Tropcial breezes, warm nights, swimming in secluded waterfalls, private beaches, beautiful views, hot & sexy salsa dancing – forget Virginia, Puerto Rico is for lovers! There are so many ways to romance your sweetheart here that you need only to decide which one suits your style.

I have to say that I was always surprised that there were not any cooking classes offered for tourists here in Puerto Rico. But now there is! Flavors of San Juan has an intimate cooking class experience, where you can learn how to make all sorts of delicious dishes in Old San Juan.

It is no secret that people in Puerto Rico know how to party, especially around the Christmas holidays. Announce that there will be a parade, music, dancing, libations, food – then add in local artisan crafts for sale – and it all adds up to one crazy celebration! That describes the San Sebastian Street Festival, or Fiestas de la Calle San Sebastian, which will be held in 2012 from January 12th to 15th.

We took a cruise recently, and I did all the planning for our excursions in the various ports. For those of you coming into San Juan and trying to plan your day in port — I feel your pain. It is not easy to decide what there is to do in (or around) San Juan, and there are so many questions that need answering. Will I have enough time in port? How will I get there from the ship? Do I need a guide or can I do it on my own?

The Condado Lagoon is a nice, calm body of water in the tourist area of Condado in San Juan. It is a perfect place to spend a few hours enjoying different types of water sports. One that the whole family can enjoy inexpensively is pedal boating. We went pedal boating there recently. It was easy and fun!

If you are at all interested in the workings of the human body, then a trip to Body Worlds: The Cycle of Life & A Trip into the Heart will really intrigue you. This touring exhibition is currently open, for a limited time in Old San Juan. It features a number of whole human bodies, and numerous body parts and organs that have undergone a plastination process. It is an enjoyable experience for everyone.

Whether you’re looking for something to do on a rainy day on vacation, a night on the town, or a little dose of the arts, you are sure to find something to your liking here in Puerto Rico. From local talent to world-renowned superstars, we have it all — concerts, performing arts, family entertainment. The lively entertainment scene on the island generally kicks into high-gear for the Christmas season.

When touring Old San Juan, no visit would be complete without a visit to at least one of the forts. Recently, we had the opportunity to take the Outworks Tour at Fort San Cristobal. This tour highlights just how much of a military engineering marvel this fort is, and how it is designed with all sorts of boobie traps, and visiual deceptions, to really mess with the heads of any invading enemy’s troops.

In April 1797, the British attacked San Juan and were defeated by the local militia. Each year, in April, a reenactment is held at the San Juan National Historic Site complete with living history volunteers in uniform, encampments, canon firings, and military drills. This year, the reenactment will be held April 29 to May 1, 2011. Stop by El Morro or Fort San Cristobal and check it out!

Food, glorious food … Drinks … Cooking technique & recipe demonstrations by famous local & international chefs … Live entertainment … All in a glorious ocean-front setting. That is what you will experience at the 4th annual Saborea Puerto Rico "A Culinary Extravaganza". It will be held April 2 & 3, 2011 at the Escambron Beach in Old San Juan. We went last year, and really enjoyed ourselves. So you know we will be there again this year!

I admit that one of the fun things I love about living on an island is the rum. And Puerto Rico is quite the island for rum — called the Rum Capital of the World. So, for me, one of the most wonderful times of the year is the annual Taste of Rum Festival. The 2011 Taste of Rum Festival will be held March 19 and 20th. As in years past, there will be rum to sample, food prepared with rum to taste, rum-related seminars and competitions, as well as live music to get your rum-infused body moving.

What do you get when you cross an ATV with a small boat? You get the ultimate all terrain vehicle — a UTV — that is capable of going where no ATV would dare go … in super deep mud and even into deep water. It’s an amphibious vehicle with the power to go anywhere. Frontier Adventures has brought UTVs to Hacienda Campo Rico (just outside of San Juan), so now everyone can experience the freedom of amphibious travel.

If you have ever been to (or even seen) Castillo San Felipe del Morro (El Morro Fort), you might have noticed the stark difference in the look and construction of the walls of the fort versus the lighthouse atop the fort. Have you ever wondered why they are so different? Why is the lighthouse grey? Can we go up in the lighthouse? All those questions will be answered when you take the free Lighthouse Tour offered by the National Park Service at El Morro.

The HMS Bounty, a beautiful wooden ship, with square-rigged sails is currently docked in Old San Juan for the winter. This ship was used in the movie Mutiny on the Bounty starring Marlon Brando, and later in the Pirates of the Caribbean. The ship is open for tours daily. So come aboard!

The forts in Old San Juan are amazing architectural marvels and defense systems, full of secret tunnels and passages. The National Park Service offers a guided Tunnels Tour at Fort San Cristobal on which you can learn about the fort and its defense systems. This tour also provides the opportunity enter a tunnel under the outworks that is normally off-limits to visitors.