Puerto Rico’s Best-Kept Secret Has Plunge Pool Casitas, Farm-to-Table Dining, and Oceanfront Golf

There are places in Puerto Rico that everyone knows — the cobblestone streets of Old San Juan, the bustling beaches of Isla Verde, the lively energy of Condado, the surf breaks in Rincon. And then there’s Royal Isabela, a hidden sanctuary set on the cliffs of the island’s northwest coast. Here, 200 feet above the Atlantic, the horizon seems infinite, the air is alive with salt and earth. This is a resort for explorers, for sophisticated adventure. When you get here, you understand why, for me, Royal Isabela is Puerto Rico’s best kept secret.

A World Apart in the Casitas

At Royal Isabela, the accommodations are unique — they are private Casitas designed as sanctuaries. Each one is a freestanding villa with soaring ceilings, elegant interiors, and expansive terraces that open to either lush landscapes or sweeping ocean views. Indoors and outdoors flow together effortlessly: a private plunge pool on your terrace, a soaking tub indoors, spaces designed to invite both solitude and connection.

In the morning, you wake to the call of tropical birds or the crash of waves below. In the evening, you can sit beneath the stars with nothing but the ocean wind for company. Every Casita is its own retreat, a place where elegance meets nature, where your stay feels personal and unrepeatable.

Flavors of the Island

Dining at Royal Isabela is an immersion into Puerto Rico’s rich culinary tradition, reimagined with contemporary flair. The centerpiece is Jota, where Chef Jeremie Cruz brings farm-to-table to life by building menus around seasonal produce and freshly caught seafood. Ingredients come directly from the surrounding land and sea, ensuring that each dish reflects both the island and the moment. One evening you might savor dorado prepared with local herbs; the next, a refined take on mofongo that blends traditional flavors with global inspiration.

Meals are not hurried — they unfold as experiences, meant to be lingered over while the sun sinks into the Atlantic. Even a poolside lunch is elevated here, transformed by the same commitment to freshness and detail. Every bite honors Puerto Rico while offering something new, making dining one of the most memorable parts of your stay.

Nature at the Center

Royal Isabela’s soul lies in its connection to the land. From its earliest vision, the resort has been committed to conservation and stewardship, ensuring that the natural beauty of this stretch of Puerto Rico not only survives but thrives. You can explore this terrain through curated nature experiences — cliffside trails where seabirds wheel overhead, hidden paths that reveal bursts of tropical flowers, and landscapes that feel untouched.

The biodiversity is staggering, from the native plants to the chorus of coquí frogs that sing at night. Every adventure here is a reminder that this isn’t a manicured resort environment — it’s a living, breathing ecosystem. Royal Isabela offers the rare opportunity not just to admire nature, but to truly connect with it.

Golf at Royal Isabela — The Best in Puerto Rico 

Perched high above the Atlantic on 426 acres of windswept cliffs and verdant terrain, the Royal Isabela Golf Club is one of the Caribbean’s most breathtaking courses. Designed by brothers Charlie and Stanley Pasarell along with architect David W. Pfaff, the course was created not from blueprints but by walking the land and letting the terrain itself dictate the layout. The philosophy was simple yet bold: preserve the natural contours, protect the ecosystem, and let nature be the true architect.

The result is a course unlike any other — a front nine that winds through lush jungle and a back nine that runs along the cliffs, where every shot comes with a view of the endless Atlantic. Signature holes include a dramatic par-3 over a gorge to a perched green, a “Y-shaped” fairway that offers two routes to the hole, and greens that seem to spill directly into the ocean. Playing here means testing your game against the wind, the cliffs, and the raw elements of the coast. Yet it also means experiencing golf as it was meant to be: harmonized with the land, breathtaking at every turn, and unforgettable from the first tee to the eighteenth green.

The Pool, the Spa, and the Quiet

Beyond the fairways, leisure takes its own shape at Royal Isabela. The resort’s pool is nestled among swaying palms, a place of calm and seclusion where the hours seem to stretch. Spa treatments are available wherever you choose — in the privacy of your Casita, on your terrace overlooking the ocean, or beside the pool with the breeze as your companion. Every detail of the experience is designed to slow the pace, to let you surrender to the quiet. At Royal Isabela, there are no crowds, no noise, no interruptions — only stillness, privacy, and the rare luxury of having space to yourself.

A True Puerto Rico Original

Royal Isabela doesn’t feel like anywhere else in Puerto Rico. It’s a place where the cliffs define the horizon, where dining is tied to the land, and where the game of golf unfolds as part of the landscape itself. The Casitas give you privacy, the terrain gives you perspective, and the Atlantic gives you an endless backdrop. It’s not about escaping or hiding away — it’s about finding a corner of the island where everything slows down, where the natural world takes the lead, and where luxury feels inseparable from the setting.

How to Get There

Royal Isabela sits on Puerto Rico’s northwest coast, in the town of Isabela, about as far from the bustle of San Juan as you can imagine. The closest airport is Rafael Hernández Airport in Aguadilla, just a 20-minute drive from the resort, with flights from major U.S. gateways. Many travelers also arrive through San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport; from there, it’s a scenic two-hour drive across the island, a journey that takes you through rolling hills, coastal views, and into a quieter side of Puerto Rico. However you arrive, the approach itself feels like part of the escape — leading you deeper into the landscape until the Atlantic cliffs of Royal Isabela suddenly open before you. The remoteness always rewards. That’s how I feel about travel, particularly in the Caribbean. And it’s particularly true here.

What Royal Isabela Costs

Right now (a great, uncrowded time of year to go) you can find casitas for as low as $707 per night, according to Google Hotels. That gets you a 1,500-total-square-foot casita with either a king bed or two doubles, and a pool of your own. It’s one of the most beautiful accommodations in Puerto Rico.