
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, August 14, 1994                   TAG: 9408130012
SECTION: TRAVEL                    PAGE: F6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: STEVE SILK THE HARTFORD COURANT
DATELINE: JAYUYA, PUERTO RICO                                 LENGTH: Medium

PARADOR IN PARADISE

From a rocking chair on the veranda of the old coffee plantation known as Hacienda Gripinas, the world looks pretty darn peaceful: The exotic fragrance of ilang-ilang and jasmine fills the air, stars illumine the serrated skyline of Puerto Rico's Cordillera Central, and lights from distant hillside houses twinkle through the foliage scrim of fruit and palm trees.

Then there are the frogs, hundreds upon countless hundreds of tiny tree frogs, singing like there's no tomorrow.

The coqui, as the ubiquitous tree frogs of Puerto Rico are called, were named for their two-note song. Co-kee! Co-kee! Co-kee! Nightly their simple symphony serenades guests at this plantation turned parador, one of the best of the island's 16 rural hostelries.

Here in Jayuya, a prosperous town in the heart of Puerto Rico's loftiest mountains, life centers on such simple pleasures as listening to an amphibious orchestra.

You can hike through the dark rain forests - thick with sierra palm, datura, elephant ear and pink impatiens - of Toro Negro, or drive to Cerro de Punta, the antennae-studded peak that, at 4,390 feet, is Puerto Rico's highest.

Along the way, there are rushing waterfalls and sunrise views spanning ridge after ridge of mountains rugged and green as those you would see in the Andes. Take time out with a stop at a roadside colmado, a sort of general store, for thick coffee and a pastelillo, a tasty concoction of spicy meat wrapped in dough.

Back at the Jayuya parador, you might pass through an alley of royal palms before exploring gardens thick with shell ginger, jungle flame, Turk's cap and mango. Across the street, you might loll about by the spring-fed swimming pool, where morning glories twine through the trees and a rusting water wheel, a legacy of the hacienda's days as a coffee plantation, slowly surrenders to the elements.

The town of Jayuya, set among a warren of deep, lush valleys shimmering with coffee plants and banana trees, is famed for its Indian heritage. The small mountain town takes its name from a great Taino Indian cacique, or chief.

Petroglyphs left by the Indians can be found near town; one famous flowerlike image depicts the sun emitting rays of light. In town, you can stroll up the 114 stairs from the central plaza to view the rusty-looking bones of a long-dead Indian at the Tomb of the Borinquen Indian.

Jayuya is also known for its many artisans - woodcarvers, musical-instrument makers and santeros (creators of the painted wooden saints that are popular collector's items). Visitors can arrange a visit to their studios.

The Parador Hacienda Gripinas, situated on a country road several miles distant from the center of Jayuya, traces its history in the green hills of Puerto Rico back more than 140 years. It was once a model for the island's agriculture industry. As the region's economic backbone, the plantation was such a powerful institution that it minted its own coinage.

Today, the gleaming white inn recalls those glory days with its airy, common rooms, patrician veranda (a spot so peaceful that birds nest in the potted plants) and worthy restaurant. The coffee raised on this farm was deemed among the world's best in 1904, but the hacienda fell on hard times shortly thereafter.

For a time, the government took over the plantation, distributed its land holdings among the local farmers and used the hacienda as a retreat; it became an inn about 20 years ago. Today, the place is especially popular among locals for weddings, birthdays, quinceaneros and other festive events.

by CNB