by Wendy
A few years ago, Jack and I decided to do what we always talked about (and surely you have too) and go to the Caribbean for the long Thanksgiving weekend. We love our families, we love spending the holidays with them, we love the traditions, so this was a difficult choice (and one that can make you feel a little guilty). The previous months had been especially busy – work stress, a milestone birthday and resolved health issue – and it felt like the right time to take advantage of that extra day off after Thanksgiving and escape for a 4 day break.

We decided to go to San Juan, Puerto Rico. We found a decent deal on a direct flight that left early Thanksgiving morning. We were reading books near the beach by early afternoon. Since we’ve been lucky to visit the area before, we didn’t feel pressure to sightsee, and could just relax. La Concha Resort was the perfect place to do this. It’s one of our all-time favorite hotels, located in the Condado neighborhood. La Concha is gorgeous. It has a small beach, beautiful pools with lots of chairs for lounging, great restaurants, friendly staff, and the stylish lobby is practically a club at night. In fact, I think my favorite evening of this particular trip was dressing up to go bar hopping around Condado (as we’ve done several times and highly recommend) and realizing it was pouring outside. The lobby was lively – so we decided to order sushi, mojitos, and enjoy the live music. It never stopped raining cats and dogs, so we kept our great spots at the bar while the lounge became more crowded and the DJ started spinning. Great travel experiences are not only about adventure, but about atmosphere.

I love the rituals of the holidays. Thanksgiving dinners with our families are always delicious and fun. Enjoying our decorated Christmas tree at home, going to Mass and dinner with my family on Christmas Eve, sampling the amazing dessert table at my aunt’s house or the incredible lasagna at my husband’s aunt’s house are all things we love to do. At the same time, I think it’s good to be open to something different once in awhile – it’s a great opportunity to “reset” and appreciate traditions all over again.

Have a happy Thanksgiving, wherever you decide to spend it!