10 Great Places to Spend Christmas
Why Go: -"Jingle Bells" set to a salsa beat
-Instead of pine trees, palms and exotic flora in El Yunque rain forest
-Evening strolls through a 500-year-old Spanish colonial city on the Atlantic.
Where to Stay: Hotel El Convento (100 Calle de Cristo, Old San Juan; 800/468-2779 or 787/723-9020; doubles from $325), a converted 354-year-old Carmelite convent, has 72 rooms with handcrafted colonial furniture. The Water Club (2 Calle Tartak, Isla Verde; 888/265-6699 or 787/728-3666; doubles from $199), billed as Puerto Rico's only beachfront boutique hotel, has 78 rooms overlooking the ocean through floor-to-ceiling windows.
Holiday Dinner: The 160-year-old La Mallorquina (207 Calle San Justo, Old San Juan; 787/722-3261; dinner for two $50) is known for its family-style cocina criolla, or traditional Puerto Rican feasts: seasonal favorites include lechón (suckling pig), arroz con gandules (rice with pigeon peas), and pasteles (yucca and meat wrapped in a banana leaf).
Stocking Stuffer: Take your pick of the best santos—wooden folk carvings of Catholic saints—at Puerto Rican Art & Crafts (204 Calle Fortaleza, Old San Juan; 787/725-5596). A small santo can cost anywhere from $45 to $350, depending on the reputation of the santero, or artisan.
—Robert Maniaci
10 Great Places to Spend Christmas
