San Juan to San Juan

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.

St. John is the smallest of the 3 U.S. Virgin Islands, which are located in the Caribbean Sea. Virgin Islands National Park occupies more than half the island. Its forests shelter resident and migratory birds, including cuckoos, warblers and hummingbirds. The mangroves at Hurricane Hole, in the east, support corals and anemones. Dolphins inhabit the island’s waters, which also host hawksbill and green turtles.

Basseterre, set against the irresistible backdrop of St. Kitts’ emerald green hills and punctuated by elegant Georgian architecture, is one of the best of the Caribbean’s small capitals.

Gustavia is the main town and capital of the island of Saint Barthélemy. Originally called Le Carénage, it was renamed in honor of King Gustav III of Sweden.

Philipsburg is the capital of Sint Maarten, the Dutch side of the Caribbean island Saint Martin. Beachfront bars line the boardwalk along Great Bay. Voorstraat, or Front Street, has duty-free shops and casinos. The St. Maarten Zoo is home to parrots, monkeys and a playground. Sint Maarten Museum displays artifacts from the indigenous Arawak people. The ruins of 17th-century Fort Amsterdam stand on a nearby peninsula.

Inviting beaches and tiny shops selling local treasures welcome you to this quiet island haven. Don’t miss dining with your feet in the sand at Foxy’s on the beach-a perfect lunch stop!

The most chic resorts of the British Virgin Isles are located on Virgin Gorda, an eight-square-mile island divided nearly in two, with settlements at each end. The south of the island is best known for the curious assembly of house- sized rocks called “the Baths,” which are jumbled together to form huge underground pools and caverns. The beach at the Baths is large, wide, and sandy – perfect for sunning and swimming.

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.

St. George’s is the capital city of the Caribbean island of Grenada. In the town center, the 18th-century Fort George offers panoramic views of the island and St. George’s Bay. Nearby, Fort Matthew was formerly a battleground and, later, an asylum, and has underground tunnels. The Grenada National Museum hosts exhibits about the history of the region, including the plantation economy and the whaling industry.

Life in Bequia revolves around the sea. Walk through the pretty town of Port Elizabeth, set on one of the loveliest and best-sheltered harbors in the Caribbean, and you’ll see fish nets drying in the sun. Boats are built on the beach in the shade of palm trees, and many yachtsmen have come here to have a fine schooner built by hand. (Or take home a model ship, perfect in detail.) Once an active whaling station, Bequia today is a favorite among Caribbean insiders and yachties for its unspoiled beauty and easy pace.

The twin towers of the Pitons, two volcanic peaks rising to more than 2,400 feet, mark St. Lucia, an island of lush green valleys, acres of banana plantations, and bubbling sulfur springs. 24 miles of vibrant reef make St. Lucia a haven for divers and snorkelers. Pigeon Island National Park, a 40-acre island connected to the mainland by a causeway, was once a pirates’ hideaway. Today, impressive ruins of old English forts, archaeological relics of Arawak Indians, and splendid beaches make this a fascinating place to explore.

The Îles des Saintes, or Les Saintes, are dependency islands of Guadeloupe, a French overseas territory in the Caribbean. The main island, Terre-de-Haut, is known for Pain de Sucre Beach’s coral-rich waters and palm-lined Les Saintes Bay. Overlooking the bay is 19th-century Fort Napoléon, with a museum and cactus garden. Trails cross the volcanic landscape of Terre-de-Bas Island, home to tranquil Grand Anse Beach.

Marigot is the main town on the French side of the Caribbean island of Saint Martin. The island is widely known for its hundreds of gourmet restaurants on both sides of the island. Neighbouring islands include Saint-Barthélemy, Anguilla, Saba, Sint Eustatius “Statia”, Saint Kitts and Nevis. With the exception of Nevis, all of these islands are easily visible on a clear day from St. Martin.

San Juan, Puerto Rico’s capital and largest city, sits on the island’s Atlantic coast. Its widest beach fronts the Isla Verde resort strip, known for its bars, nightclubs and casinos. Cobblestoned Old San Juan features colorful Spanish colonial buildings and 16th-century landmarks including El Morro and La Fortaleza, massive fortresses with sweeping ocean views, as well as the Paseo de la Princesa bayside promenade.