The lights are packed away. The tree is down, the ornaments stored for next year. Sigh. How you wish you can extend the holiday season just a few more weeks.
With a little planning you can. Next year, book a holiday escape for your family, your significant other or your best friends to Puerto Rico, which has one of the longest and most festive holiday seasons in the world, extending from the day after Thanksgiving and through mid-January. On the island, la Navidad is a 45-day marathon filled with music, food, good cheer and, of course, coquito, Puerto Rico’s answer to eggnog.
On Christmas Eve, family and friends gather for a traditional dinner and exchange gifts. On New Year’s Eve, they engage in stroke-of-midnight traditions, such as dropping backward into the ocean waves to deter bad spirits and eating 12 grapes during the last 12 seconds of the year for good fortune. The celebration continues with Three Kings Day (January 6), which commemorates the Three Wise Men’s visit after Jesus’ birth. The parties rage on through Las Octavitas (eight days after Three Kings Day), culminating in the raucous Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastián (or as the locals call it: La SanSe). This three-day music-and-dancing cultural jubilee held the third weekend in January in Old San Juan marks the island’s official culmination of the holiday season.
With all this festivity, you’ll need a home base. Book a stay at the Hyatt Regency Grand Reserve Puerto Rico in Rio Grande, a picturesque property nestled in the foothills of the El Yunque Tropical Rainforest and set on a peaceful, protected natural reserve. With 72 acres of tropical gardens, beaches where waves lap the shoreline surrounded by palm trees and mangroves—here, you will certainly find Peace on Earth.
The kids will have plenty to do to keep them out of mischief and on Santa’s “Nice List.” (But still bring the Elf on the shelf!) The resort offers four pool areas, including Puerto Rico’s largest lagoon-style pool. While parents enjoy curated cocktails at the swim-up bar or sunbathe in tiled lounge chairs, children can play in shallow pool areas or in the fenced-in Kids Club, which includes a playground and area for crafts and activities (check the board for the daily offerings, like face painting and Legos). Families can reserve a private cabana or challenge each other to a game of Giant Connect-Four, see who is best on the putting green or at a spirited match of water or beach volleyball.
Families can make lasting holiday memories: Sign out a kayak for a leisurely paddle off the serene coastline and challenge the children to play I-Spy with fish and sea turtles—bonus points if someone spots a manatee. Or grab a cruising bike and cycle around the property. In the evening, reserve a space at the beach picnic, complete with a roaring bonfire and s’mores, where you can watch the sun set into the water.
On January 5, children are invited to the resort’s Mirador Lawn to cut fresh grass for the camels that the Three Kings rode—a Puerto Rican custom—and enjoy traditional snacks.
And speaking of traditional foods: If your group is slow-moving in the morning, opt for in-room dining, specifically the Pan Sobao, a pillowy-soft bread, accompanied by cheese, which is a customary Puerto Rican breakfast.
Otherwise, the resort offers a variety of fine dining and casual fare. For breakfast, grab a seat at Water’s Edge and enjoy a bountiful buffet or get a grab-and-go or coffee at Molido or The Market and start your morning with the spectacular view of El Yunque. Or check out Prime 787 steakhouse for breakfast Avocado Benedicts and Foster French Toast. In the evening, the restaurant transforms into an elegant space serving expertly prepared prime cuts, elevated seafood dishes and a curated selection of fine wines. Other onsite restaurants serve food ranging from traditional local cuisine to Japanese hibachi.
A variety of bars—poolside and otherwise—abound. During your visit, order the PRadise Bliss Lager, a light and crisp local craft beer that blends the tropical notes of guavas, passionfruit and oranges created in collaboration with F.O.K. (“Fresh Of Keg”) Brewery in Caguas.
Although the resort is walkable, staff-driven golf carts are available to get you from A to B—a welcome amenity when you have a child tuckered out from fun in the sun.
Although you won’t want to leave paradise, exciting excursions abound. Contact Dragonfly Adventures for an informative guided tour of El Yunque, the only tropical rainforest within the United States National Forest System. Park at the foot of the Yokahú Tower and climb the spiraling 98 steps—don’t worry: they are wide and easy—to enjoy panoramic views. If you’re feeling adventurous, two other observation towers are accessible from hiking trails. While you’re here, snap selfies at La Coca Falls and the visitors center, which offers child-friendly nature trails and allows a glimpse of three endangered Puerto Rican parrots—vibrant green with blue under the wings.
Lechón—a whole pig slow-roasted over coals until juicy and crispy—is a part of Puerto Ricans’ traditional Christmas menu. Travel an hour south to Cayey to experience the Roast Pork Route. The neighborhood of Guavate is famous for its strip of cafeteria-style restaurants offering a dizzying variety of roasted pork and traditional side dishes like fried plantains, rice with pigeon peas and blood sausage.
As you travel around the island, engage in Puerto Rican Christmas songs, which celebrate community as much as religion. You’ll come away from this trip singing le lo la rather than fa la la la la. Sing it loud, sing it proud and don’t worry: Santa can find you in paradise.
Coquito
1 to 2 c Bacardi Superior Rum
15 oz cream of coconut
12 oz evaporated milk
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
Cinnamon or nutmeg to taste
For more information visit www.hyatt.com/hyatt-regency