape juices that go very well with chocolates.

My Time @ Mei Tai

In short, it's a chance to enjoy pure life

Costa Rica's pura vida

Finca Mei Tai
NB

The neighborhood

Because we explore

PR

Protecting the forest

Because we care

RL

The trail

Because we hike

Finca Mei Tai

The fauna

With 100 acres lying in between 2 volcanos, no wonder that we enjoy so much wild life... Here are a few specimens

All pictures taken by us in the finca !


Snake

Howler Monkey

Alouatta palliata

Snake

Jumping Pitviper

Atropoides nummifer

Bird

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron

Tigrisoma mexicanum

Frog

Masked Tree Frog

Smilisca phaeota

The flora

Well, Costa Rica being what it is, we have a huge variety of trees, plants and flowers.
One of the first project we started as we acquired the land was to plant hundreds of fine wood and fruit trees as well as 2.000 coco bean trees.
We are developing the garden so that we could not only enjoy a colorful landscape but also take profit of an exceptional soil.
Applying basic principles of permaculture, we try to work with the nature and not against it. Our garden is a mix of fruit trees, medicinal plants, vegetables and flowers.

All pictures taken by us in the finca !


Reforestation

Reforestation

Caoba - Swietenia Macrophylla

Coco bean

Coco bean field

2 Ha

Heliconias

Fruits & flowers

Heliconias

Sacha

Plants

Sacha Inchi

La Finca MEI TAI

...et ses trésors

A l'entrée

Nous avons volontairement ignoré l'entrée pendant des années afin de ne pas attirer l'attention sur nous.

Il y avait une 'maison' à la place de la Pelican quand nous avons acquis le domaine. Cette cabane en bois - qui a fini par s'effondrer - servait de repère au précédent propriétaire et, de ce fait, on trouve quelques arbres fruitiers aux alentours.
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L'allée

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Pour accéder à la maison en voiture, nous avons tracé cette voie carrossable digne d'une autoroute walonne.

Et pour les flaneurs, nous avons bordé notre allée de quelques arbres notables (sans oublier quelques spécimens d'origine). Les plantes sont enregistrées selon une progression depuis l'entrée vers la maison
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Autour de la maison

On y a surtout planté de petits arbustes décoratifs et des aromates.

En cherchant bien, vous trouverez, entre autres, un cannelier, du curcuma et un papayer.
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Le sentier

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En fait, il s'agit essentiellement des plantes que l'on trouve sur la section du sentier en gravier qui va de la maison jusqu'aux bassins.

Ce petit sentier avait initialement pour but de permettre aux visiteurs de ne pas devoir emprunter la route carrossable pour se rendre au petit déjeuner. Tant qu'à le faire, on s'est dit qu'il pouvait aussi être joli.
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L'étang du fond

Nous avons conçu et élaboré cet étang en février 2020. Il est alimenté par une source qui jaillit 75m plus eau dans la forêt.

Tout autour de l'étendue d'eau, nous avons essayé de parsemer des tâches de couleur sans obstruer la vue. Dans l'étang se trouvent des Tilapias.
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Près des bassins

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Les petits étangs furent conçus dans la foulée de celui du haut, en profitant du lit creusé par le ruisseau préexistant

Les 2 petits étangs sont oxygénés grâce à une série de bassins qui permettent à l'eau de l'étang supérieur de se déverser de manière controlée. On trouve des Guapotes et des Tilapias dans ces eaux claires.
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Dans le verger (près du grand arbre)

Au pied du très grand arbre, nous avons décidé de faire pousser quelques arbres fruitiers. Les plantes sont répertoriées depuis le pont de la maison jusqu'au grand arbre.

S'il est vrai que les bananiers sont presque des mauvaises herbes et ne nécessitent que peu d'entretien, d'autres fruitiers sont plus retors et même après une dizaine d'années, certains refusent obstinément de fruiter. C'est un peu exaspérant.
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Le cacao

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Après avoir perdu nos 2.000 premiers arbres en 2016 à cause de l'ouragan Otto, nous avons replanté 1.200 arbres ici.

Il y a 3 variétés qui ne sont pas greffées. Comme nous ne recherchons pas la productivité, on a préféré faire un cacao naturel, au départ duquel nous faisons notre propre chocolat, entièrement artisanal, selon des méthodes respectueuses de l'environnement.
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La reforestation

Le premier des 12 travaux que nous avons menés à bien a été de planter 200 arbres dans cette zone, afin d'amener la forêt aux abords de la maison.

Nous avons planté ces arbres en sachant bien que nous ne les verrions jamais adultes mais ils remplissent déjà l'une de leurs fonctions: permettre aux animaux sauvages de s'approcher de nous. En plus, sous peu, certains commenceront à fleurir de manière spectaculaire. D'autres nous donneront des fruits un jour, c'est sûr!
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Aujourd'hui, j'explore...

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Dream/Fruit Wiki Where
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Official
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The Finca MEI TAI is a bed&breakfast, all devoted to well being

Frog








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Here are 4 reasons to visit us






Very good reviews from our guests
Breakfast
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Freedom loving Belgian family

After 5 years on a catamaran touring the Pacific Ocean, Cécile, Eric and our children Kenya, Sidney and Syr Daria, decided to settle in Costa Rica in 2014. Upon our arrival, we signed the children up to the local school, a task that was not as easy as one would think, but very rewarding in terms of social integration.
We built the main house using several different wooden essences, some of which were cut down from our land, and two bungalows for our guests. We have taking up the challenge of re-planting forests on parts of the pasturelands and tracing pathways through the existing forests. More than half of the 40 hectares of the finca is difficult to access, which has allowed the land to preserve its original wild and natural glory.
Only recently back on terra firma, we wanted to share our passion for travel and a taste of freedom acquired through our exploration of the Polynesian islands. From our time in New Zealand and Australia, we recall the great open spaces and beautiful landscapes, in Hawai we developed a fascination for volcanoes and from the great Northern Canada, an appreciation for calm mornings. In our finca retreat, placed under the sign of water, (we have discovered at least 4 sources and as many lakes and 2 rivers without counting the Rio Zapote which borders our property for just over a kilometre), we believe that we have found the only place in the world that captures all these elements in one perfect spot.
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We did write a book but, sadly...it's in French

We spent 5 years living on a sailing boat, crossing the Pacific from East to West and South to North. We wrote a book westward and another northward. If you're interested (and read French) you may view it on Amazon.com

Les p'tites bites
95° de latitude Nord
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Visitors reviews

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Breakfast is the most important meal...









Breakfast
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Norway
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Awards


Rating
Rating
3 star hotels in Costa Rica
Rating
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Norway
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Please, select the language, the room, the delivery hour and the food
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Book a room
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Please, select a time slot to enjoy the Jacuzzi
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There are about 5 km of trails in the 40 hectares of the finca

We built the trail across the finca so that our visitors could walk through an amazing diversity of landscapes. We tried to harm the forest as little as we could, carving a very basic trail. There are no bridges, no stairs, no facilities whatsoever, and yet, the path will lead you across meadows, secondary and primary forest, creeks and even a small waterfall.

The 'long' trail is about 3.4 km long and brings you from 515m to 640m. You climb up the crest and walk through the other side, crossing 2 creeks in the way.

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What is a finca?

A finca is a farm whose area lies between 5 and 500 hectares. Less than 5 Ha, it is called a Quinta, over 500 Ha, it is called an Hacienda and, in between, a Finca.
Our finca is mainly covered by forest and that's the way we love it. We still have 14 Ha of meadows to develop farming activities though. We believe that it's more than enough to create a well balanced project, combining organic unextensive agriculture and reasonable livestock. As a consequence, we did plant 2.000 coco bean trees, hundreds of fruit trees and vegetables - mixing them to avoid soil depletion (and we did not forget to plant flowers because aesthetic is part of our project as well).
As for livestock, 15 steers, 3 horses and a dozen ducks are running around, nearly free...

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Almost 60 acres (22 Ha) are covered with forest - and increasing...

The property
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There are 3 NP and a wildlife reserve within driving distance for a one day activity

The property
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This list was established by local guides

Family Latin Français English German



Cracidae Penelope purpurascens Pénélope panachée Crested Guan Rostbauchguan



Ardeidae Tigrisoma mexicanum Onoré du Mexique Bare-throated Tiger Heron Nacktkehlreiher



Ardeidae Bubulcus ibis Héron garde-boeufs Western Cattle Egret Kuhreiher



Ardeidae Ardea alba Grande Aigrette Great Egret Silberreiher



Cathartidae Cathartes aura Urubu à tête rouge Turkey Vulture Truthahngeier



Cathartidae Coragyps atratus Urubu noir Black Vulture Rabengeier



Accipitridae Ictinia plumbea Milan bleuâtre Plumbeous Kite Schwebeweih



Accipitridae Pseudastur albicollis Buse blanche White Hawk Schneebussard



Accipitridae Buteo platypterus Petite Buse Broad-winged Hawk Breitflügelbussard



Accipitridae Buteo nitidus Buse cendrée Grey-lined Hawk




Falconidae Herpetotheres cachinnans Macagua rieur Laughing Falcon Lachfalke



Falconidae Caracara cheriway Caracara du Nord Northern Crested Caracara Schopfkarakara



Columbidae Columbina inca Colombe inca Inca Dove Aztekentäubchen



Columbidae Columbina passerina Colombe à queue noire Common Ground Dove Sperlingstäubchen



Columbidae Patagioenas flavirostris Pigeon à bec rouge Red-billed Pigeon Rotschnabeltaube



Columbidae Columbina talpacoti Colombe rousse Ruddy Ground Dove Rosttäubchen



Columbidae Leptotila verreauxi Colombe de Verreaux White-tipped Dove Blauringtaube



Columbidae Zenaida asiatica Tourterelle à ailes blanches White-winged Dove Weißflügeltaube



Psittacidae Aratinga nana Conure a gorge olive olive throated parakeet Aztekensittich



Psittacidae Amazona autumnalis Amazone à lores rouges Red-lored Amazon Gelbwangenamazone



Psittacidae Amazona albifrons Amazone à front blanc White-fronted Amazon Weißstirnamazone



Psittacidae Brotogeris jugularis Toui à menton d'or Orange-chinned Parakeet Tovisittich



Cuculidae Crotophaga sulcirostris Ani à bec cannelé Groove-billed Ani Riefenschnabel-Ani



Apodidae Streptoprocne zonaris Martinet à collier blanc White-collared Swift Halsbandsegler



Trochilidae Glaucis aeneus Ermite bronzé Bronzy Hermit Kupferschattenkolibri



Trochilidae Phaethornis striigularis Ermite à gorge rayée Stripe-throated Hermit Streifenkehl-Schattenkolibri



Trochilidae Amazilia tzacatl Ariane à ventre gris Rufous-tailed Hummingbird Braunschwanzamazilie



Trochilidae Amazilia saucerottei Ariane de Sophie Steely-vented Hummingbird Stahlgrüne Amazilie



Trochilidae Heliothryx barroti Colibri féérique Purple-crowned Fairy Purpurkron-Schmuckkolibri



Trochilidae Phaeochroa cuvierii Colibri de Cuvier Scaly-breasted Hummingbird Schuppenbrustkolibri



Momotidae Baryphthengus martii Motmot roux Rufous Motmot Zimtbrustmotmot



Momotidae Electron platyrhynchum Motmot à bec large Broad-billed Motmot Plattschnabelmotmot



Alcenidae Chloroceryle americana Martin-pêcheur vert Green Kingfisher Grünfischer



Alcenidae Chloroceryle amazona Martin-pêcheur d'Amazonie Amazon Kingfisher Amazonasfischer



Galbulidae Galbula ruficauda Jacamar à queue rousse Rufous-tailed Jacamar Rotschwanz-Glanzvogel



Ramphastidae Ramphastos sulfuratus Toucan à carène Keel-billed Toucan Fischertukan



Ramphastidae Ramphastos ambiguus Toucan de Swainson Black-mandibled Toucan Swainson-Tukan



Picidae Melanerpes pucherani Pic de Pucheran Black-cheeked Woodpecker Schläfenfleckspecht



Picidae Melanerpes hoffmannii Pic de Hoffmann Hoffmann's Woodpecker Hoffmannspecht



Furnariidae Glyphorynchus spirurus Grimpar bec-en-coin Wedge-billed Woodcreeper Keilschnabel-Baumsteiger



Furnariidae Lepidocolaptes souleyetii Grimpar de Souleyet Streak-headed Woodcreeper Lanzettstrichel-Baumsteiger

Thamnophilidae Myrmeciza exsul Alapi à dos roux Chestnut-backed Antbird Braunrücken-Ameisenvogel



Tyrannidae Zimmerius vilissimus Tyranneau gobemoucheron Paltry Tyrannulet Weißstreif-Kleintyrann



Tyrannidae Elaenia flavogaster Élénie à ventre jaune Yellow-bellied Elaenia Gelbbauch-Olivtyrann



Tyrannidae Todirostrum cinereum Todirostre familier Common Tody-Flycatcher Graugelb-Todityrann



Tyrannidae Lophotriccus pileatus Microtyran chevelu Scale-crested Pygmy Tyrant Rot-Schuppenkopftyrann



Tyrannidae Contopus cinereus Moucherolle cendré Tropical Pewee Südlicher Waldschnäppertyrann



Tyrannidae Myiozetetes similis Tyran sociable Social Flycatcher Rotscheitel-Maskentyrann



Tyrannidae Empidonax minimus Moucherolle tchébec Least Flycatcher Zwergschnäppertyrann



Tyrannidae Myiarchus tuberculifer Tyran olivâtre Dusky-capped Flycatcher Schwarzkappen-Schopftyrann



Tyrannidae Tyrannus melancholicus Tyran mélancolique Tropical Kingbird Trauerkönigstyrann



Tyrannidae Pitangus sulphuratus Tyran quiquivi Great Kiskadee Schwefelmaskentyrann



Turdidae Turdus grayi* Merle fauve Clay-colored Thrush Gilbdrossel



Troglodytae Cantorchilus nigricapillus Troglodyte à calotte noire Bay Wren Kastanienzaunkönig



Troglodytae Troglodytes aedon Troglodyte familier House Wren Hauszaunkönig



Troglodytae Henicorhina leucosticta Troglodyte à poitrine blanche White-breasted Wood Wren Waldzaunkönig



Troglodytae Cantorchilus modestus Troglodyte modeste Plain Wren Cabanis-Zaunkönig



Vireonidae Hylophilus decurtatus Viréon menu Lesser Greenlet Graukappenvireo



Parulidae Leiothlypis peregrina Paruline obscure Tennessee Warbler Brauenwaldsänger



Parulidae Setophaga pensylvanica Paruline à flancs marron Chestnut-sided Warbler Gelbscheitel-Waldsänger



Parulidae Setophaga petechia Paruline jaune Yellow Warbler Goldwaldsänger



Thraupidae Ramphocelus passerinii Tangara à croupion rouge Passerini's Tanager Passerinitangare



Thraupidae Thraupis palmarum Abttangare (Thraupis abbas) Palm Tanager Palmentangare



Thraupidae Thraupis episcopus Tangara évêque Blue-grey Tanager Bischofstangare



Coerebidae Coereba flaveola Sucrier à ventre jaune Bananaquit Zuckervogel



Emberizidae Sporophila corvina Sphorophile variable Variable Seedeater Mexico Wechselpfäffchen



Emberizidae Sporophila torqueola Sphorophile a col blanc White-collared Seedeater Braunbürzelpfäffchen



Emberizidae Tiaris olivaceus Sporiphile Grand- Chanteur Yellow-faced Grassquit Goldbraue



Thraupidae Arremon aurantiirostris Tohi à bec orange Orange-billed Sparrow Goldschnabel-Ruderammer



Cardinalidae Saltator maximus Saltaror de grand bois Buff-throated Saltator Buntkehlsaltator



Cardinalidae Saltator coerulescens Saltator gris Greyish Saltator Grausaltator



Cardinalidae Cyanocompsa cyanoides Évêque bleu-noir Blue-black Grosbeak Stahlbischof



Ictiridae Psarocolius montezuma Cassique de Montezuma Montezuma Oropendola Montezumastirnvogel



Ictiridae Icterus galbula Oriole du Nord Baltimore Oriole Baltimoretrupial



Fringilidae Euphonia hirundinacea Organiste à gorge jaune Yellow-throated Euphonia Schwalbenorganist



Fringilidae Euphonia gouldi Organiste olive Olive-backed Euphonia Olivrückenorganist












* National Bird of Costa Rica







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Why did we plant coco beans?

Although Bijagua used to be a historical area for coco beans plantation, it seems the local weather is not adequate for this type of culture. However, we wanted to give it a try. The 2.000 trees we planted on a very steap meadow are now struggling their way through. We had our first fruit in 2016. Then we lost all our plants in the flooding caused by the hurricane Otto. Then, because we are stuborn, we replanted 1200 trees in a better protected area of the finca. Eventually, we hope to produce a bit of our own chocolate. After all, we were Belgians once...

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The reforestation

The finca was once covered with meadows dedicated to milking cows. The previous owner decided to let the forest regrow on the steapest parts. We decided to carry on the process by planting 200 trees in such a way that the forest would extend to our house. We also built a few dams so that flowing water from the creeks would create ponds. The idea was to attract wildlife out of the forest.
That is why we planted a number of fruit trees. Moreover, with the help of a local association whose self-assigned mission is to repopulate the country with endemic plants, we planted rare or endangered species to take part to the protection of nature here in Costa Rica. Hence, trees such as Cocobolo (Balbergia retusa), Ron Ron (Astronium graveolens ), Corteza Amarillo (Tabebuia ochracea), Cristobal (Platymiscium pinnatum), Almendro de Montaña (Dipteryx panamensis) or Caoba (Swietenia macrophylla) are gently growing. Of course, we'll be long dead before they reach their maturity but that does not matter.