Puerto Rico is often associated with its beautiful beaches, but venture inland, and you’ll discover a rich farming heritage that has withstood the test of time—and hurricanes. This American Territory has always been known for its farm exports: primarily coffee (once sought after by kings and queens in Europe), but also cacaos, plantains, and citrus. We wanted to see and experience farming in the interior, farms carved into steep hillsides that would seemingly defy commercial planting.

Everywhere we stopped, we were welcomed with hot meals and met farmers who were generous with their time and eager to share their knowledge. We discovered in our visits that Hurricane Maria (2017) had wiped out most of the crops and meant many had to start from scratch with replanting. Despite this devastation, these farmers are embracing innovation—experimenting with new crops like vanilla, focusing on sustainable farming, and adding agritourism in the form of farm stays to their operations.

Want to experience farming firsthand? These four farm stays offer a variety of accommodations—camping, cottages, and off-grid huts—all with breathtaking views.

Hacienda La Tradicion in Utuado is a coffee farm owned by  Carlos Casanos. He returned to Puerto Rico after Maria, having lived in the States for over 30 years, and wanting to come home to the land where he was born. He bought a farm and has been in the process of planting over 12,000 coffee trees, as well as growing chilies and bananas. We saw the drawings for the Hacienda he plans to build for guests. Currently he offers camping (on a flat grassy area!) and hikes throughout the farm to ponds and waterfalls.

Finca La Puertas de San Pedro in Utuado is a farm growing coffee, cacaos, plantains and citrus. It is owned by Madelyn Heredia and Jesus Alcaraz Suyas. Most of the crops were destroyed during Maria so much of the planting is new. There are two accommodations at this farm, both with incredible views over the valley and the farm below. One is a one-bedroom cottage (Casita Limani) with a full bath, living room, kitchen, and covered deck. The other cottage (Casita Marsellesa) can sleep up to four and has a kitchen; also with incredible views. Additionally, there are three campsites laid out.

Hacienda La Guadeloupe in Jayuya is owned by Vidal Irizarry and Lisandra Pabon. This is also a coffee, cacaos, plantain and citrus farm, just beginning to experiment with growing vanilla as well. We were given a tour of the greenhouses, helped to plant some cilantro, and got a lesson on drying coffee beans. The couple offer lodging in an apartment above the roasting area and in a private off-grid cabin down a steep track that also takes you by the pond where the farmers grow tilapia (fish). Three more cabins are coming online and camping is available. Besides farm and coffee tours, the farm offers a workshop on harvesting, processing, brewing, and roasting specialty and eco-friendly coffees.

Finca Destellos de Luz in Aguas Buena (Utuado), owned by Evelyn Ortiz and Max Perez, is better known as the Permaculture Institute of Puerto Rico.  Max led us on a tour to demonstrate the incredible planting of his farm, on the hillsides where he grows plantains and pineapple and in the areas around the buildings where one finds medicinal plants, flowers, herbs, and a fish pond (again for tilapia). There are two off-grid cabins to stay in with the most incredible views over a valley with a river below and a bath house with running water just steps away. There is also an on-grid cabin with its own bathroom and campsites on ground leveled for the purpose.

While not offering any lodging, we were fascinated to tour Amasar, an award-winning bread fruit flour factory in Jayuya. Breadfruit is considered a super food and grows throughout the Caribbean. Usually eaten as a fruit, the founders, a chemist and a biologist, were aware of its distinctive properties and realized they could mill it into a more stable flour to be used in baking (including a pancake/waffle mix). If you get to meet them, Marisol Villalobos and Jesus Martes are as enthusiastic as they are warm when recounting their business journey and their plans for the future of breadfruit.

If you are looking for some tasty local food, stop at the Buren Cafe in Arecibo on the way up to the farms. Owned by Casanos (Hacienda La Tradicion) and friends Jessika Tanner and her husband Mike, the cafe offers fresh pastries and sandwiches, along with coffee from Hacienda La Tradicion and honey from Jessika’s bees at Dulce Jibara.

Most vacations leave you with great memories, but few experiences are as deeply inspiring and perspective-shifting as stepping onto a farm, where culture and livelihood are intertwined. This trip was one of those moments, and I couldn’t wait to share it with the farm stay community.

A heartfelt thank you to our hosts for an unforgettable experience of Puerto Rican farm life—their generosity, resilience, and passion made this journey truly special.

(Banner and farmers photo credit to: West Virginia University Extension. Thank you.)

Side note: The roads to these farms are narrow and winding, but the journey is as breathtaking as the destination, with lush greenery and stunning mountain views at every turn. Spanish is the primary language but all of these farmers spoke enough English for those of us who spoke no Spanish to get by. The best communication is over a meal anyway – no words necessary.

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Lauren Hartmann and Ted Bancroft wear their farm on their sleeves.

MoonRidge is a working organic farm focused on biodynamic and permaculture practices (the traditional farming practices of our forefathers who just thought of it as ‘farming’) “dedicated to supporting a healthy, vibrant environment”. But it is also a place of healing for those with cancer. It is a place of peace and meditation. It is a place to draw community in for support and education.

Lauren grew up on a traditional corn and soybean farm in Nebraska.  Forever in love with the land and gardening, she bought MoonRidge in the late 1990s as a 20 acre parcel. Little by little she sought to bring it back to a more healthy condition, all the while maintaining her job as a nurse in the local area. Ted joined Lauren on the farm not long after. His background was in tree work, both residential and commercial forestry.  The farm next door came up for sale and they added 20 acres and a house.

Get Your Yacon Here

Their farm has been certified organic since 2005. It currently produces blueberries, lingonberries, blackberries, seasonal veggies, yacon products, flowers and farm fresh eggs. Okay, so we had to ask about yacons:

In addition to being a powerful prebiotic, this amazing tuber offers many additional health benefits. As a natural sweetener, it does not affect glucose levels, providing a mild flavored sweetness to salads and smoothies. Some of the additional health benefits of yacon include its ability to regulate blood sugar levels, lower “bad” cholesterol, help with weight loss, lower blood pressure, improve the health of the liver, prevent certain types of cancer, boost digestive health, and strengthen the immune system.

Lauren and Ted sell the crowns but they also make a value-added syrup for sale. Their 1200 blueberry plants are u-pick from June through August. The MoonRidge farm store includes honey, teas, frozen berries and meats (goat, rabbit and chicken).

New to their operations in the past year, Lauren and Ted added 1300 lavender plants they dug up and transplanted from a neighboring farm that was going out of business. Soon they expect to add lavender oils, teas, and fresh cuttings.  Whether the farm continues with its high grade hemp production for CBD will be a test of time and market.

A Getaway That’s Not Too Far Away

But, the farm is not all crops and flowers. There are also goats, rabbits and chickens as well as the Buckner Creek with salmon and cutthroat trout. Hawks and wild bees, owls, and old growth dot the property. There are woods and meadows cut with trails, a grassy meadow and a labyrinth. One can interact with farm life as much as is rewarding and comfortable or retire to the comfortable 1901 renovated farm house with its open living/dining area with gas fireplace and views of the grounds. Overnights on the farm belie the fact this countryside retreat is only 35 minutes from the city of Portland.

A stay at MoonRidge offers peace and quiet. It also offers an introduction to a chosen path of food production that is not only good for the body and the soil, but good for the soul.

Check out the MoonRidge Farms listing here on Farm Stay USA, and then visit their booking page to start planning your stay!

(All photos provided courtesy of MoonRidge Farms)

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