El San Juan Hotel

Taking you on a quick waltz through El San Juan Hotel.

Since I spent all of 2019 (and many years before it) traipsing all across the world with Gregory, it only seemed fitting and poetic to end it with him as well.

(As an aside, I find it HILARIOUS that after 6 years, people still think we're a straight couple. DEAD. He is VERY gay. I suppose we put on a great show on Instagram!)

We kicked off our NYE celebrations in Puerto Rico! It was both of our first times there and we couldn't have been more thrilled. We love exploring new places together. Puerto Rico is incredible because it feels like you're in another country, and you get the weather, culture, language, and architecture of somewhere foreign. But it's a part of the U.S., so we can use our cash and cards, not go through customs, and (the best part for me) fly pets as if we're flying domestic!

We landed in the whee hours of NYE after a red-eye flight with a layover (it's a bit of a trek from LA, but it's worth it) and promptly took a nap after being picked up by El San Juan Hotel (thanks, guys!). After we woke, we laid around the pool until it was time to celebrate. El San Juan Hotel is actually one of the hottest spots in town--they even have a nightclub inside the hotel, called Brava, that's extremely popular with locals. For NYE, however, they transformed the ENTIRETY of the hotel lobby into a separate, and much larger, celebration.

Gregory and I drank, danced, and reveled. Not only was there one of PR's best DJs, he took turns with a live band (who even performed a Latinized Game of Thrones cover, oh my god). I have a Story highlight on my Instagram if you want to check it out!

My favorite part about El San Juan Hotel? It's DOG FRIENDLY. I flew my pupper over to celebrate NYE with me and it was the BEST. I'd never brought him on a work trip before and I certainly hope this isn't the last time! The hotel is situated directly on the beach, so we had a ton of things to do. Napoleon experienced his very first beach and he loved it. It was such a sweet moment.

At midnight when the clock changed to January 3, all of us press guests had a champagne toast to celebrate the biggest news all trip...El San Juan Hotel OFFICIALLY became a Fairmont property! With that comes even better service, higher standards, and more dogfriendliness (at least 12 properties have a resident dog owned by a staff member!!!). Fairmont is notorious for reading guests' minds and anticipating their needs before they even know they require them, and I cannot wait to see what they do with this already amazing hotel.

I am really looking forward to visiting Puerto Rico more often. It may be a trek from LA, but it's only three and a half hours or so from NYC. Knowing I can easily fly my dog over, plus stay in a very dog-friendly El San Juan Hotel, makes me excited to further explore this beautiful place.