IF you have ever considered heading to the Caribbean, the chances are that Puerto Rico may not have been the first place that came to mind.

Now British Airways has launched twice-weekly flights from Gatwick to the Puerto Rican capital San Juan, the hope is more Britons will discover its charms.

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Americans make up the bulk of tourists and their influence can be found all over San Juan, from the road signs and cars to the Wendy's burger joints and Macy's stores in the malls. That's where the similarity ends and the famously laid-back attitude of the Caribbean begins.

Old San Juan really is beautiful, with brightly painted buildings and cobbled, palm tree-lined streets.

I was struck by just how peaceful and relaxed it was.

There's a great mix of art deco and Spanish colonial architecture and, although it doesn't cover a huge area (San Juan calls itself The Walkable City), you could lose yourself for hours wandering in and out of the little cigar and Panama hat shops.

In a small square where San Juan Cathedral stands is the stylish hotel El Convento, a converted 350-year-old Carmelite convent with mahogany beams, antique furniture and Spanish tiled floors. A couple of buskers had taken up residence on a bench outside.

As I sat and listened under the shade of a palm tree a vintage, bright red Coca-Cola truck pulled up outside the whitewashed cathedral to complete the incongruous scene.
I climbed to the top of the 18th-century Fort San Felipe del Morro, the massive stone block walls punctuated with domed watch towers that have become the emblem of San Juan. There are great views of the Old Town and Atlantic.

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If the beach is more your scene then San Juan has no shortage of them. Isla Verde is one of the best, a long stretch of golden sand lined with hip bars and restaurants. In need of some adventure, however, I drove 40 minutes out of the city to El Yunque National Forest, crowned by 3,000ft peaks, where I was greeted with heavy rain.

Pac-a-mac at the ready, I headed off along one of the many hiking trails in search of the coqu? the tiny frog that is the official mascot of Puerto Rico.

As the rain stopped and the sun came out I climbed to the top of one of the viewpoint towers looking out across the miles of dense and now steaming jungle.

A hummingbird flitted around in the trees below and a pair of green parrots flew past but I never did find the elusive coqu? even though I could hear its distinctive call everywhere.

That night after a rather large meal of scallops and salmon I needed to burn off a few calories. What better way than to indulge in another Puerto Rican passion, salsa dancing.

At the Nuyorican (a contraction of New York and Puerto Rican) salsa club I was put through my paces by dance teacher Rafael. He proclaims the healing power of salsa and says that among his students over the years it has saved marriages, cured chronic shyness and even turned a hardened drinker into a teetotaller.

Half-an-hour later I had learnt the basic steps and the band was in full swing, the club's owner thrashing away on the bongos. It was a little too crowded for me to join in the dancing (at least that's my excuse) so I headed up the road towards Plaza de Armas for a nightcap.

The bars were still quite buzzy for a Wednesday but Friday and Saturday nights are when they really get going, staying open until 6am.
It was a shame I would not be there to enjoy it but there was something else I had to see while I was in Puerto Rico.

The next day I squeezed into a tiny 10-seater plane for the short flight to Vieques, a small island off the coast with palm-fringed beaches and home to an amazing natural phenomenon; Mosquito Bay is the best spot in the world to experience an incredible natural light show.

This is a bioluminescent bay, home to dinoflagellates, microscopic underwater organisms that release energy in the form of light using the same chemical process that makes fireflies light up. A very bumpy road takes you to a small dock where the electric-powered boats and kayaks set off into the pitch-black of the bay.

The boats are electric so as not to pollute the delicate ecosystem that allows the creatures to thrive. Once out in the middle of the huge bay, under a canopy of stars brighter than I have ever seen, I leapt into the warm Caribbean waters.

A simple wave of the arm in the water is enough to set them aglow and it really is an amazing experience.

My fellow swimmers left a trail of blue-white phosphorescent light as they moved around and when I pulled my arm out of the water quickly, my skin was aglow with thousands of tiny flashing lights. Floating under the stars, lit up like a Christmas tree, I felt like an alien swimming in space.
There aren't many places on Earth that offer you that feeling.

THE KNOWLEDGE:
BA (0844 493 0758/www.britishairways.com) offers seven nights at the five-star Conrad San Juan Condado Plaza from £1,139pp (two sharing), room only. Alternatively, seven nights at the five-star El San Juan Hotel and Casino, a Waldorf Astoria hotel from £1,208pp (two sharing), room only.
BA flies to San Juan twice a week. Fares from £183pp.

A round-trip flight to Vieques from San Juan on VAL Airlines (viequesairlink.com) from £134pp return.
Abe's Snorkeling & Bio-Bay Tours (www.abessnorkeling.com) offers tours on Vieques Island. Night Bio-Bay tour from £19 per adult, £10 per child, under-fours free. Puerto Rico Tourism Company: www.seepuertorico.com