After being deeply connected to the recovery of the island, Dorado Beach, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, organized a celebration full of celebrities this weekend to encourage travelers to return to Puerto Rico. A little more than a year before its transformation, this culminating moment brings together celebrities and influential philanthropists, as well as those who have contributed to the reconstruction efforts of the island, including the humanitarian chef and author of one of the best-selling books of The New York Times, "We Fed an Island", José Andrés.
From Friday, November 9 to Sunday, November 11, 2018, celebrities and influential personalities gathered in the magnificent tourist complex to raise their voices and celebrate the recovery and resurgence of Puerto Rico, and also share the message that the island is ready to receive the travelers of the world. You can find images of the weekend here and videos available here.
"We are celebrating the resilience of Puerto Ricans, and the best way to help is for them to visit us again," said chef José Andrés. "The tourism industry is coming back stronger than before, and Dorado Beach is an incredible part of the island."
Throughout the weekend, guests enjoyed spectacular and exclusive performances by Questlove, Grammy and Tony Award winner, Leslie Odom Jr. of the original Hamilton cast, the Puerto Rico Philharmonic Orchestra and Tony Okungbowa, as well as a memorable event of Chefs of Puerto Rico organized by chef José Andrés in collaboration with the most elite culinary talent on the island. Perhaps the most exciting moment of the weekend occurred on Saturday night when Tony Okungbowa invited everyone to join him in a ceremonial blessing for the island. Inspired by the Puerto Rican tradition, hundreds of people threw bags of herbs with desires into the flames of a bonfire on the beach and with them their hopes for a bright future for the splendid island.
"The sound of Puerto Rico is universal, it is the sound of now," said Questlove about the recovery of Puerto Rico. "I felt compelled to join the recovery efforts of the island because it is the most human thing I can do. For me, this is more personal than being an ambassador to represent the island, this is one of the most special places for me when I was a kid. "
"We are inaugurating Dorado Beach, at Ritz-Carlton Reserve, this weekend with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Puerto Rico and I am very excited to sing with them," said Leslie Odom Jr. "This was an incredible opportunity to do something that I love. and help people in the process. I have had the opportunity to travel around the world and this is easily one of the five best places I have been. "
In addition to the main artists, the outstanding attendees of the weekend celebration included:
Uma Thurman, Neil Patrick Harris, Mariska Hargitay, Martha Stewart, Coco Rocha, Gayle King, Cynthia Rowley, Deborah Roberts, Helena Christensen, Jackie Cruz, Al Roker, Jane Krakowski, Marcia Gay Harden, Michele Hicks, Alex Lundqvist, Sophie Sumner, Valesca Guerrand-Hermes, Dree Hemingway, Erich Bergen and more.
"The reopening of Dorado Beach marks a crucial moment in the recovery journey of Puerto Rico," said George Sotelo, general manager of Dorado Beach, to Ritz-Carlton Reserve. "This exciting weekend celebrated both the rebirth and the resurgence of the island, as well as our valued resort, which has just completed an exciting transformation and reopened more spectacularly than ever."