I have found paradise.
While researching Puerto Rico for our trip, I kept seeing snippets about this beautiful place, Casa Flamboyant. On a whim, I booked it, not fully expecting it to live up to the hype.
Y’all, it exceeded the hype.
Casa Flamboyant is a bed and breakfast situated in El Yunque- the rainforest in Puerto Rico, and the only rainforest in the United States. It’s up in the mountains, and even though you pass other homes, the minute you step behind the beautiful wood door, you feel secluded in an oasis.
A beautiful pink home. Lush greenery everywhere. Beautifully kept flower beds. An amazing garden. Beautifully simple decor. You’ll be immediately greeted by Ricky and Florin, the owners. Chances are, you will not have met a kinder couple. During the tour of the property, you’re led onto the back deck.
Y’all, I think my mouth may have legit just dropped open. There are NO WORDS for how stunning this is. The view, the set up, the ambiance…it’s just magical. There’s really not other way to describe it.
Ricky and Florin think of everything you could need. Fresh spring water in the mini fridge in the room. Toiletries. Towels. A sweet handwritten note welcoming us. Wine available for purchase. Games, movies, books available for use.
The property also has two trails. Technically these trails belong to the El Yunque forest, but they’re only accessible from the property, making them, for all intent and purposes, private. Dan and I hiked one upon arrival, and though a moderately difficult hike, it led to a waterfall and swimming hole all to ourselves. More than worth it!
At night, Dan and I relaxed with a glass of wine. The stars were so bright, and I’ve never heard anything like the sounds of the rainforest at night. It was so serene and peaceful and just straight out of a movie.
In the morning, coffee (which is amazing) and tea is served at 8, and they begin serving fresh fruit at 9. They serve an incredible assortment of fruit that is either grown on their property or from a neighbor’s property. We had purple banana, home grown pineapple, papaya, gooseberries, the reddest watermelon I’ve ever seen, star fruit, dragon fruit, and grapefruit.
This is all followed by an amazing breakfast made by Florin. (They ask the night before about any dietary restrictions!) We had amazing chocolate chip waffle, made with a special fruit flour from a local Puerto Rican fruit. It was topped with an apple banana (one of the 8 kinds of bananas they grow on the property), homemade whipped cream, and sprinkled with lime zest and topped with a home grown berry. When I tell you this waffle was one of the best things I’ve eaten in my life, that’s probably an understatement.
We stayed here for one night, and I for sure wish we had stayed a little longer! This stay was one of the highlights of our entire trip. I’m shouting from the rooftops for everyone to come here!
Things to know
- You will probably need a rental car to get here. It’s a bit of a drive from San Juan, but they give great instructions and our GPS took us right there. Since it’s up a mountain, however, I wouldn’t rely on Uber.
- It’s in the rainforest. So it rains. The trail we hiked was pretty muddy, so if you want to hike, bring shoes with good grip that you don’t care about getting messy.
- There’s not too many restaurants around, so Ricky and Florin will tell you to stop and get dinner and snacks for the night. They provide a grill and microwave for you to make yourself something.
- Would definitely recommend this for couples- not a place I would bring Oliver and Zoey!
- This was our splurge night. It was more expensive than other areas/places we were staying, but it is 1000% worth it, and then some!
One of my favorite things about this place (other than everything) is that they are a sustainable tourist facility. They have done so many things to help make their piece of paradise eco friendly and as harmonious with the environment as possible, and I just truly appreciate that so much. You can read more about that here!
If you ever take a trip to Puerto Rico, make sure Casa Flamboyant is on your list! This place is seriously a once in a lifetime place! Dan and I usually don’t care about where we stay, so trust me- this is really high praise if we’re saying it’s worth it!! Check them out here to book your stay!
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