Sea view of the hotel Horned Dorset Primavera
I visited this magical hotel in the 1980’s on my way to Mexico City where they had recently suffered a huge earthquake. Invited by the Mexican Tourist Board as part of their recovery programme this was a stop off point after a hectic two weeks of travel. I was not looking forward to seeing such misery as the Mexicans were going through. However, their resilience proved amazing once we had got there.
Although I don’t want to make people depressed and unhappy, this piece is about a lovely place, I can’t write about a lovely few days I spent in a place without mentioning the recent aftermath of the hurricane that left a lot of Puerto Rico devastated. So I leave it to you to please read the link at the bottom of this page.
However, this is about the Horned Dorset Primavera, at that time the hotel hadn’t been open for many years and it was so relaxing and peaceful and exactly what was needed. A lovely swimming pool and beautiful surroundings. No telephone and no television. That means you really did get the opportunity to read your books. I wondered about the hotel following the news of the hurricane. It was still intact as the West part of the island was worst hit.
I’d heard that the hotel was started as a project by some academics from the East coast who had raised Horned Dorset sheep and decided they would like to have a small hotel where they could relax and where people could find peace and quiet. Well it worked, and although I haven’t been back there, I was sent some photos of how it looks now, and that means gorgeous.
The pool
My first impression was of the entrance, an open space going right through the building so you could see the beach and sea beyond. The room I stayed in, was in very beautiful old wood with a four poster bed and a gorgeous bathroom, with lots of marble. White fluffy towels galore and the impression of luxury without aiming for it.
The entrance to the Horned Dorset showing right through
Breakast was for me was mainly lots of tropical fruit and good coffee. The beach wasn’t vast, but suited the place as it felt like it was going into your own seafront garden. Because of its location (on the coast near Rincon) the beach was private and therefore quiet. So this was not one of those holidays full of adventure, but it did have interesting occasions. Having visited San Juan and some tourist spots, we decided to go for a walk to the nearest town, which happened to be Rincon, and was told by one of the waiters that it was very near, just turn that corner and keep walking. Well it was very beautiful but a very long walk, and hot.
Hotel garden
On the way, a long way, we saw two people speaking on the doorstep of a nearby house and asked if we were on the right road to Rincon. They said yes, but it was a long way off on foot. The gentleman said he would be happy to give us a lift there. He was a pastor on his rounds and would be mind if he made one stop on the way?
No problem. He was very sweet and spoke about the island and was glad we’d come to visit. We made the pastoral stop and it was in a small village with chickens wandering about and a goat was tethered nearby. It was hot so I got out of the car and went to pet the goat, which proved very friendly. I suppose on reflection it could have butted me instead, but my love of animals never makes me think of such things. The village was very simple and probably quite poor, but we got a friendly smile from a local as they passed by.
Hotel lounge
The pastor had delivered a parcel to one of the houses and explained that she was a widow and he was taking her some produce. We went on to Rincon and the pastor left us with a cheery wave and we were left to explore the town. As I recall, it was a small town with a quite large square, several shops and cafes, the usual small town sort of place. It would have made a great film location.
I recall entering a pharmacy for something simple, just about the time we wanted to leave to return to the Horned Dorset. We asked if there was a bus. With a shake of the head, the pharmacist explained buses were infrequent. Another customer who had ushered us forward as he was waiting for a prescription, then asked us if we wanted a lift back to the hotel. A young boy was standing with him.
We were delighted to accept and the man paid for his goods and showed us his car, a very nice car, put the boy in the front seat ( it was his son) and us in the back, and moved off. On the way we had a lovely chat with the man who also proved to be another pastor, a different religion, but he had a parish somewhere around too.
Sadly since, Puerto Rico has suffered a catastrophe of its own. Most of the island recently flattened or flooded. The US has helped but unfortunately a political argument has meant that they are unsure how long it will take them to recover. It’s very sad as my memories of Puerto Rico remain with me as it was then, San Juan a colourful and memorable experience and Rincon the epitome of a small town in that part of the world. Having said that, it's also a great surfing place and held world surfing championships in 1968.
So back at the hotel, we were twice blessed, literally, and felt so privileged by these two unexpected meetings. For the remainder of our stay we just went on about our day lounging about the pool, eating, in the sea, or reading. By the time we left to go on to Mexico, we were refreshed and happy. Somewhere like the Horned Dorset is one of those heavenly places on earth and one day, perhaps one day, I’ll be lucky enough to return.