Finca Queveri — Hotel in Orosi

Yes, the road is steep. Yes, the location is rustic and the weather is tempestuous. Saying all of that, take my son’s word for it when he says that Finca Queveri is his ‘favourite place in the whole of Costa Rica’.

The farm is right on top of a thickly forested mountain with a little waterfall to one side and the central volcanic range visible to the other. Gisela and Roger were both so welcoming and clearly love this place which has been their family home for many years. There is a main farmhouse with outdoor restaurant area, fire pit and seating and the farmyard is a little way up the hill. The building is all made of polished wood, a little leaky and worn in places but much older and more beautiful than most Costa Rican properties. It really feels like a family home rather than some touristy resort and is so atmospheric and comfortable. Granted, it is a little nicer in the sun than the unseasonal rain we had, but that made the beaming sky of our last day all the more stunning.

We went on a 90 min horse ride which our six year old managed solo having never ridden a horse before. I’d strongly recommend the riding as you get a really comprehensive overview of the land and the different viewpoints across the valley. They have several lovely dogs and the beef cattle (a new venture having been a dairy farm previously) are nice to visit (if that’s your thing- we’re vets and we were missing our animals by the end of our trip). There are also some cheeky baby goats now.

Alongside the horse-riding, we went to Tapanti and did a couple of the trails (verdant, dripping vegetation and a frothy river), totally do-able for two young children. We did the loop road and visited Ujarras and the Lankester Botanic Gardens. Hacienda Orosi was surprisingly excellent (luckily, given the cost) and quite nice to visit in the cool, wet weather we had that day as the pools were steaming hot. The food was also very sound at the restaurant and the portions were massive. We did the coffee tour which turned out to be a 5k uphill walk and we ended up laughing at the peril of the slippy downhill element - not what we expected but pretty fun and we burned off some of the huge lunch.

Thank you to Gisela and Roger for looking after us so well and for letting us experience a different facet of Costa Rican life, far away from the sterile Pacific resorts and orchestrated tours. Gisela is a biologist by training so can also tell you anything you would like to know about the wildlife of the area (they have trail cameras and the amount of birds buzzing around was overwhelming). The farm is incredibly special and we wish you all the best...

This was the most special part of our amazing trip to Costa Rica. Not many tourists make it to the Orosi Valley--despite its gorgeous beauty and the fact that it offers much that you find elsewhere, including rafting, horseback riding, animals, amazing hiking, birding, volcanos and even hot springs. But the most special part of our visit to Orosi was staying at Finca Queveri. Perched on the crest of a stunning, green mountain , with clousd clinging to its top, overlooking the gorgeous Orosi valley and adjacent to Tapanti National Park, this lodge is a on a cattle /dairy ranch (now mostly tourism but they have some animals). The lodge was built in 1930s by the family patriarch and is now run by three siblings who provide farm to table cuisine, horseback riding, and rustic but comfortable rooms. We had the entire lodge part to ourselves. We were welcomed warmly by Adriana, one of the siblings who was also our private chef for the week, and her brother, Roger, who oversees the animals. During our stay, in addition to seeing Irazu volcano, going ziplining and visiting nearby hot springs, we did the amazing horseback ride at the finca, where in addition to unbelievable views we got to see a newborn calf (just a few hours old) at the barn!

The lodge was also amazing--a gorgeous all wood mountain house built in 1930s with stunning views. We had the entire lodge to ourselves, with tons of space to roam and comfy couches from which to watch the views; we also explored the extensive grounds on a hike and enjoyed chilling out on hammocks. Furnishing and rooms on are the basic/rustic side, but very clean and very comfortable beds and pillows (which is never a given when you travel!). We slept so well!

And the food! Breakfast and dinner were included in our lodging and they were amazing. Adriana made everything from scratch and from the farm and we got to try many new things. Even my normally picky kids were eating chayote soup and chowing down on beet, carrot apple salad. Food was tasty, fresh, copious and most of all, made in harmony with the land.

Perhaps the best part was the personal, family style welcome we received. Adriana and Roger introduced us to their lives, and shared their family's legacy, in a wonderful and unique way that we could not have experienced in most other places in Costa Rica and that I know impacted my kids a lot. I highly recommend Finca Queveri if you want to unplug, experience a beautiful and quieter part of Costa Rica and/or bring your kids here to have fun exploring the farm and...

My husband and I went here as part of our honeymoon trip to Costa Rica. We were originally on the fence about making the trip to Orosi as it seemed to be a less popular spot (compared to La Fortuna, Monteverde, and Guanacaste, which we went to after), but we're so glad we did! It definitely felt like a more niche Costa Rican experience and the views in Orosi and especially from the Queveri Lodge were gorgeous. The room we stayed in felt like a serene cabin with beautiful views of the valley. There were nice walking trails on the premise as well.||Beyond the accommodations, the food at this lodge was amazing! Maybe I should have read the reviews more closely, but I was not even expecting the meals to be included and definitely not as much food as was served. Each meal was a 4 course homemade meal and the ingredients were clearly right from the farm (actually farm to table!). Everything we had was super fresh and delicious! We would definitely recommend the Queveri Lodge especially to couples wanting to do something a little different and less tourist-y. Staying here was definitely a highlight of our whole trip...