Casa Grande Mountain Retreat, Utuado

This place is in a lovely area, very natural and beautiful. But there are actually other places to stay there. It's a decent hotel. Clean and all, but not the friendliest place on the planet. I was in Puerto Rico to look at real estate, and my cell phone just wouldn't function down there. It wasn't easy. They don't have phones in the room, or even a pay phone in the reception area. They offer to let you use their cell phone for like $2.00 a minute, but it doesn't even have a strong signal. They really should have made it very clear about phones, because had I known it would be virtually impossible to stay in contact with people, I never would have gone there. If they had phones in the room, I wouldn't mind paying to use the phone. But complete inaccessablity was not acceptable. It caused me a lot of problems. They want you to eat every meal there... they try to make to make a reservation for dinner at breakfast. They act like there are no other places around. But actually there are some small places. There is a great place on the lake called Rancho Marina, it's open on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 am to 6 pm. Good food. Friendly service. Great view. Try to go there. The food was adequate, but nothing to write home about. And they don't want to give you enough coffee in the morning and they charge for every cup. It's ironic, they make it out to be this wonderful new age, peaceful happy looking place, but it's all about sqeezing money from you. OH, and watch out for parking. If the place is busy, there isn't enough room in the parking lot for all the cars. We had to park on the street one night, way down the hill. Speaking of hills. If you want to stay there, you should be strong. There are lots of hills and steps.. which is no problem if you are young and healthy. But there is no one to help you with luggage or anything, so if you have a hard time with steps and hills and carrying things.. or if you travel heavy, you know, big suitcases, FORGET IT. You could have a heart attack on the steps. And they would probably charge extra for calling an ambulance.

If you want to pay separately for every cup of coffee, every telephone call from an office cell phone (because yours won't work), yoga, massage, extra glass of anything, including soft drinks or tea, because their glasses/cups are less than 8oz, then this is the place for you. We were charged $14 just for coffee! Besides being difficult to reach, the rooms do not have any phones nor will your cell phone work here. You have to be the first one up if you want hot water for your shower. The soap they provide looks like it was stolen from a maid's cart at Motel 6. Two glasses are provided inside your room, however, these glasses will never be changed throughout your visit. There is no airconditioning at all so if you tend to be on the warm side, you should consider this. Then, upon awakening, enjoy your breakfast with the rudest, most inattentive waitress in Puerto Rico. This brings me to the parking lot. We had to park across the street on someone else's property because parking is limited and difficult to manuever. However, if you do find yourself here and want something else to eat besides the limited dinner menu, then walk across the street to Marlene's cottage and ask about Rancho Marina. Rancho Marina is run by Vivian and Harry. It's a lovely lakeside restaurant where everyone is friendly and the food is good.

The location was so lovely. The valley is beautiful! It was fabulously relaxing, we enjoyed the pool and our meals at the restuarant. The rooms are basic and spacious and the staff is fantastic.

We initially chose Casa Grande because the other parador was full - what a treat this was. After the hustle and bustle of San Juan we found Casa Grande to be a perfectly quiet and serene getaway. The accommodation is rustic - very simple and clean. Although we initially wished for tv and a/c - we found that it was a refreshing change to relax in the hammock with a book, or just to sit back and admire the star lit skies or hear the coquis sing to us. A/C is not needed in the evenings or nights as it can get quite cool. And even though this is set in the tropics, mosquitos are not really a problem either. This setting is conducive to a peaceful retreat - and even though I'm not a yoga participant - Casa Grande is like a balm for the 'harried'. Although there are 4 rooms to each building, noise or lack of privacy are never an issue because of the design. We took our parents with us on the last trip and they were set up in a room that didn't have too many stairs - they loved it too. The breakfast buffet (when there are lots of guests) is tasty, fresh and good value. On occasion we've had dinner at Casa Grande (when our day trips bring us back on time)and have always enjoyed the meal. The grounds are especially beautiful and very well cared for. They're not formally manicured... but very naturally set up with flowers and fruits that are native to the area. My digital camera always goes into "over-drive" on a visit to Casa Grande. The staff and operators have always been very helpful, accommodating and welcoming and we look forward to having many more weekend getaways in the future. Day trips in the area make for a nice activity to sight-see - -all in all a very peaceful and enjoyable holiday.

The place is set right in the middle of nature so it is definitely beautiful. There is plenty of greenery all around and you do really feel like you are away from it all. If you just feel the need to get away from the city into nature and just chill, this would be the place. You can relax on a hammock while a warm rain comes down and at night you can stare into the darkness and hear the coqui making their sounds. If you are somebody on vacation who likes to be on the go, then you might want to rethink your stay unless you are already renting a car which will help you get around during the day. The rooms are clean but sparce mostly because I think the idea behind the place is that it is a "Spiritual Retreat". I think most of us who are on vacation will see this as a rustic hotel if anything. Definitely not the place to bring kids as they would be bored. I spotted this one family sitting at the pool with with their early teen kids who looked as if they wanted to scream. All in all, the place is great. Though I have to admit, our interactions with owner always felt akward as if he always had something negative to respond or wasn't approving of something. It made our stay a little uncomfortable. It wasn't just one isolated conversation either. To be fair, I did notice that he did have much better interaction with some of the other guests so I didn't understand what was making him so weird with us. It was very disparaging to the point that we were looking forward to leaving. I hope this helps. I did my best to be impartial.

I visited Casa Grande during my vacation during the month of November. The occupancy was very low at the time which made it more enjoyable for me, since I was seeking solitude. I went by myself and stayed for three nights. My overall experience was absolutely wonderful. The scenery,the quietness and the attention of the staff was exactly what I needed to renew myself. I spent 98% of my time reading or resting on the hammock. As soon as I can, I will go back!

I stayed two nights with my wife, my 2-year old, and my in-laws. It was a pleasant and enjoyable experience, and I see myself returning. If luxury, TV, telephones, and AC is what you are looking for, Casa Grande is not for you. If you have an appreciation for nature, peace, and tranquility, then Casa Grande will definitely satisfy. Rustic and spartan are the word that would describe Casa Grande. The views are wonderful -- you wake up to a wall of green mountain to greet you. It provides a valley experience, instead of a mountain top experience (which would be even better), but enjoyable and inspirational nonetheless. The first night we were there, the occupancy level was high, so in the morning there was an all-you-can-eat buffet breakfast. The selection, freshness, and quality of the items was very good. The next morning, the occupancy level was low, and a regular breakfast menu was available. The selection was good, and the food was once again, good. The only other food I had was after poor planning, I found myself back at the "hotel" in the late evening, having not eaten dinner. Steve was gracious enough to accommodate me with a selection of my choice from the menu. It was a stewed chicken selection which was fine. Nothing special, and a little pricey, but still within reason. As far as the price, I have mixed feelings. Part of me thinks that it's overpriced. I paid $110.00 plus tax per night -- $90 double occupancy, plus $10 for each additional person. That's alot of money when you consider that it's rustic with no AC or television. It just seems like it should be less. But personally I love the mountain experience, so I am willing to spend the extra money for the ambiance. That's a personal decision. As far as the lack of AC, I would say it's not necessary. I was not there during the day, but I'm sure it could get rather warm. When we arrived during the evenings, it was rather warm, and you felt hot and muggy, and I felt myself wishing for AC. BUT, after I took a cool shower, I felt totally refreshed and comfortable. Falling asleep was comfortable with just the fan, and by the morning, it was so cool, that we found ourselves bundled up with blankets. As far as the lack of TV, I would say that it would prefer to have one. Most of us are so centered around the television in the evenings (maybe a bad thing), that it feels awkward and boring without it. That said, we got along fine without it. The hospitality of Steve (the owner), and his staff was great, and topped of a very enjoyable, and memorable experience.