If you don’t make time for your wellness, it will eventually become your illness. That’s a line from my book, “Practical Optimism,” and a truism I learned the hard way.
Puerto Rico’s pull used to be its people and pina coladas. Now, it’s all about the pause — a time to practice what I preach: slowing down without disappearing. San Juan is perfect because of its proximity; a quick four-hour flight from New York, followed by a 10-minute drive to Isla Verde’s beachfront Fairmont El San Juan Hotel, with multiple pools, a beach club, lively bars, music and dancing, a sushi lounge, and a famously large casino. It’s easy to stay put at the Fairmont and let the days unfold without plans.
If you do leave, as my husband and I did a few times, you won’t be disappointed. The tasting menus at 1919 and Marmaladewere memorable, but the restaurant Santaella in the Santurce barrio, was exceptional — hip yet upscale, filled with beautifully-dressed locals meeting for after-work dinner and drinks. For a bit of history, we visited Castillo San Felipe del Morro, a 16th-century fortress set high above the Atlantic, with sweeping vistas. Afterward, a stroll around Old San Juan, through cobblestone streets flanked by buildings in bold colors that remind me of cities I’ve loved in the Caribbean and South America. We also took a day-long snorkeling trip to Icacos Cay, a tiny, Caribbean-facing island with next-level calm turquoise-clear waters.
One evening ended with salsa dancing at the legendary hangout La Factoría, where I kept my husband up far later than he prefers. Another night, we were at the hotel, when we heard music drifting through the lobby and watched couples dance late into the evening.
San Juan was the perfect pause, not a stop, and a reminder that intentional rest is how we stay well enough to show up for everyone else.
— Dr. Sue Varma is a board-certified psychiatrist and author of “Practical Optimism: The Art, Science, and Practice of Exceptional Well-Being”