Museo Castillo Serrallés

Visiting Museo Castillo Serrallés in Ponce, Puerto Rico was truly an amazing experience. The museum is beautiful, rich in history, and offers a fascinating look into Puerto Rico’s cultural and industrial past. Our tour guide, Ms. Aurora Castillo, was absolutely outstanding. She was extremely knowledgeable, engaging, and passionate about the history of the museum, which made the entire tour even more memorable. Her explanations brought the history to life and made us appreciate every detail of the Castillo and its legacy. If you’re on vacation in Puerto Rico, this is a must visit destination. I highly recommend Museo Castillo Serrallés for anyone who enjoys history, culture, and a truly enriching experience.

Elegant building with rich history! The tour guide was very knowledgeable and patient and didn’t miss any info and details about the family who built and owned this house, which embodies the local economic development and social changes. You can easily have a Birds Eye view of the city which is amazing under the blue sky and shining sun.

Reserved the first tour of the day on a rainy November day. Put a damper on checking out the outside gardens and the Jardines Japones. Still a great time. Worth the while and the price. Such a fascinating place. One thing that was a bit annoying is that they wouldn't let us takes pictures except in designated areas. No idea if that was just our tour or standard practice. I did sneak a few pics outside the designated areas though. And also got a good number before they told me no pics. Absolutely worth coming here. And on a sunny day even better. I parked and saw multiple others park on both sides of street just beyond the Castillo.

We had a great day here, great weather and great tour guide. They have an aviator (aviario), the Japanese garden, the castle. The views are breathtaking. You can ask for event reservations here. One of my cousins got married here a few years ago. The tour is worth it and is less than $25 per person.

Very interesting history. So cool to tour around the house. Mixology class at the end of it. Your guide was very nice! Complimentary drink when you get there. Parking was a bit odd so be prepared to walk to get to the castle.

Great experience! Learned a lot, beautiful architecture! Wonderful view from the balcony! Unfortunately wasn’t able to take pictures of interior.

We did the adult tour of the Don Q museum. Our tour guide was so fun and we were able to mix our own drinks. Definitely worth it!

Highly recommend doing the Don Q tour. Premises are beautiful and the views are spectacular. Parking is a little tricky

I came at the recommendation of a friend who lives in town. I also read the Yelp reviews. Not sure why they were so hard on the place. First the good. The price! It was $15 for all 3 venues, the cross, Japanese garden and the mansion. The mansion itself is amazing. The views, furnishings and tour are outstanding. After the tour I sat under the covered veranda and enjoyed a virgin piña colada (A fair $6). The cross venue was also good. Yes, it's a concrete cross, but the vistas are nice, the elevator was not rickety as previously described and the restaurant has great views too. It was not open until 12:30 so I couldn't sample the food or drinks. Now the not so good Pictures are not allowed in the mansion itself. I'm not particularly a gardener so the Japanese gardens were nice and I spent only about 20 minutes there. Overall I spent a nice 2 hours here. It was well worth the price of admission.

Interesting history of the mansion and family. The tour was fairly short. Beautiful mansion. Only a few places to take photos.

This is a tour worth taking. It is full of interesting history, not just of the Serrallés family, but also of the sugar and rum industry. The mansion itself is very impressive. The grounds are lovely and you get a spectacular view of Ponce and the sea. You can get a better view from the Cruceta del Vigía, which is included in the price of admission to the Castillo Serrallés. Entrance to the Jardín Japonés is also included. The grounds are also used for private events such as weddings. Before or after the tour you can go to the bar at the mansion and have some cocktails and snacks. If you plan to visit Ponce make sure you fit a visit to this place. You have to make a reservation online.

Totally worth the trip here. This place is at a height and gives amazing view of Ponce. The garden here is insanely beautiful and they do offer pinacolada towards the end of the tour. The tour was worth it and it goes through the history of the castle and everyone who lived here. The most notable thing about this tour were the views and the garden. The garden is well maintained and is a perfect spot for taking instagram pictures.

Fun tour and our guide, Aurora, was the best! This castillo is gorgeous and Aurora was very skilled at giving the tour in English and Spanish. She definitely made it so much more fun and knew the history well.

This was a 3 1/2 star attraction. We only had a morning to fit in something cultural/touristy and I chose this "castle" house over the art museum as the weather was so lovely. We used the gps directions for most of the way, then we followed the signs (as someone mentioned on yelp to do) til we found the "pay here" booth. We parked on the street while we bought tickets. The ticket prices are either a combo including the guided tour, the Japanese gardens, and the cross or broken into divisions. The best prices are for seniors or students. We were given wrist bands which listed the time of our tour. We then drive the car through the gates and parked near the garden entrance. First we walked through the Japanese gardens. Quiet, serene and picturesque. We liked the small bonsai area. They were decorating for an upcoming wedding while we were there. The huge cross offered a panoramic view of Ponce and the surrounding area. As the elevator inside was not working (they had a notice about that at the ticket booth), we opted not to climb the stairs inside the cross. Standing near it, outside, however, you still had a great view. Following instructions we then proceeded to drive around until the gate opened and drove down to the house. We parked along the street side as there is no parking lot. Inside we were able to relax for a bit on the terrace and use their very clean bathrooms while we waited for the tour to begin. Our tour was given in English. There was a fairly large group when we went. We started with the film -- first a promo about the various event space and opportunities to rent them for weddings, conferences, meetings, etc. then a bit about the history of the growing of sugar cane and the rum business. There is a lot of walking so be prepared. The family history is explained. You get to see all parts of the house and it's furnishings. It is quite elegant. No photos are allowed inside the house for some reason. On the top terrace, you can take outside pictures. After the house tour, you can visit the "cafe" here where they offer a tasting of Don Q rums and you can make a purchase should you wish to do so.

When you visit Ponce, Puerto Rico this is a must stop. I have been traveling to Puerto Rico annually and have always wanted to visit and I finally had the opportunity to do so and was not disappointed. Visiting the home of the Serralles family and learning about the history of the family and their business was impressive. This family played a huge role in the development of the Island. The mansion is beautiful and an excellent display of the wealth they had and how they chose to display it. The tour starts with a video talking about the family history, the distillery and their accomplishments. Next you get a tour of the home which is impressive. When you tour the outside grounds the view is amazing, you can see all the way to the harbor. Amazing view! While there you can also tour the Japanese garden, unfortunately when we went as a result of Hurricane Maria the garden was not as it should be but it is starting to develop again. If in Ponce, take the time to visit it is about a 1-2 hour visit.

If you're in the city of Ponce, you must stop and visit el Castillo de Serrallés. It's a beautiful home with spectacular views of the city, the Caribbean ocean, and the neighboring island Caja de Muertos. Take a tour and you get a sense of the history of the city as well as the family that was quite an influential part of the city. You also get a better understanding how rum is important part of the city and of this island. The size of the home is quite an immense. There are rooms were you were wouldn't expect it and hallways that you would not imagine you could fit through. Also if you get a chance visit the garden they are quite nice filled with native plants. This is my second time to the castle and I enjoyed as much as I did the last visit. And at the end if you feel like you want to get a taste of the rum that is produced there is a tasting room in the coffee shop. So go on enjoy!

Lots of stairs to climb so be prepared. The Japanese Gardens are nice. A little barren but maybe they haven't recovered from the hurricane. There's a tall crucifix like structure called Crucife. The elevator was not working so fux that shot. Lol You have to drive down from the Crucife and they say to park down in the parking lot. There isn't any parking lot. You just park to either side of road so give up looking for the lot, there isn't one! The castle isn't a castle but a Spanish looking mansion. Tour starts in the Theater inside where you end up seeing what is long pitch for the castle's space for event rental. After that you watch a video about sugar cane and such and then the tour takes you around the various rooms and courtyards

Stopped in on a Sunday afternoon and purchased the full tour for approx $13 per person. The ticket included an English tour of the Castillo, as well as a self guided tour of the Japanese tea garden and the Cruceta Del Vigia. The Cruceta is an old watchtower in the shape of a crucifix that has panoramic views of the city and ocean. The views are pretty spectacular. There was nobody at the Castillo on the day we visited, only 6 people on the tour. The emptiness of the place made for some great photos, especially in the gardens. No photography is allowed inside the Castillo. The tour of Castillo started with a short video. The tour itself was very rushed. The guide provided the bare minimum of historical information and then quickly herded everyone into the next room. Some of the rooms had timelines of Ponce history and its sugar cane farming, but I didn't have the chance to read much of it. Overall the guided tour was super disappointing, but I did enjoy getting a glimpse of the antiques and hearing brief (although rushed) tidbits of their history. If you're a tourist thinking of making the commute from San Juan JUST to see the Castillo, I recommend you do so only if you are passing through this area. In other words, this place is not worth a 3 hour drive. I stopped at the Castillo on the way to Lajas, and would've been very unhappy had I wasted a day of vacation driving to Ponce solely to see this site.

I have family that lives in Ponce and they said there was nothing to do there. I think they just don't get out explore. Thanks to my fellow Yelpers we decided to drive to this hidden gem and take the museum tour. Note: don't follow your GPS to get there because it will take you to the back of the house(museum), where their is no entrance. Follow the street signs, once you get closer. When you get to the ticket booth you hop out and pay and then you can either park immediately to your left and tour the gardens (and the cross) or you can head down to the museum. The ticket prices were really cheap which was a total win! We had time to kill before our tour, so we trekked along the gardens and went in the cross. The garden was nice, but I did think it was going to be bigger. The cross had a breath taking view of the city, at the top. Since we had our baby with us we hopped back in the car and drove down to the museum. Parking is limited at the bottom of the hill and you will be parking on the street-- just FYI. When they first bring you in, you have to sit in this old theatre and watch a 10 minute movie. Multiple people that worked here told us the home was stroller friendly. It wasn't, so we had to carry our daughter the whole tour (30 minutes-40 minutes), and leave the stroller in a hallway. The bathrooms were also not baby friendly either. The tour of this lovely home was very interesting and full of history. You are not allowed to take pictures during the tour which sucks because their were some really gorgeous rooms! All in all, I think this tour was totally worth it and my family lied, there is much to do and experience in Ponce!

All I can say please make sure you speak with the wedding planner before the wedding takes place to make sure everything is in place. Whomever was in charge here dropped the ball and her attitude sucked. It's a beautiful location although make sure you have what you want not what the wedding planner thinks you want. They ran out of Don Q. This location was purchased by the Don Q estate. It don't make any sense. 3 stars because the service was not up to par for what u pay for. Hopefully they will pay more attention to detail. Especially the wedding planner. She was very non chalant as if she didn't care after she got paid.

i will fight anyone who disagrees with me when i say that this place is def haunted. i am a 27 year old woman and my mother brought me here when i was 8 and i still think about this house to this day, not just for it's beauty but also because of all the ghosts roaming around. anyway, i wanna get married here.

Wish the tour talked mores about family. Very beautiful inside the castle! Also don't waste time on butterfly garden....they had only one species of butterflies. The Japanese garden is ok, needs more work on the bonsai area...guess they need to regrow a lot of plants after hurricane.

Came on a Wednesday with no reservation and did a 4:15 tour in English. It cost around $8.00 for about a 45 minute tour of the house only. Tour started with a video ad for the property showing that you could book the place for weddings, quinceneras, bday a. Etc. Then, we were shown a short documentary on how the Don Q. Business started. House and property is very beautiful and the perfect location for a photo op. with the ocean and the city of Ponce in the background. Inside the house, you cannot take any pics but you can take pics outside of the house. House has very fine details and craftsmanship. Inside there are lots of old pictures of the Family as well as pics of old plantation and farm workers and their mini plantation community from the past- all quite interesting if you're into history! Also, it seemed like all the furniture inside had designs carved by hand. The property overlooks all of Ponce. The lawn is perfectly manicured. Unfortunately we didn't get to see the butterfly garden nor Japanese garden. And, the gift shop was closed which was kinda sad. There is a little bar that serves drinks outside the gift shop . I got a mojito for $5.00 which was not stiff enough for me..Overall, this was a very beautiful property and I definitely recommend going here if visiting Ponce, PR!

What a beautiful place!! This house was built by the Serralles family, founders of Don Q rum. It has now been turned into a museum where you can learn some history of the home, the family, and the rum. The tour starts off with a short film and continues with a guided tour through the house. The guide was very nice and seemed very knowledgable. The views are breathtaking!

Visiting Castillo Serralles was like going back in time. I toured the house and gardens, walked through rooms with original furnishings. I learned about the Serralles family and their rum business that today includes Captain Morgan and Don Q rum. The Serralles Castle had a movie room, indoor patio with fountain, and gorgeous gardens. The view upstairs of Ponce is breathtaking.

The view driving up was beautiful but unfortunately, we couldn't see the castle. I drove up with a friend who came to visit from Texas and we couldn't get in. I visited the website both last night and this morning to get hours of operation and directions. At no time did it say it was closed. It was a real bummer and major disappointment. Very unprofessional.

As Puerto Rico tourists, we drove to Ponce from San Juan to see this place for three hours. Getting there was an ordeal due to the one way streets that turn into the opposite way, and the drug slum neighborhood located on the way, just under the castle's hill. Once inside the tour, one of the employees aggressively grabbed me by the shoulders and yelled, "You can't take pictures in here!" I have never been treated so poorly in my life. Obviously this employee had no boundaries or respect. How was I supposed to know that tourists are not allowed to take pictures. Also, the tour is only in Spanish. Not worth the drive. We will never return to Ponce again.

Ditto Megan L's review. This place was great and the tour guides are so nice. SERIOUSLY puerto rico has some of the nicest people. I'd highly recommend coming here as they are so nice and willing to answer all of your questions. =)

Interesting and off the beaten path, the house was beautiful and interesting to see where the Don Q brand came from but I only came because it was part of a combined tour. Not really worth a trip.