There are places you visit that just change your life. For some people, it's an exotic far-away place, like a magnificent city in Europe. For others, it can be your neighbours's house.

For me, it was this place, back then called Finca Caribe.

I'm a Puerto Rican native, but I was living in New York at the time. 25 years ago, the film commission had granted me the task of documenting my whole home island through photography, to serve as a bank of images for film location managers in LA and other parts of the world.

By the end of my 3-month tour, I landed at Finca Caribe. I recognized its magic and special energy immediately. A love affair started. When anyone asked me what my favorite place in the world from all my travels was, I would say without hesitation:

"Finca Caribe in Vieques."

Eventually, I befriended the owner at the time, Corky Parker, and my visits became more and more frequent. I started an informal collaboration with Corky who lived in Washington State for half of the year where I would help her host retreats, house sit la finca during rest season and aid in any emergencies that would come up.

This interaction with the hotel not only rooted me down deeply with this land but it also awoken my dream of having my own hotel. Corky became my mentor as I opened my first hotel The Dreamcatcher in Ocean Park where I mimicked the beautiful free flow and communal living that was so palpable at Finca Caribe. My visits to Finca Caribe continued as I grew into my new path as a hotelier.

After the devastation of Hurricane Maria it became difficult for Corky to rebuild this land and her project. I was part of many groups of brigades that came to help on the clearing & nourishing of the land. In one of those visits in a bitter sweet conversation I inherited the land as Corky knew my deep love & connection with it. This was a huge plot twist for me & started a new chapter in my life. What you see now is not what I inherited then. As the Hurricane had taken mostly all of the structures down and hardly any tree was standing.

As I rebuilt the space my own vision started to sprout mirroring how the landscape was coming back to life with love & care. I found a space where I could revitalize the original essence of Finca Caribe and simultaneously a place where I could pour my new found knowledge of Ayurveda.

Some important characters came strong into the game who supported me into creating this space as we know now as Finca Victoria. There are many people that are worth mentioning but if I had to pick one it would be Christian Ortiz. My long time builder for the previous 10 years as I built The Dreamcatcher & commissioned restaurant projects. Christian’s expertise & our friendship allowed for a deeper role to emerge. He left his life in San Juan to move to Vieques and dedicate his energy into leading a team of builders to uprise all the beautiful and curious structures that form our complex from treehouses to cabins, to the rebuilding of the old casonas.

A big part of Finca Victoria is the gardens that dance along the innovative structures. Charles Cole, also a long time collaborator in previous projects, became the master hand that fed & nourished what seemed then to be a cemetery of land into the most beautiful tropical oasis.

So many people come to mind as I am writing this story much of the ones I named rooms after. As I walk around the property and I see trees giving the first round of fruits after being planted 5 years ago, I remembrance of their faces & hands come to mind. So many beautiful souls have transit through here leaving imprints of work and energy that is still felt. This space is the collaboration and the hard work of friends & family, along with exciting new faces that brought their gifts. This became one of the most challenging & fulfilling periods of our lives.

As we opened our doors for the very first time in February 1st 2019 a new wave of energy flooded in & continues to do so. Every single guest that visits this space further weaves into this beautiful mantle of dreams.

The evolution of the space continues to grow and shift into exciting ways what started as a hotel with 5 bedrooms has become a 14 unit estate. What started as in room massages has developed into a full Ayurvedic Wellness Center with a powerful Panchakarma Detox Program. What started with 5 people yoga classes next to the pool has become now the most beautiful ocean view yoga shala that can hold up to 30 people practicing collectively matching breath & movement. As the dharma of Finca Victoria continues to unravel we are dedicating more time & efforts into creating transformational healing containers for people who want to step in deeper into nourishment, yoga practice, detox program and … which are provided by our array of retreats.

As the trees continue to grow stronger & their roots deeper I feel this land holding our vision and supporting many loving souls.