Located in southeastern Florida's Miami-Dade County, Miami is a major city with plenty of surf, sun and fun. However, it has so much more to offer than endless beach parties and glittering strips of upmarket hotels. Miami is a complex and fascinating melting pot of Latin American, Caribbean, and Yankee cultures. From the spirited Cuban community of Little Havana to the glass, steel, and concrete jungle of downtown Miami and the grand homes, luxurious hotels, and glamorous locals of Miami Beach, this city offers an unrivaled multicultural experience. These cultural contrasts allow for a veritable smorgasbord of international culinary delights, a wide range of cultural attractions, and remarkably diverse art and nightlife scenes all against a backdrop of a glittering turquoise ocean and golden-sand beaches.
Better known as simply ‘Puerto Plata’, the city of San Felipe de Puerto Plata is the capital of the Puerto Plata Province on the Dominican Republic’s north coast. Surrounded by towering mountains and lapped by the sparkling waters of the Atlantic, the beaches of Puerto Plata and the surrounding Amber Coast are arguably some of the best in the country. Affordable ocean-facing beach hotels hem the shoreline and offer world-class windsurfing, snorkelling, diving and whale-watching. Aside from the exquisite beaches, visitors will find an old colonial-era centre featuring pastel-coloured Victorian-era architecture and an impressive 16th-century Spanish fortress. Other popular attractions include a handsome seaside boulevard lined with excellent restaurants; the Dominican Amber Museum; and the 2,559-foot summit of Mount Isabel which provides unforgettable panoramic views of the glistening harbour below.
San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital and largest city, sits on the island's magnificent Atlantic coast. The city's charming historic Old Town features lovely cobblestone streets, countless colourful Spanish colonial buildings, and an impressive array of 16th-century landmarks, including La Fortaleza, a massive palace and fortress with sweeping ocean views. Old Juan is compact enough to negotiate on foot, but free trolleys can take visitors from one site to the next. Beyond the old town, this modern metropolis offers all the amenities and entertainment of a modern city with the added appeal of tropical beaches, a lovely seaside promenade, luxurious beachfront hotels, world-class dining, and vibrant nightlife. This perfect mix of old and new makes San Juan such a unique and unforgettable holiday destination.
Tucked away in the southeastern part of the island of Saint Martin, Philipsburg is the capital of the Caribbean island nation of Sint Maarten. This tiny port city is renowned as an attractive stop for many cruise ships as well as one of the Caribbean's best spots for duty-free shopping. Philipsburg comprises five parallel streets stretched along on a narrow piece of land running between Great Bay and the Salt Pond. The cobblestone streets are lined with quaint, pastel-coloured West Indian houses as well as countless shops, cafes, hotels and courtyards overflowing with flowers. The town also boasts a few Dutch colonial landmarks, including Fort Willem, built in 1801, and Fort Amsterdam, constructed nearly 200 years earlier.
Resting in the Caribbean Sea, about 60 km south of St. Thomas, Saint Croix is the largest of the US Virgin Islands. Visitors can look forward to an unforgettable getaway complete with idyllic beaches, world-class recreational activities, excellent restaurants, beachfront resorts and spas, fantastic golf courses, and a casino. The restored Danish port of Christiansted and the more Victorian-looking Frederiksted are its main towns, set at opposite ends of the islands. While Frederiksted, on the west end, is quiet with a long beach and a quaint historic district, Christiansted in the east is a laid-back harbor town with some impressive 17th and 18th-century architecture and a popular seaside promenade. Other attractions include the St. George Botanical Garden, a flower-filled oasis; and Sandy Point, a pristine white sand beach known for its abundance of nesting turtles.
As previously described
