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Writer's pictureRobert E.L. Walters

We miss you dearly... but please stay away!

Normally December and January is our big push for booking-up the season; this year it's a big push to keep people as far away as possible!

Puertoricans are hospitable people; they thrive on entertaining. Christmas (which normally goes on for weeks) is an ebb and flow of celebration and, at the end of it, the normal influx of folks coming for the season pours onto our beloved island, whether by plane or ship, straight through Easter.


This year however, is very different. Ships arriving here daily seems like a half-forgotten memory. And for those flying to Puerto Rico, a whole gauntlet of obstacles to overcome precedes you and then, once you are here, you have very little to do besides sit in your accommodations. Since many visit our island to relax, be it at a bar or beach, and since both are closed, it is best to just stay home.


In a recent dispatch from Discover Puerto Rico Xiomara Rodríguez, their Director of Communications said it best...


“Puerto Rico, like many other places, has imposed measures to prevent or contain the spread of the coronavirus. We are always delighted to promote the island and invite people to come visit us. This is not one of those times. We are not promoting for people to come for tourism and we urge that, if they do, that they take all the necessary measures.”


As the Christmas season ends (and the winter blues begin) and Covid-19 restrictions inevitably increase on the mainland, it will be tempting for folks who live up north (especially those who work from home) to want to take a respite from the drear and head south. Whereas this may be possible in some cases, I encourage any person choosing to visit Puerto Rico this winter to be very mindful of what they are going to do when they are not working from home. Stay abreast of every travel and local restriction change, and be aware that something as trivial as buying beer or wine for home consumption, can become a vanishing dream with very little warning and 100% enforcement.


For those content to sit at home, have little or no contact with their neighbors or hosts, and instead want to sit out several weeks in warmth and solitude, Puerto Rico will be an excellent choice this winter. If however, you are planning to attend bars and nightclubs, lounge on a beach, dance in a plaza, or dine at a cafe; your expectations will be in dire conflict with your reality.


Like Discover Puerto Rico, we want you to visit this enchanting place and enjoy its lovely amenities. However, if our advice is worth anything, we would suggest you plan on 2022 not 2021 for such a trip. Hopefully by then, we will all be able to extend the level of hospitality you deserve (and we enjoy providing). Until then, it is best to stay home, stay safe, and to think good thoughts for good things in the New Year!

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