El Hotelito at The Rainforest Experience Farm — Hotel in Puerto Rico

Very rustic hotel, the water is captured rain and electricity is solar. This isn't an issue but that means the only outlets in the hotel are 6 located on a power strip in the communal area. There are none in your room.

The location and hotel is very quaint and beautiful but in much need of some serious TLC (maintenance, upkeep, and cleaning) when we visited. A handyman, fresh coat of paint and a good scrub down would do this place wonders. Even though there were signs of work (ladders, buckets and tools scattered about) there was no work done during our 1 night stay, so hopefully this will improve.

Our room was large, but without many features other than the large windows with slats that never completely closed (and some windows didn't open). There were two very large glass windows facing the best view of the island and ocean, but the slated blinds didn't work, the windows were very dirty and hard to see through, and there was an old ladder leaning against one on the outside obstructing the otherwise beautiful view. It didn't feel very clean (stains on comforter and some dirt in the corners and on the cement floor) and there is no ac so keeping the windows open in the rainforest was the best option. This meant it was very hot and humid in the room which was not bad until the breeze stopped midway through the night. Also, there were many "friends" in our room including a few coquis (tiny tree frogs with very loud chirps) and a few crickets. Thankfully we were not bothered by any flying insects like mosquitoes during our stay. I enjoyed the camping feel, but my wife didn't appreciate the frog clinging to her bath towel in the morning. Some previous guests had walked off with the only key to our room, so we were unable to lock our room when we weren't inside. We mostly kept our things in our car because of this, only bringing them up for the night.

The rainforest comes alive at night with the chorus of coquis and crickets and is so loud you have to raise your voice over it for a conversation. There were a few friendly dogs in the property who enjoyed barking at various things through the night, and even though there is a 10pm quiet time, guests were playing music and taking loudly late into the night. The open concept and lack of windows didn't do much to help muffle any noise. Bring earplugs if you are a light sleeper.

The surrounding rainforest was beautiful and lush. There is a small .25 mile dirt walking path near the hotel where you can see the rainforest a bit closer and there are a couple pretty flowers there. (There were little to no signs of the old flower plantation) The trail took us about 20 minutes there and back but we were stopping a lot along the way to look at the flowers and giant snails on the path.

The main road through the rainforest (with nature center, many hiking trails and waterfalls) is about 40 minutes drive away accessed from the other side of the rainforest so you need to go back into town and on the main highway to get there.

The road to the hotel was unpaved and very steep. We were able to make it up in our rented sedan, but only because it was dry and offroading experience helped. Definitely suggest having a car with 4WD to guarantee you can make it to the hotel.

Dinner was $15 each and very simple with a 'buffet' of white rice, a beef stew, and fried green plantain. Simple as it was, it was delicious and had that good local homemade taste. We were told they were only offering the dinner that night because the hotel was full, so be aware. Breakfast was included and was also simple continental style with a cereal, toast, apples and bananas.

Even though it was a beautiful area, and the hotel had potential, the price we paid ($110/night) unfortunately wasn't reflected in the condition of the hotel or the available amenities...

When my husband discovered El Hotelito, he knew he had to bring us all to Puerto Rico for the amazing experience of sleeping in a rainforest! My kids and in-laws took 4 large rooms full of fresh air with private balconies and the most amazing views of forest, ocean and islands; a vista that wraps around the horizon seen from El Hotelito. It is the perfect marriage of camping and comfort; not a generic hotel industry venue that separates you from the very place you came to see. The coqui sing you to sleep and beautiful green anoles sun themselves from your windowsill. Intermittent showers cool the air and leave rainbows arching from mountain to mountain. Days are warm and humid... jump in the pool! Evenings are cool and breezy, freely flowing through this open home, perfect for it's climate.||We spent a delicious and thankful Thanksgiving, loving it so much, we extended for an extra day and still wished we didn't have to leave. Rafi and Jennifer made us feel like welcomed friends, giving us as much attention or space as we would like. We really felt like it was a taste of what it could feel like to live in Puerto Rico. What a unique opportunity to disconnect from the buzz and connect with nature and eachother. Our rooms had glorious bouquets of flowers and even in November, the paths are lush with an array of dazzling tropicals. Rafi was like a safari guide, machete in hand, blazing a trail from the verdant forest that constantly reclaims what it can. His gentle dogs went ahead, and actually made us feel safer, having them on patrol in this rather wild place. The dogs are not overwhelming, but will visit you if you show and interest in them. Rafi treats you with the same courtesy and respect that you show him. He is genuine and has had fascinating experiences building and expanding his home and raising his family here. He is sharing his life and land with you. Come prepared to slow down and feel the natural pace. Feel good about being an ecotourist, leaving a smaller footprint in this wonderful land. No, there aren't a lot of paved roads and they follow the topography. This is the correct trend slowly being adopted by some cities. It allows the bountiful rainfall to seep in through catchments and helps prevent landslides, which are a common problem in Puerto Rico when steep land is cleared aggressively. That said, we did have a 4WD vehicle and arrived in clear daytime skies.|| We feel very fortunate to have discovered El Hotelito. It is a unique adventure for people who cherish new experiences and appreciate what nature has to offer rather than fear a touch of the wild. Honestly, how many opportunities are there to stay in a...

This was a very beautiful hotel to stay at. Its definitely not like staying at some big name brand hotel, but I think that's why you would want to book with them. The rooms are spacious however there is a little room to improve on the futon provided for a guest. I slept pretty comfortably its just a little old. The owner Rafael did offer to exchange however I didn't insist and it was fine all the same. The hotel rest on top of a hill, and the views are spectacular. They run on solar and use rain water, there aren't any outlets available in the rooms which is great when you really want to just disconnect. Wifi is available but not so much in the rooms, probably because of the concrete construction of the colonial style home. I didn't mind because there's plenty of places to sit near the lounge where you can peacefully study or in my case do HW. There is no AC in the rooms but its pretty cool at night so that was not a problem. Everything was as described accurately except for one item. The road leading up the hotel is indeed a dirt road. However, the last 1/2 mile or so has some spots where it would barely pass as a road. Its pretty rough and I think that should be mentioned. If you have an SUV or Jeep, you won't have any issues. I rented a small Kia and there were some parts on the way up where my tires were kicking dirt! It didn't rain while I was there but I could see how after some rain going up may present some trouble. That being said, you are definitely not required to rent an SUV/Truck,Jeep to stay here, but it would make the ride to the top a little easier. You start to question if you're going the right way but the GPS works great and if you just keep going to the top then you'll get there! Overall, I would 100% recommend staying at this hotel if you want something uniquely peaceful, nature-isk, with beautiful scenery. At night you hear the sounds of the rainforest and it puts you right to sleep. 10/10...