tour of restored hacienda la esperanza

F3368GSjims

You need to reserve a tour at this location in advance and pay with credit card. They typically have one english tour a day. Our young tour guide's English was a work in progress, but she more than made up for it in knowledge and passion for the place. I was excited to see the circa 1860's steam engine they have preserved here as it was made close to my home town, however, they are in the process of additional restoration to it - to actually get it working with steam. This isn't a typical volunteer effort that will take years, but a well funded operation from the looks of it. The guide said the engine will be operational sometime this spring. Some of the structures are complete restorations, others original. Would visit again.

joseluisv894

The Hacienda has been well kept and maintained. Its about 1 hour drive from San Juan and well worth the drive. Zuleika, our tour guide, was wonderful. She was very well informed in the history and facts surounding the Hacienda, the sugar industry and the people that called the Hacienda their home. The old sugar press (trapiche) was under restoration at the time of our visit and we were told it would be operational for tours starting in May 2015. Call ahead or make reservations online. Wear comformtable shoes, hat, sunblock and bring a beach towel. The Esperanza beach which is part of the Hacienda is a great way to end this wonderful tour and cool off.

Anamari802

La Hacienda Esperanza is a valuable historic property at driving distance to spectacular beaches and in the middle of Beautiful surroundings where you feel you can travel in time, to centuries past. We saw ancient structures, an old steam sugar cane processing machine, a trapiche. I missed seeing more of the original furniture in the house and maybe illustrations that depict the daily life and ways of 1800's to 1970's.But in all, it was an informative, pleasant visit for everyone.

corozalwien

The Spanish language tour with guide Zuleyka Rivera (not the beauty queen and actress, but almost as charming) was informative, engaging and at times enthralling. This tour is best if you are a history buff, but it also provided excellent storytelling and a masterful weaving of one aspect of the area's 19th century history to the next. I look forward to the river kayak excursions, which focus on other aspects and stories related to the area's past.

Merlin318

From the moment you step out of the car, this Hacienda is divine. Peace in all surroundings. Most probably, their dog Esperanza will greet you. I went to the historical tour with Zueyka (excellent and cheery interpreter; adapts well when children are present in the group). She took us from the main House to a beautiful tree for the Introduction about the family that used to live in the house. Then to the steam machine that used to crush sugar cane to extract the sugar cane juice. Then to the drying house where she explained the rest of the sugar production process. Finally, back to the Main House where she showed us the machete collection and some writings from the slaves that used to work in the Hacienda. This tour was around an hour to an a hour and a half. Long enough to be enjoyable and cover all the information. A must do!

travelerbaker

This property is beautiful!!! It's restored and very well maintained. Our tour guide was Juliann. She did a fantastic job explaining the history behind this hacienda and it's owner.It is a big place, so be prepare to walk!!! The tour is very informative but it can be a little boring for young children and some teenagers.We all loved it!! ( 18 of us ). A nice way to learn more abot Puerto Rico's sugar industry and slavery past.

VictorT246

This is a historic site where they extracted sugar from sugar cane. The place is nicely preserved and if you're lucky enough to have Zuleyka as your guide the visit will be as informative as nice.

Cocomow

The toor is awesome, very interesting, excellent staff ( Particularly Belén). Highly recommended. Perfect place for photography.

cmgp01

Spent the afternoon touring beautifully restored Hacienda La Esperanza with tour guide Zuleyka Rivera. Our tour was in Spanish but there are tours available in English as well. Zuleyka was very pleasant and cheerful and evidently enjoyed her work. She was knowledgeable about the history of the place and explained things clearly. We were lucky that the other party that had reservations in our time slot did not show up so we basically ended up having a private tour which was a nice plus because our guide took the time to make sure that we learned as much as possible from the experience. Beautiful vegetation and surroundings complement the restored structures.

fcabrera27

El lugar HERMOSO con estructuras que encierran MUCHAS historias de nuestros antepadados. Facilidades limpias en buenas condiciones.

yvette_hh

Excellent. Especially environmental interpreter Belen Rosado Casanova made ​​the tour very interesting with its historical narrative of the Hacienda.Excelente .especialmente la intérprete ambiental Belén Rosado Casanova hizo el recorrido muy interesante con su narrativa histórica de la Hacienda

rippadin

La hacienda La esperanza te remonta al siglo 19 descubriendo en sus muros la historia vivida poe aquellos esclavos y su dueno. Pasamos una tarde maravillosa junto a nuestro guia Jose.A quien agradecemos tan magnifico recorrido. Invitamos a todos los puertorriquenos a conocer tan valioso lugar de nuestra patria. Desde Quebradillas, saludos

DeliaT146

Lugar ubicado en un terreno espectacular rodeado de naturaleza y mucho verdor. La guia asignada Zuleyka Rivera era muy conocedora de toda la historia e hizo el recurrido muy ameno y entretenido. Es un lugar para conocer de historia y pasar las dos horas aproximadamente, que dura el tour, de forma relajada a la vez que aprendes muchisimo. Para visitar el lugar tienes que hacer reservaciones con el Fideicomiso de conservacion. Es facil de llegar.

YadimarC

Hoy visite la Hacienda La Esperanza y fue un tour espectacular! Nuestra guia Zuleyka Rivera es muy conocedora de la historia del lugar, me viajar en el tiempo. Es notable que Zuleyka vive su pasion y proposito como guia en la esperanza!