San Juan, St. Kitts, St. George, Aruba, Willemstad

Part of the Windward Island nation of St. Kitts and Nevis, the busy port of Bassterre eases along a sheltered bay surrounded by green hills and mountains, in a setting that's all Caribbean. Highlights of the town include Independence Square, the old section of town; the Circus, a main shopping district; and St. George's Anglican Church, built and rebuilt in the 300 years since its initial construction. The British and the French played keep-away with the island of St. Kitts in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the British ultimately controlling the island, its capital, Basseterre, and Fort Brimstone, the "Gibraltar of the West Indies", located on Brimstone Hill Fortress National Park and declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site of historical, cultural and architectural significance.

St. George's is a popular Caribbean tourist destination and the capital of Grenada. The city is situated at the foot of an old volcano crater. Its port has the shape of a horseshoe.

Aruba is the Caribbean, but with a charming rugged edge. Brightly coloured houses, vibrant street life and a distinct buzz in the air, are all part of the experience when you visit the capital Oranjestad.You can walk at the Schooner Market and watch merchants sell exotic fruit and fresh fish direct from tiny boats. Aruba is beaches, sun and shopping along Main Street and Lloyd G. Smith Boulevard.Arikok National Park, Aruba's natural treasure, covers nearly one-fifth of the island and is home to rare endemic flaura and fauna, caves for exploring, hiking and ragged, wind-torn bits of coastline for mountain climbing.

Willemstad, with its deepwater harbor Shottegat, interlacing waterways and narrow shop fronts is the capital City of Curaçao, former Dutch colony, divided in two by St. Anna Bay. Its neighborhoods mix Dutch, Spanish and Portugueseurban styles and then dresses them in effulgent pastels, thus granting it the title of World Heritage City.

Wander the shops and markets of the Punda and Otrobanda districts and soak up some color. Punda is the oldest part of the city, showcasing beautiful 17th - and 18th-century Dutch-style architecture. Make a stop at the floating market, so named because of the vendors who sail by sea from Venezuela each morning to sell their fresh vegetables, fruit and seafood. Don't miss the marine park, taste international cuisine and dance the night away at the numerous bars and discos.