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.
At 12 miles long and three miles wide, Tortola is the largest of the British Virgin Islands and a popular cruise destination. The island is famous for its local seafood dishes served from a variety of eateries including quirky beach-shacks and upmarket restaurants. Tortola’s capital, Road Town, rests on a picturesque horseshoe-shaped, yacht-filled harbor and is known for its colourful buildings, fine museums, impressive botanic gardens and thriving nightlife. Rising up in the centre of the island is Mount Sage, which affords spectacular views over Tortola's lush tropical vegetation, uncrowded beaches and lovely bays. This spectacularly scenic environment makes an ideal backdrop for a range of exhilarating activities including surfing, wreck diving and sailing around the surrounding islets.
Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados, lies on the southwest coast and is home to well over half the nation's friendly local residents. This busy cruise ship stop is known for its excellent duty-free shopping, impressive British colonial architecture, 17th-century Garrison, and its popular horse racing track. Steeped in rich history and culture, Bridgetown today offers an enchanting mix of the old and the new, with historic UNESCO World Heritage sites blending seamlessly with contemporary modern architecture. The azure waters and powder-white sands of Carlisle Bay, and the countless world-class restaurants facing onto the country's only natural harbor, complete this enticing package.
Castries is the capital and largest city of Saint Lucia, an island nation in the Caribbean. This bustling capital surrounds a deep harbour which serves as a popular cruise ship destination catering to over 600,000 cruise passengers a year. The town is perhaps best known for its excellent duty-free shopping as well as its rows of quaint, colourful houses. Visit the lively market to experience what National Geographic calls ‘one of the top ten food markets in the world’. Enjoy waterfront vistas from restaurants at Pointe Seraphine or La Place Carenage. Admire the architecture at Derek Walcott Square, visit the viewing point at Morne Fortune, or simply relax and catch a tan on one of the exquisite local beaches.
Positioned where the Atlantic and Caribbean meet, Antigua and Barbuda is an independent Commonwealth country comprising of two namesake islands and several smaller ones. Most of the action can be found in Antigua, an exquisite island where luxurious yachts drift in the harbour, honeymooners frolic on the shores, adventure seekers enjoy the surf, and scuba divers discover fascinating marine life and colourful corals in the aquamarine waters. The island boasts an extraordinary number of pristine, golden beaches and a lively capital, St John’s, which is home to an impressive national museum showcasing numerous indigenous and colonial artefacts. Also worth a visit are the island’s national parks and impressive natural blowholes.
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.
