Eastern Caribbean Cruise - from Miami - 122714

Miami is a city at the South-East coast of the US state of Florida. The "Coconut Grove" district was the heart of the settlement in 1884. Today, the city is dominated by elegant boutiques and pavement cafés. Often, free street concerts are held in the side streets - usually reggae or jazz music. The city has numerous high-rise buildings, hotel complexes, areas with palm trees, shopping centres, cultural and recreational facilities. Sights include: the Southeast Financial Center - the tallest building in Florida at 55 storeys high; Dade Country Courthouse; Metro Dade Cultural, a cultural centre that houses Miami Dade Main Library; the Centre for Fine Arts and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.

The peninsula of Samaná, which joined with the mainland over the course of hundreds of years, is one of the most beautiful regions in the Dominican Republic with its its picture-postcard palm-lined beaches and the finest sand. Rustling forests of coconut trees, crooked hills, lonely coves with glowing white sand, secluded waterfalls, tiny villages and the peaceful capital of Santa Barbara de Samaná are what makes the peninsula so enchanting. Small islands, the Cayos, seem to simply float in the blue waters before the coast. The most famous of these is Cayo Levantado, with the idyllic sandy beach on which the "Bacardi" ad was filmed. Another attraction are the hump-backed whales, which come to the bay of Samaná every winter to breed and raise their young.

San Juan, the capital of the Greater Antilles island of Puerto Rico, is known as the 'oldest American city'. It was from here that the expeditions set out to explore the New World. The historic old town with the university, the fort 'La Fortaleza', the gothic cathedral and the historic buildings dating from the Spanish colonial era are all well worth a visit. Since 1983, San Juan has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 'New' San Juan boasts luxurious resorts, hotels, casinos and exclusive discos, while nature lovers can explore the nearby rainforest with its mountain lakes and waterfalls.

The US Virgin Isles, of which there are approximately 50, lie surrounded by glittering turquoise ocean, are covered in lush tropical plants and situated around 60 km to the East of Puerto Rico. They form the first link in the chain of Leeward Islands. The majority of St. John is covered with dense rainforest and it has beautiful sandy beaches. St. Thomas, one of the three main islands, which has an excellent deep-sea port, is long, narrow and peaks in a mountain ridge. St. Croix, the largest island in the group, has a hilly landscape that used to be covered with plantations.

Puerto Plata is one of the oldest cities in the Dominican Republic, founded in 1496 by Columbus' brother, Bartolomeo. In the 19th century the city experienced an economic boom on account of the harbour. The old town centre, featuring mainly wooden houses built in that Victorian gingerbread-house style, is well worth a visit. In the small streets around the Parque Central with a nostalgic glorieta pavillion there are lots of little shops, restaurants and cafés. The sights include San Felipe fort, built in the 16th century as protection against the many pirate attacks. Just next to it is the harbour, where stranded ships are a reminder of the hurricanes that have ravaged the coast.

Miami is a city at the South-East coast of the US state of Florida. The "Coconut Grove" district was the heart of the settlement in 1884. Today, the city is dominated by elegant boutiques and pavement cafés. Often, free street concerts are held in the side streets - usually reggae or jazz music. The city has numerous high-rise buildings, hotel complexes, areas with palm trees, shopping centres, cultural and recreational facilities. Sights include: the Southeast Financial Center - the tallest building in Florida at 55 storeys high; Dade Country Courthouse; Metro Dade Cultural, a cultural centre that houses Miami Dade Main Library; the Centre for Fine Arts and the Historical Museum of Southern Florida.