Lesser Antilles: Valentines Day

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.

Oranjestad is the capital of the Dutch island of Aruba, in the Caribbean Sea. Near the marina, the 18th-century Fort Zoutman and the Willem III Tower, formerly a lighthouse, house the Historical Museum, which chronicles the island’s past. The Archaeological Museum displays indigenous artifacts dating back as far as 2500 B.C. Along the waterfront, L.G. Smith Boulevard is dotted with boutiques and shopping malls.

Willemstad is the capital city of Curaçao, a Dutch Caribbean island. It’s known for its old town center, with pastel-colored colonial architecture. The floating Queen Emma Bridge connects the Punda and Otrobanda neighborhoods across Sint Anna Bay. By the water is the 19th-century Rif Fort, now housing a shopping center. City restaurants serve dishes influenced by the island’s mostly Dutch and Afro-Caribbean cuisines.

Fort-de-France is the capital of the Caribbean island of Martinique, a French overseas territory. It’s known for colonial architecture, ornate iron balconies, tropical flowers and beaches. La Savane park has a statue of Napoleon I’s wife Joséphine, a native of the island. Exhibits at the Martinique Museum of Archaeology and Prehistory focus on the island’s history, especially the pre-Columbian period.

Basseterre is the capital of the Caribbean island federation of Saint Kitts and Nevis. It’s the gateway to popular Saint Kitts beaches like South Friars Bay. At the city’s heart, Independence Square has an Italian-inspired fountain. Just off the Circus traffic circle, with its Victorian Berkeley Memorial Clock Tower, is the National Museum. In the stately Old Treasury Building, it explores the islands’ colonial past.

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.