The accommodations are as diverse as the farms, ranging from rustic to luxe. (Photo: Hacienda Pomarrosa.) (Photo above: Finca Rosa Hotel.) “It’s a quintessential experience in a coffee growing region.” “People see it as a chance to see the ‘real’ without being at a resort with a Starbucks,” explains Michael Martinage, co-owner of Ka’awa Loa Plantation, a combination coffee farm and guesthouse in Kealakekua, Hawaii. “It’s a new experience for them.”Īs the farm-to-table movement gains momentum and more travelers seek connections to the sources of their food and drinks, coffee growers have started adding on-farm accommodations and hosting tours, inviting travelers to spend their vacation getting closer to coffee’s roots. “Visitors like coming to the farm to see how coffee grows,” says Kurt. To his surprise, the lodging option was a huge hit, turning Café Pomarrosa into Hacienda Pomarrosa, a popular agritourism destination in Puerto Rico. To prepare the farm for guests, Kurt transformed their weekend home into a casita, added accommodations in the main house, and transformed an unused tool shed into a quaint cottage. In 2002, in an effort to boost on-farm revenues, Kurt started offering tours and overnight accommodations at his farm. When the harvests started to dwindle, which Kurt blames on the effects of climate change, Café Pomarrosa struggled. “We love growing coffee,” he says, but a passion for coffee farming was not enough to produce a bountiful harvest and keep the farm profitable. He started growing Arabica coffee in the mountains of Puerto Rico in 1993, handpicking the beans, roasting them in small batches on the farm, and packaging them under the Café Pomarrosa label. Urt Legner never planned to be an innkeeper.
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