There is an abundance of things to see and do in the Ft. Lauderdale area: visit the newly redesigned Ft. Lauderdale Beach and cafes, stroll the historic Riverwalk, shop the luxurious stores on Las Olas Boulevard or venture to the Everglades for an intriguing air boat excursion.

Providenciales is the urban centre of the Turks & Caicos Islands. Familiarly known as "Provo," the island offers all the modern conveniences one could desire while remaining a superior vacation destination for one who wants an escape from stress and overpopulated cities. Provo has an 18 hole golf course, a casino, shopping centres, three marinas, a growing number of of bars and excellent restaurants.

Provo is also a divers' and water lovers' paradise. Beautiful beaches are scattered on all sides of Providenciales, the most spectacular of which is a 12 mile stretch located on Grace Bay, which is protected by a healthy barrier reef.

San Juan, Puerto Rico

American-owned Puerto Rico is the largest and most populated of an archipelago of several islands. It is a rectangular shaped island with fertile coasts and a rugged, fairly mountainous interior with lush rainforest. The island is one of the most densely populated areas of land in the world, with more than a third of the three million-plus inhabitants living in the busy capital, San Juan.

Christopher Columbus first landed on Puerto Rico in 1493. Fifteen years later Spanish conquistadors arrived and fought off the objecting native Taino Indians, killing a large number of them. The first governor was Ponce de Leon, who had previously travelled with Columbus and who thought the island might be the location of the Fountain of Youth. When this proved not to be the case, he left the island to continue his quest elsewhere.

This is one of the most beautiful regions in the world. Charlotte Amalie is the capital and major passenger port of the island of St. Thomas, which together with St. Croix and St. John form the principal islands of the United States Virgin Islands. St. Thomas lies at the crossroads between the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea.

The islands that form this archipelago were at the centre of volatile economic and political negotiations concerning numerous trade routes. The Portuguese first used them as their base for trade with the New World. In the tattered pages of his ship's log, Christopher Columbus described these islands as being particularly beautiful. They were virgin, unexplored and mysterious lands.

If you've ever dreamed of making the first footprints on the beach of a truly secluded tropical island, you'll have your chance on Half Moon Cay. Holland America Line's pristine private island offers everything you need for a day of play in paradise: a two-mile crescent of perfect beach; an interior lagoon; private beachside cabanas with butler service, showers and misters; and all manner of watersports and activities, including a children's aqua park and a buoyed personal watercraft course.