Review of the Rainforest Inn in El Yunque

Staying at the Rainforest Inn is about more than just getting away from San Juan (or whichever city you're escaping); it's about more than spending time in Puerto Rico's majestic rainforest. With comfortable mountain-lodge style accommodations, gourmet breakfasts and one incredible natural pool a short hike away, the Rainforest Inn brings the best of El Yunque to you.

The Rainforest Inn lies in Rio Grande, a 45-minute drive from San Juan if you take Route 66, the toll road (I strongly recommend you fork over the $1.50 for the express route). It's one of the closest buildings to El Yunque's peak, giving guests breathtaking vistas of both the crest of the rainforest and the verdant panorama below. And with only two accommodations spread between a chalet and a villa (there are plans to add at least one more room), along with a separate private villa managed by innkeepers Bill and Laurie, it's the closest thing to having your very own mountain lodge in the the rainforest.

Your experience at the Rainforest Inn begins as soon as you drive up the mile-long private driveway to the edge of a residential community, where a small plaque marks the entrance to Inn. Tucked into the dense foliage of the forest, the place resembles a mountain lodge more than a hotel, and immediately imparts a sense of get-away-from-it-all tranquility.

Bill and Laurie (and Maya, their exuberant dog) are warm and inviting hosts who deliberately run a small-scale operation, keep their rates affordable, and have gone to great lengths to create an eco-lodge. The Inn has no air conditioning. Repairs and renovations have been done using recycled materials. Rainwater is collected and filtered for drinking and bathing. All in all, the Inn's footprint on the Rainforest is a light tread that leaves the land pristine.

At the same time, the Inn is a perfect example of how an eco-friendly focus doesn't sacrifice comfort. The accommodations are cozy, with natural wood aromas, high ceilings, comfortable beds and a full-service kitchen. Just outside is a deck from which the green landscape of Puerto Rico's interior spreads out before you. And nearby is a natural pond (no swimming pool here) that serves the dual purpose of adding to the inn's beauty and hosting a squadron of dragonflies that gobble up mosquitoes during the day (the bats take care of the bugs at night, leaving you surprisingly bite-free).

Each room comes with a full kitchen with coffee maker and coffee thrown in. Restaurants can be found a short drive away, and you get to wake up each morning to a fantastic vegetarian gourmet breakfasts (I had a tomato, pesto and cheddar omelet with apple almond butter toast and fresh fruit).

The Inn is popular with birders, (check out the incredible list of birds spotted from the inn); nature-lovers who simply want to be close to the forest; and hikers. The latter group will really love one of the Inn's best attributes. A rugged but fun hike (go with Bill but NOT with Maya; I'll tell you why in a second) from the inn takes you through the leafy forest to a waterfall with spectacular views and a 15-foot natural pool. Once you get here, there's nothing quite as refreshing as leaping off the natural ledge into its cool depths. (Just don't take Maya; she's terrified of the water.)

I could spend a happy week at the Inn and come away rejuvinated, relaxed and reinvigorated. And I invite anyone who wants a rainforest retreat to do the same.