Return to Puerto Rico With the Family

Puerto Rico has been much in the news in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria, a devastating storm that touched down on the island about a year ago. But despite lingering issues in the countryside, islanders are anxious to get the word out the destination is open and welcoming visitors. Families looking to help boost Puerto Rico tourism — and have a great vacation at the same time — can enjoy a stay at Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, officially reopened Oct. 1. The property underwent a full restoration after the hurricane, and now offers even more facilities and amenities for its guests.

Best of all, as a part of Marriott International, the property partnered with musical artist and philanthropist Lin-Manual Miranda, creator of the smash hit musical Hamilton, to support his work in stimulating the Puerto Rican economy by boosting the local arts community.

The property will donate $10 per room — booked during its opening season, now through February 2019 — to Miranda’s Flamboyan Arts Fund, which supports everything from music, theater, visual arts and dance to literature and youth arts education, all of which bolster Puerto Rico’s tourism industry.

“With this reopening … travelers can once again immerse themselves in the local culture, enjoy unique experiences set apart by human connection and discover this rare estate anew while also supporting the revitalization of Puerto Rico,” said Lisa Holladay, global brand leader, The Ritz-Carlton Reserve.

As to the resort itself, families will find all the amenities they would expect from a The Ritz-Carlton Reserve property, now newly enhanced during the renovation. All 114 beachfront guestrooms and suites have been redone with a fresh design and color palette, and the landscape, which took a beating in the storm, revived with more than 300,000 new plant species.

Encanto Beach Club Bar & Grill introduces a new dinner menu featuring coastal cuisine that highlights authentic dishes from the Mediterranean, and the property’s beachside restaurant, Positivo Sandbar, is poised to debut a new bar and eatery, Omakase & Ceviche, situated directly on the sand for ocean-side dining. Finally, Dorado Beach’s new signature restaurant and bar, COA, will open mid-December 2018.

Of course, no posh resort would be complete without a spa, and Dorado Beach Spa restored its Spa Botanico and added new treatments and spa cuisine to its line-up of locally inspired treatments using products created in its on-site apothecary.

Families arriving after mid-December will be able to take advantage of the reopening of Su Casa, Dorado Beach’s five-bedroom villa, once the home of famed pilot Clara Livingston.

As to activities, guests can hike the 11-mile Rockefeller Trail, enjoy tennis and water sports and relax at the Positivo infinity pool, or opt for the Encanto Beach Club pool, which features a pool for adults and splash pools for the kids.