Description: Visit a slice of the sunny Caribbean where English is the national language, where you send off your postcards with U.S. postage stamps, and where American dollars are the coin of the realm! Author Groene, an old Caribbean hand and longtime travel writer, sets her sights on America's own piece of the Caribbean by presenting a thorough guide to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and includes a brief excursion to the British Virgin Islands as well. Groene is the author of Open Road's 872-page Caribbean Guide, covering every island group in the region.

Puerto Rico offers terrific beaches and water sports, world-class resorts, sophisticated shopping, and fun nightlife. Stay at a charming parador (country inn) or a luxury resort overlooking the sea in San Juan. The island's mountains, where some of the region's best coffee is harvested, are a magnet for hikers and naturalists. Visit old forts and castles, the second oldest church in the Americas, the only tropical rain forest in the U.S. national forest system, beautiful waterfalls, picturesque fishing villages, and of course the Bacardi rum plant! At night relax to traditional folk music and flamenco, or dance the night away to some of the best Latin jazz in the world.

The U.S. Virgin Islands -- St. Thomas, St. Croix, and St. John -- feature old sugar plantations, the most extensive duty-free shopping in the islands, alluring beaches, fantastic resorts, quaint inns, notable dining, and lots of hidden pockets where you can get away from it all just two hours out of Miami. St. John is virtually all national park land, one of the only parks where rangers will lead you on a guided snorkeling tour around wrecks and reefs! Board asightseeing submarine in St. Thomas, join the cruise ship daytrippers in their quest for the perfect souvenir, or visit Mountain Top for a dose look at tropical birds and unique flora. And all three islands feature first-rate water sports and beautiful unspoiled beaches.

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