Casa Flamboyant Bed & Breakfast Review
Hola Penny Pinchers!
I hope everyone has stayed safe in these recent months, and as the travel industry opens up again, I’m excited to share my experience in Casa Flamboyant in Puerto Rico.
In a previous post we talked about a day trip in Old San Juan. Shortly after, the trip continued to El Yunque, America’s only tropical rainforest. This was a place that is regularly visited by tourists from San Juan but has the majority of visitors in the northern part of the jungle. A friend recommended Casa Flamboyant as a beautiful AirBnB location right in the middle of the rainforest. After seeing the pictures on their Instagram, the plan was to stay 3 nights in Casa Flamboyant and 1 night in Old San Juan.
If I didn’t have the recommendation from my friend, a good tactic for any new destination is when looking on the map, look for the green! With Puerto Rico you will see a big green blob on the map and search for hotels in the area, to give yourself an idea of options.
With Casa Flamboyant, their website is self explanatory but the website is nowhere near portraying the magnificence of the Bed and Breakfast. Their instagram page gives great pictures of the general location but the picture that sold it to me was the infinity pool overlooking the jungle and multiple waterfalls and the view of the ocean!
The reservation was for 3 nights and Casa Flamboyant sits on top of the mountainside next to Rio Sabana. This lodge is truly unique in its natural environment and subtle personal touches by the hosts Ricky and Florin, which we will discuss later!
El Yunque
El Yunque National Park is a tropical rainforest located in the Northeastern part of Puerto Rico. This is the only one in the USA and it’s the biggest one in the Caribbean. The northern part of the rainforest is the most visited, but Casa Flamboyant is accessible through the Southern part. The Southern part does have a recreational area which seems to have been abandoned since Hurricane Maria in 2017. The rainforest in all covers a total of 28,000 acres and home to thousands of native plants and small animal species can also be found along various trails, the majority of which are harmless. But in all honesty you don’t even need to step out of Casa Flamboyant simply because it has its own grounds, own pool and own trail leading to its own waterfall!
The Drive
The drive from Old San Juan to Casa Flamboyant can take between 1.5 hours to 2 hours. Ricky was excellent at providing driving directions and gave 2 routes, the quickest and the most scenic. The most scenic goes along the northern coast and past several beaches. The plan had been to go along that route, but for some reason a wrong route was taken and the drive ended up going around the western part of the El Yunque. The drive was still beautiful but with better planning it could have been even prettier.
Arrival
After our 2 hour drive, upon arriving at Casa Flamboyant you get a quick tour of the site which started with the entrance courtyard. The courtyard is well maintained and has some beautiful flowers and a makeshift Lily Pond with fish in!
The breathtaking moment comes when you step through the building into the backyard balcony with the infinity pool overlooking the jungle and facing the ocean!
After literally standing for a good few minutes in awe of the sight, I had nothing else to do but go and check out my room. A bit of an anti-climax (I went for the cheapest room) but the plan was to spend minimal time in the room and maximum time on the site and in the jungle! The good thing about this room is it was closest to the wi-fi router and also to the numerous movies that Ricky and Florin have on their shelves for a quick and easy trip within the main building. There is also a hammock just outside the room for a relaxing nap or a calming place to read a book.
The other rooms which I managed to have a look at all have their unique touches. The ginger terrace has a front on view of the waterfalls and has a private balcony (as does the Rainbow room), it also has an Eastern Asian style to the architecture leading up to the room.
Ginger Terrace view from Casa Flamboyant website 
The last room is the Rainbow room. With a view directly facing the ocean and beach, it is also the biggest room with a more private balcony again facing the ocean.
After the tour, once sunset occurs it gets dark very quickly and it becomes relatively quiet. You will hear the “coqee” sounds from outside which can be either very relaxing or incredibly irritating. The coqui are a species of frogs indigenous to the rainforest. Earplugs are provided but thankfully the natural sounds put me right to sleep.
First Full Day
Sunrise and breakfast
Sunrises are always beautiful to look at, and since my purchase of Pegasi glasses, and the understanding of the science, I have made a more conscious effort to wake up early to watch the sunrise. Due to the natural view of the balcony to the ocean, you can’t quite get the best view of the sunrise, but it is still lovely to wake up to the natural sun and the ambience of the rainforest.
As the sun comes up, if you get lucky with minimal cloud coverage you can enjoy the colors in the rainforest as well as the numerous plant life on the property. Ricky will set up tea and coffee once he wakes up, and Florin will cook a delicious breakfast for all the guests. During this time, you can use this opportunity to enjoy the fresh rainforest water which is recycled on the property when you shower. The water feels amazing and the bath products used fell great, I truly felt my skin was at its best when I stayed here and it its a helpful amenity to have considering that the rest of the day will be spent trekking in a hot and humid rainforest!
When breakfast is finally called, you will be in for a treat. With fresh fruit from Ricky and Florin’s vegetable and fruit garden and fresh ingredients you will feel full and satisfied but know everything was fresh and not unhealthy. It’s ana slo an opportunity to socialize with other guests and the hosts who have some interesting stories and generally are great to chat to!
Private trail and waterfall
After breakfast is the perfect opportunity to burn off some calories and utilize the property’s private land. There are some steps that lead down from the main patio area which lead downwards to a T-junction which leads to the property’s garden patch or the trail to the waterfall.
The trail is completely private to only the property’s guests and so gives you the freedom to explore within your comfort zone. The trail isn’t really strenuous but beware when it rains very heavily and without warning as it can be slippy. I specifically bought water shoes for swimming and walking through the jungle but didn’t predict how they would fare in the mid!
The jungle hike is really everything you would expect it to be, giant green leaves and exotic flowers hanging over you with the faint sound of the waterfalls in the distance.
One of the waterfalls is taller and wider, and has a few boulders at the base of it that you can sit on and get massaged by the running water. The other waterfall is more narrow, it continues downstream but it starts to get a little difficult to continue down it on your own, so I wouldn’t;t recommend it. Just enjoy the water pool area and relax in the natural environment.
Vegetable garden
The garden is something I definitely recommend. Recently I have been interested in growing my own herbs and vegetables, and this is a great inspiration. Ricky and Florin have done a great job at maintaining their grounds and it really is inspiring. They also have signs to educate you on the different species of plants and vegetation in the area.
Once you are done exploring, its a great idea to cool off in their infinity pool. The infinity pool has some beautiful views and like the shower the water is naturally recycled from the rainforest and feels great! The weather was great for the majority of our stay but at times was a little cold to enter. Considering this trip was made in January, still nice to get away from the cold Mid-West!
Second Full Day
On researching El Yunque, I was curious to know about the Southern entrance of El Yunque. Before Hurricane Maria, the Southern and Northern trails of El Yunque were connected. I tried to dig into the internet to find if there was any way to explore the various sites of the Northern part from the Bed and Breakfast but it didn’t;t look like it was possible. Regardless I decided after breakfast (Croque Monsieur!) to start my own little adventure!
As you head to a higher altitude along the road after leaving Casa Flamboyant you will come across the Southern Entrance sign. From their you will cross a small stream that leads past a bridge.Eventually you will get to an abandoned area which was clearly an upcoming area pre-Maria. An area for barbecuing and a small waterbody leading downstream, where families would relax and leisurely spend their Sundays.
There’s an opportunity to have bathroom break but be warned, as mentioned previously this is an abandoned visitor area!
As you keep walking the trail after the visitor area is not so prominent and the trail starts to wear out. There is at least one waterfall (although very small) where you can stop to take pictures but generally apart from the occasional nice view of the Jungle when the landscape allows, there isn’t much sadly else to do.
Hopefully with tourism revenue and government initiatives this part of El Yunque can be cleaned up, as I’m sure there is untapped potential here.
Casa Flamboyant’s Flowers and Plants
Ricky and Florin have done a magnificent job maintaining their property. Not only do they grow fresh fruit and vegetables but they have a number of plants and flowers that very pleasing on the eyes.
Casa Flamboyant provides that unique touch of personality to this already beautiful location. It is an ideal place for couples ideally and the majority of guests seem to be couples and children are not allowed.I would strongly recommend staying for more than 1 night and incorporating this as stopover trip.
Summary
This is easily my favorite non chain Bed and Breakfast. The calm, tranquil atmosphere, along with the comfortable suites with first class amenities make it a great stay for getting away from the hectic life in the mainland or San Juan. Ricky and Florin are perfect hosts, and have opened their home to visitors and had offered to pick up groceries during the stay. They have someone come for massages if required (though make sure you have cash on you!) and they do everything they can to turn this into a 5 star stay.
Although I personally didn’t travel anywhere from Casa Flamboyant, it is important to know it is also 25 minutes from the beach and the seaside towns.
How did the Penny Pinching Doc maximize rewards?
I used my Chase Sapphire Reserve to pay for this stay on AirBnB. It would have been cheaper on their website I later found out, but Chase were offering a 5% cash back when using the Sapphire reserve card. Ricky and Florin were kind enough to pick up groceries which allowed me to continue my habit of a light early dinner (the breakfast will get you through the day). I highly recommend wearing the correct attire including a top made of material for the hot humid environment and water sneakers. All in all, it was well worth the trip, and I will most definitely return!