Noticias
Puerto
Rico hotel steeps visitors
in coffee experience
Jeannette Rivera-Lyles |
Sentinel Staff Writer
July 15, 2007
SAN SEBASTIAN, Puerto Rico -
Coffee is the essence of
hotel Hacienda el Jibarito.
When guests walk in, the
aroma from the roasters on
the premises engulfs them.
Near the lobby, Casa Café
serves up blends cultivated
by local growers. Near the
pool and waterfalls, guests
can be rubbed down with
coffee body treatments.
And someday soon, the owners
say, visitors will plunge
even deeper into the coffee
experience: Some will be
there to pick the fruit.
In the island's coffee
region, agritourism -- which
blends travel with
agricultural work -- is a
trend that's catching on.
The idea, which appeals to
the environmentally
conscious, is to experience
what it's like to work the
land.
The Hacienda's
co-owner, 30-year-old
Ernesto "Tito" Valle,
dreamed up the concept for
his hotel while working at
his father's plantation,
where coffee grows under the
orange, avocado, mango and
papaya trees.
For him, it seemed a natural
way to blend his love for
the family's tradition with
his entrepreneurial future.
"I'm a farmer first and
foremost," Valle said. "I
wanted a place that would
make people understand that
food does not grow in the
supermarket."
Although it has existed for
decades in other places, the
concept of agritourism is
relatively new to Puerto
Rico. Local officials have
high hopes that the emerging
industry will attract more
travelers because the
island's coastal areas are
having a tough time
competing with more-affordableCaribbean
destinations.
Hacienda el Jibarito sits on
22 acres deep in the
island's coffee-growing
region.
A freshwater pond is stocked
regularly with fish for
guests to catch. And for the
more adventurous visitor,
the property boasts six
waterfalls reachable through
steep, narrow hiking trails.
At the end of a busy day,
guests can enjoy dinner at
Laurdaga, an on-site
restaurant featuring
traditional Puerto Rican
cuisine prepared with some
of the produce grown on
site.
"We offer the beauty and
peace of the country in
combination with the small
luxuries that spice up
life," Valle said.
More information can be
found at
haciendaeljibarito.net
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/travel/thisweek/stories/DN-jibaritogo_0506tra.ART.State.Edition1.1bf0ef0.html
