Where to Celebrate New Year's Eve in the Caribbean

Celebrating the arrival of a new year is an age-old tradition, but Caribbean-bound travelers will find a variety of new ways to ring in 2020 as islands and hotels offer their own celebrations.

Each destination in the Caribbean has a traditional way to commemorate the start of the new year. St. Croix, for example, hosts a month-long Crucian Christmas Festival that runs from the first Saturday in December through the first Saturday of the new year. St. Kitts throws a National Carnival that starts the day after Christmas. And a variety of individual hotels and resorts make it easy for vacationers to join in on the festivities around the Caribbean.

At the Hyatt Regency Aruba Resort Spa & Casino, guests can join a “Gala of Italy” event on Dec. 31 that includes multiple dinner stations as well as an open bar, a live band and party favors. Pre-paid reservations are required, and the cost is $196 for adults and $49 to $98 for children, depending on their age (children 4 and under are free).

Meanwhile, Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino will serve a four-course dinner at Atardi, the resort’s pop-up beach restaurant, for $140 per person, followed by a beachfront countdown with a live DJ and open bar, priced at $119. 

Food is certainly a big part of any New Year’s Eve celebration. At the adults-only Calabash Cove Resort and Spa in St. Lucia, guests can dig into a special five-course New Year’s Eve dinner, which is included in its room rate.

In the Dominican Republic, the adults-only Sanctuary Cap Cana Resort and Spa, which wrapped up a multimillion-dollar renovation earlier this year, will host festivities that include live music and special dinner menus at multiple restaurants, with beachfront fireworks providing a fitting end to the evening. 

The Hilton La Romana — which relaunched as an adults-only all-inclusive earlier this year — is staging an event called Old Year’s Day, which, according to the resort, promises to offer time for “reflection back on 2019 through activities that help set the mood for the new year.” The diverse offerings include a seafood tasting, a DJ, a bartending competition and a beer festival. Live music and fireworks help top off the night. 

Also in the Dominican Republic, the new Club Med Miches Playa Esmeralda opens Nov. 23 and the property will debut its first New Year’s Eve celebration with themed dinners and a live DJ dance party. Children will have the opportunity to take part in the festivities as well, with their own dance party and even trapeze lessons. 

Multiple hotels in San Juan, Puerto Rico, are gearing up to host lively events to ring in the new year, including the Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel and Casino, which is hosting a major celebration called Illusions. The celebration will spread across four separate rooms, each with a different type of music and multiple DJs. Guests are even treated to a late-night serving of asopao, a traditional Puerto Rican dish that’s popular during the holidays. Admission costs $145, or $199 for a dinner/party combination package. 

Whether your clients are looking to ring in the new year with an intimate dinner or a raucous celebration, there’s certainly a perfect Caribbean experience for every customer.