I recently spent three weeks at Finca Soley, and loved every minute of it! The setting is like a place out of time, a world to itself, full of horses, cows, dogs, and chickens, surrounded by jungle. The horses are at the center of this world, and Isa takes pleasure in introducing their world to her guests. The accomodations are just right – comfortable if not luxurious – and the food is superb. Those who already know something about horses will get the most out of their stay, but you don’t have to be an experienced rider or have spent lots of time in a stable to learn a lot. I highly recommend the Finca Soley experience and look forward to going back!

Excellent séjour, magnifique endroit dans les montagnes !

I didn’t choose Finca Soley because I wanted to go to Costa Rica. I was looking for a place where the horses actually come first, where their health and wellbeing are the priority and where the philosophy behind working with them feels right. I would have flown somewhere completely different for that, but I found exactly what I was looking for with Isa in Costa Rica. It’s also not one of those places where you feel like just another guest being pushed through a program. Everything feels and actually is personal and you’re surrounded by people who share the same love for horses and often a very similar mindset. I’ve met some amazing people there and real friendships can come out of these weeks together. Her horses are allowed to just be horses and communicate naturally with each other. They spend their days out on the beautiful, wide pastures of Costa Rica and even on riding days, they only have one lesson before heading back out to the fields. I really love that they’re not spending hours going from one lesson to the next. Isa also puts a lot of focus on keeping the horses mobile and moving well, with their long-term health always in mind. She knows her horses really well and knows which horse works best with which student, which I think is great for both sides. And the food definitely deserves its own mention! Breakfast, lunch and dinner are freshly prepared every day by the chef, and everything I had was honestly so good. A lot of what ends up on your plate is grown right there on the farm, with other fresh ingredients coming from the local farmers market, so it really has that farm-to-table feel. He’s also super accommodating when it comes to individual needs, allergies or dietary preferences and always makes sure there’s something for everyone. Having three fresh meals prepared for you every day with ingredients that basically grew around the corner is definitely something I could get used to. 😄 There are two different guest houses, Casa India and Casa Perla, and honestly, you can’t really go wrong with either. Casa Perla has a four-person shared room as well as a private room, and waking up there to the view over the pastures and the horses is pretty hard to beat. Casa India has several rooms, overlooks the riding arena and is right by the area where everyone comes together for meals. And even though they’re two separate houses, they’re basically next to each other. It’s literally just a tiny walk from Casa Perla to Casa India, so you never feel far away from anything. Once a week, we all went out for dinner together with the other guests and Isa’s family, which was always such a fun and relaxed evening with great food, drinks and good company. We also stopped at a supermarket so everyone could pick up anything they wanted or needed for themselves. Isa is also super helpful with planning any other activities you want to do during your stay. She can organize and book everything for you, and you can even handle the payment through her, which makes it really easy. And of course, getting all of that surrounded by Costa Rican nature is a pretty great bonus! For me, it’s the combination of the horses, the philosophy of Isa and the people that makes Finca Soley a place I would always come back to.

I had a great time. Lovely room, and my gluten allergy was completely accommodated. The place is gorgeous, and Isa is knowledgeable and kind.

J’ai passé 1 mois à Finca solay en tant que volontaire + passage de la certification equine care specialiste. Les journées de travail étaient intenses, mais j’ai beaucoup appri. Isa m’a généreusement laissé m’occuper de sa horde. Elle m’a fait confiance, c’est une qualité rare dans le milieu équestre (ce qui peut se comprendre, puisqu’on à en charge des grosses bêtes sensibles 😅). Tous les chevaux avaient leur caractères spécifiques, mais tous de bonne constitution, ils ont été adorables. Isa souhaite toujours transmettre son savoir et sa passion au mieux. Le reste de la ferme est paradisiaque, les chiens, les chats, les vaches, les poules, la végétation, les insectes, la piscines... Tout était très bien. J’ai aussi eu la chance de pouvoir profiter de repas délocieux et cuisinés avec amour par le Chef Armando. La famille d’Isa est chalereuse et Milton, son mari, ne ratera pas une occasion de vous apprendre généreusement une part de son immense savoir. Les logements sont confortables. Les activités proposées sont topissimes et, bien que volontaire, Isa s’est toujours arrangée 1 fois par semaine pour me permettre d’y participer. L’état d’esprit, l’ambiance, les temps partagés tous ensembles m’ont laissés de beaux souvenirs. J’ai adoré l’ambiance internationnale qui y règne avec décomplexion et bienveillance ❤️ Isa, Milton, et tout leur univers, travaillent d’arache-pieds pour nous offrir la meilleure experience possible.