Glamping in the Mountains

There is so much fuss to get a spot to camp in the island. Some spaces need a lot of paperwork and even special documents which take weeks to get approved while others are less complicated they still involve the person soliciting a space to go and reserve it personally. With all the technology we have and our society’s busy lifestyle reserving a spot in person can be a huge challenge. That is why I gave myself the task to find out where I could camp with the least hassle possible. I won the jackpot by remembering a place I had visited many times before during their Festival del Frio weekend in February and an image of tents came to mind. Immediately I contacted them. The best thing about camping in Parador Villa Sotomayor in Adjuntas was that I only needed to show up! That’s right, no paperwork or booking in advance so that meant I could take a weekend off whenever I wanted without getting stressed by the thought of there not being any available dates.

Three friends and I packed our backpacks and road tripped to Adjuntas, the city of The Sleeping Giant, early in the morning to make the most of our first day. First, we hiked one of Puerto Rico’s tallest mountains; 3,950 ft. above sea level to be exact. Stay tuned for the next blog post to read about it! After we finished the hike we were eager to set camp. I knew how to get to Parador Villa Sotomayor but Google Maps can guide anyone who doesn’t. It is a place surrounded my forest, close to places of interest in Adjuntas and they have amenities such as a pool, laundry, showers, gym, restaurants, barbecue fireplaces and pool tables! They charge $33.45 per tent, per night and $5.58 per person for the use of the pool and the other amenities. However, to use the pool table there is a fee of $3.00 for a game of half an hour or $5.00 for a whole hour. It’s worth it though, playing pool is an excellent way to pass the time. Then again there are also villas available but they are a little bit pricier.

They gave us each a neon waterproof paper bracelet that served as our key in and out of the Parador. Picking a camping spot was tough because of how beautiful every place we considered was. In the end we chose a spot beneath a tall and branchy tree that could provide some shade from the sun and protection if it rained, which it did. The bathrooms where conveniently close to our tent, only a few steps away and discreetly covered by a wall of real bamboo and flower bushes. I was happy to see they were clean and that the showers had hot running water. Soaps, towels and other toiletries aren’t provided, luckily we were prepared, if not we could have always run down to the nearby ‘colmado’ which is a small supermarket like store and buy some.

As to sleeping, I slept for six hours which to me is great considering the ground was hard and lumpy but that’s mostly my fault since I didn’t pack a sleeping bag. Another perk is that there’s almost no luminous pollution and that means the stars are as visible as leaves on trees. Shooting stars usually appear from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am. Also, temperatures can drop during the night from a normal 60 degrees Fahrenheit to 43 degrees. The next day, we had a kayaking session planned in the amazing Lake Garza. Another blog post is coming up soon about that amazing experience also. If kayaking isn’t your thing no worries, there is much more to do. Parador Villa Sotomayor offers tours through their expansive agriculture grounds, horseback riding, a petting zoo experience and more. There is always something to do for the entire family. The staff is kind and helpful, they even let us charge our phones in the front desk and offered to keep an eye on them while we dipped in the pool. My mission to find a hassle free camping spot turned out better than I had expected. I loved my experience camping there and I will surely return!

Remember to follow me on Instagram!