Casa Blanca Hotel in Old San Juan
April 24-28, 2025
In Puerto Rico's mountains high, where emerald peaks caress the sky, a tranquil retreat calls your name, amidst nature’s grand, untamed frame.
In Utuado, where the rivers sing, and birds with vibrant feathers wing, find peace in Hacienda's embrace, where dawn’s soft light begins to trace.
Casa Grande whispers calm and pure, Through trails where forests hearts endure. Discover secrets forests made where mountains meet the mist and rain. In Puerto Rico’s lush retreat, feel earth beneath your wandering feet, let mountain breezes cleanse your mind, and leave the urban rush behind.
Here, amidst the green and blue, find the peace that calls to you to heal.
This retreat will offer a safe space in which to reflect on your childhood, however supported or unsupported it may have been. It will guide you to be curious about how your adult life today is influenced, and sometimes sabotaged, by those experiences. It will introduce you to your inner child: the part of you that was wounded during your childhood and that is reactive when it is triggered. It will offer you the skills both to recognize what was positive about your childhood, and to re-parent yourself in the ways that you wished you had been parented.
When you listen to and soothe your inner child, when you connect to the child you once were, you can allow your thoughts and actions to come from an adult space of calm rather than from an inner child’s space of hurt and lashing out.
Casa Grande Mountain Retreat
This retreat will:
This retreat is an opportunity for self-care, growth, and connection. It will include yoga, meditation, breath work, creative writing, river exploration, tasty plant-based farm-to-table meals, and beautiful experiences in nature.
For 6-8 participants
April 24-28, 2025
Deadline for Reservations - December 24, 2025
$1500 in double room pp.
$1900 in single room
To walk into centric Hotel CasaBlanca is to be transported to a parallel reality in which colors explode and eclecticism reigns. Voted Best Hotel in Old San Juan, This quaint old San Juan hotel is conveniently located in the heart of Old San Juan, Puerto Rico one of America’s oldest cities on famous Calle Fortaleza.
Set in a stunning valley on 105 lush tropical acres, Casa Grande Mountain Retreat is an oasis of peace and tranquility. The former coffee plantation, now exquisitely landscaped, has 20 rooms scattered up the mountainside with a beautiful river as the lower border. Each room has its own en-suite bathroom, private porch and hammock. A salt-water swimming pool is cradled beneath a green mountain vista. A fully equipped yoga center is used for individual and group practice. The restaurant serves fresh farm-to-table cuisine.
Day 1 April 24 Arrival in Puerto Rico
Participants will book their flights and travel to San Juan to meet the Journey Leader at Casa Blanca Hotel in Old San Juan. Upon arrival, you'll find convenient transportation options. Ubers are readily available at the airport, making your journey to the retreat smooth and hassle-free. In the evening we will meet for a welcome dinner.
Day 2 April 25 The City of Ponce, Transfer to Casa Grande - Retreat Part 1
After breakfast we will begin our transfer to Ponce, over the Central Mountains into the Valley of Cayey, then south to Ponce. Our visit to the City of Ponce will expand our understanding of Puerto Rican history and culture, when we explore its unique architectural venues. Ponce is also known as the "Ciudad Señorial" (Majestic or Noble City), because of its many beautiful neoclassical buildings and facades.
We will start our exploration with a tour that unveils an enchanting portrait of colonial history, architecture, and culture at Plaza of Delights. The architectural splendor and detailed neoclassic and art deco style of the city makes Ponce an essential part in our journey. The city’s buildings such as the City Hall, Cathedral and Fire House demonstrate more than 300 years of an elegant tradition.
The tour will be followed with lunch. Then, after lunch, we will travel to the municipality of Utuado for check in at Casa Grande Mountain Retreat.
RETREAT PART 1
Sweet dreams with the soothing song of million of coquis.
Listen to coquis HERE
Day 3 April 26 Retreat PART 2
Day 4 April 27 Retreat PART 3 and Transfer to Old San Juan
After the Closing Ceremony we will travel to San Juan for check-in at Casa Blanca Hotel in Old San Juan. In the evening we will meet and share favorite experiences during our farewell dinner.
Day 5 April 28 ¡Hasta Luego Puerto Rico! – Departure
Transfer for your return flight home. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time.
RESERVATION DEADLINE - December 24 2024
Please Contact Us and provide your contact information. As soon as we hear from you, we will email a registration packet with required forms and instructions.
PAYMENT SCHEDULE – REGISTRATION DEADLINE (December 24, 2024)
Registration Deadline - 50% of the Inclusion Package
90 days before departure - remaining 50% of the Inclusions Package
PAYMENT OPTIONS
Check - payable to Marcos Carvajal
CANCELLATIONS
IMPORTANT DATES FOR REFUND
TRIP CANCELLATION INSURANCE IS RECOMMENDED
Citizens of the United States traveling to Puerto Rico need only a government-issued form of photo identification. Acceptable forms of ID include a passport, a driver's license or a photo ID card issued by a U.S. Department of Motor Vehicles.
Daniella holds an MA in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley and is RYT 200, Y12SR (addiction recovery), and breathwork certified. She has also attended multiple trainings, including trauma, resilience, self-regulation, inner child work, parenting, social justice, meditation, and mindfulness.
She owns a yoga business, Santosa Yoga and Health, based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where she teaches outdoor yoga in beautiful spaces.
Daniella leads a variety of transformative retreats in which she offers participants awareness, perspective, and tools to create practical and impactful adjustments to their lives.
She loves to focus on common human challenges, such as how to be in relationship with ourself and others with the least conflict and struggles, so that we can live life with more ease and contentment.
Daniella offers retreats in a number of beautiful spaces in Puerto Rico, but her favorite place to host them is at Casa Grande in Utuado. This will be her ninth retreat hosted at this location.
Daniella Gould
Pedro was born in Ponce, Puerto Rico. His 50 years in the field of education represent an accumulation of professional experiences as elementary school teacher, corporate training and development specialist, community educator and consultant, professor and administrator in higher education institutions. After 25 years in Cambridge College, in 2015, Pedro became Professor Emeritus.
A graduate from Inter American University of Puerto Rico, Harvard and Boston universities, Pedro specialized in instructional design, learning environments, social education and educational administration. Pedro was also the founder of the Cambridge College Puerto Rico Center, implementing graduate programs in education, management, and counseling psychology.
In 2000 Pedro founded PuertoRicoCubArtEdu to provide travel experiences for educational and art organizations interested in the cultures of Cuba and
Puerto Rico, framed by the understanding, respect and appreciation of the historical contributions made by their people in the fields of arts, community education and general wellness.
Since 2000 PuertoRicoCubArtEdu have served hundreds of participants in many customized Journeys for organizations such as Dunedin Fine Art Center, Art Center Sarasota, Sarasota Lifelong Learning Academy, School of the Museum of Fine Arts of Boston, Cambridge Center for Adult Education, Cambridge College, and Sarasota Cuban Ballet School.