Part 2

The business was growing slowly but surely until September 21, 1998 when the 165 mile an hour winds of Hurricane George tore through the valley. Electricity would not be restored for 3 weeks. Phone service was out for 5 weeks and the entire water supply system had to be rebuilt, leaving the property dry for about a month. The hotel was closed for business until late November.

As time went on Steven spent more time in Puerto Rico and less time in New York. He sold his house in Sea Cliff, Long Island, closed his office and formally retired from the practice of law. In the year 2000 the couple divorced and Steven became the sole owner of Casa Grande. He resided in Room #8 for 3 years working the business day and night. He now lives in a restored open-style cliffside villa located 15 minutes downriver from the hotel overlooking Lake Dos Bocas.

The Café has brightly colored cast aluminum furniture and receives a fresh coat of paint when necessary. The former conference center has been transformed into a fully equipped yoga facility. Steven is a certified Kripalu yoga teacher and offers morning class at 8 am daily to the guests and visitors.

Steven, a gardener since the age of 6, has nurtured a botanical garden here with more than 100 varieties of plants, trees, and flowers. Some garden areas are structured while others are totally wild. The flora has been acquired from many sources. Some have been collected form the roadside, others come from employee's farms, guest's contributions, small local nurseries, and large nurseries in the metropolitan areas.

Although small with only 20 rooms, Casa Grande enjoys an international clientele. Nature lovers find their way to "The Casa" from points near and far. Half the guests live in Puerto Rico, many in the San Juan area. It is not unusual to find people dining at The Café who hail from Canada, Alaska, New Zealand, Texas, Spain, or California. While most diners are guests at the retreat many day visitors travel from afar to have lunch or dinner.

When the hotel first opened it was part of the Island's parador program and was known as Parador Casa Grande. In 1997 the name was changed to Hotel La Casa Grande. In 2002 the name once again changed to Casa Grande Mountain Retreat to more accurately describe its setting and intention.