Near the coastal town of Fajardo are some of the most beautiful beaches in the northeast of the island. Every year the fine white sands of Seven Seas Beach draw locals and tourists to this cozy stretch of shoreline. A great place to snorkel, the shallow sea bottom at Seven Seas is teaming with tropical fish, coral formations and an abundance of other sea life. Offshore reefs help keep the waves down and strong trade winds make it an ideal spot for sailing and windsurfing. The public beach is a favorite with campers, who must obtain a permit before getting settled.

Nearby are water sports facilities, as well as a string of uninhabited islets that provide a secluded slice of tropical paradise and more fantastic snorkeling. Some area hotels and tour operators offer day trips to nearby cays such as Palominos, Icacos, Palominitos, and Diablo.

Of all the truly gorgeous beaches on the island of Culebra, nine miles off the main island's eastern coast, Flamenco leads the pack. This island municipality is a paradise of beaches so perfect they are almost impossible to believe.

The crowning jewel is Flamenco Beach, recently named one of the Best Beaches in America and Best Escape Beach by the Travel Channel. A magnificent mile or so of pure white coral sand framed by Culebra's arid, sun-toasted hills, it is protected as a Marine Wildlife Reserve by the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources. Here, you can escape from the crowds, jet skis and motorized sea vessels found on many of the major beaches on the main island of Puerto Rico.

Flamenco is only one of many unspoiled, pristine beaches on Culebra where you can enjoy blissful solitude as you swim in the blue green waters or explore some of the most stunning coral reef formations in the Caribbean.

Until 1975 Culebra was used for naval military exercises. Abandoned tanks and other military relics dot the area west of Flamenco Beach. If you tire of taking perfect beach scenes, you'll find interesting photographic material among the remnants of naval machinery.

Lodging choices on Culebra include a campground and several small inns in the town of Dewey. You can make the long hike to Flamenco Beach, take a público (public car) from town, or arrive by small boat. However you arrive, you will have discovered a piece of paradise.

Guánica's 1,570-acre Dry Forest is home to more than half of all the species of birds that live in Puerto Rico, including some endangered ones. It is also the location of Ballenas Bay, an important breeding place for the manatee. Its two-mile stretch of beach is the nesting site for Hawksbill and Leatherback sea turtles, species also in danger of disappearing.

The relative isolation of Ballenas Beach helps guarantee the safety of wildlife. Visitors are asked to “leave only their footprints,” although many also leave their hearts at this stunning natural wonder. Here is the quintessential "Blue Lagoon" beach, with mangroves, cacti, and coconut palms. The Caribbean runs blue, green and turquoise offshore and the sand is soft and white under your feet.

Guánica is the place where most historians believe Christopher Columbus landed during his second voyage to the New World in 1493, and it is irrefutably the site where General Miles landed the American fleet to take Puerto Rico from the Spanish in 1898.

A lovely beach resort with a first class restaurant is nearby, as are many informal restaurants featuring the region’s excellent seafood and native dishes.

The western area of Puerto Rico, around the island’s third city, Mayagüez, is a three-hour drive from San Juan, but locals and tourists happily make the trip whenever they can. One of the major reasons is Boquerón: the village, the beach and the bay.

The village is tiny, quaint, colorful and lively. It is a gloriously unplanned combination of food stands, souvenir shops, open-air cantinas, dive shops, and fishmongers.

The village sits on Boquerón Bay, a long swath lined with palm trees, mangroves and dense tropical flora that harbor some 50 species of exotic birds visiting from their permanent sanctuary in the nearby Boquerón Nature Reserve.

It is the beach, of course, a snug stretch of white sand more than a mile long, which dazzles visitors. On a quiet day, you will think you are the sole owner of the huge vista of blue sky, turquoise water and glistening coral sand.

However, people do flock to the beach – especially on weekends and holidays – and all the amenities of a major public facility await them: picnic tables, cabin rentals, bike rentals, basketball court, mini-market, SCUBA diving, snorkeling and a host of other water sports.

If you can tear yourself away from Boquerón, try adventuring south on the coastal road. One spot you shouldn’t miss is Los Morrillos, a series of massive reddish limestone cliffs that drop more than 200 feet into the deep purple-blue sea.

To reach Los Morrillos you can drive or hike through the Cabo Rojo National Wildlife refuge. After a nap under a sea grape tree on the beach, hike up the cliffs to gaze at the sea pounding the rocks below on your way to photograph the lonely Cabo Rojo lighthouse built in 1881.

You’ll agree that Boquerón and the Cabo Rojo area rate an A on every beach lover’s report card.