No passport yet? Escape to Puerto Rico

Need a midwinter semitropical getaway but you don't have your passport yet? Go relax on a beach under a palm tree in Puerto Rico, browse through its towns and historic cities, and explore a tropical rain forest.

Ponce, "La Perla del Sur" or "Pearl of the South" — http://www.letsgotoponce.com/ — takes pride in its culture, character, architecture and central location on the south shore of the island. You have to look under "Trip Planning" for things to do, including four golf courses. (Skip the entry on beaches; it doesn't go anywhere.) That's also where you'll find "Places to Go," including Lajas for scuba diving, boating and fishing; Patillas for the Barrio Bajo fishing community and swimming at Chaco Azul, and Ponce itself with its shops and wide variety of museums.

More detailed information on Puerto Rican beaches is available at Puerto Rico.com — http://www.puertorico.com/beaches/ — including famous Luquillo on the island's northwest shoulder, Punta Santiago a little farther south near Humacao, and the white-sand Flamenco on the island of Culebra.

You"ll need a map to find those beaches. Puertoricans.com supplies a handy link to a Google map — http://www.puertoricans.com/city/mapofpuertorico.asp — that you can zoom in and out, scan back and forth, and switch between a map and a satellite view. This Web site also has bare-bones profiles of towns and a small photo gallery.

Ferries run from Fajardo to Culebra — http://www.culebra.org/ — less than 20 miles east of Puerto Rico's east end. Click on "Pictures" to see what you're missing. Then visit Isla Culebra — http://www.islaculebra.com/ — and delve into "To Do" for lots of information on beaches, including the popular Flamenco.

Fajardo is also the ferry port for reaching the larger island of Vieques — http://www.vieques-island.com/ — only six miles east of the Puerto Rican coast but for years partly off limits while the Navy used it as a firing range. Click on "Introduction" to learn about Bioluminescent Bay and boat tours, charters and diving. Vieques Visitor — http://www.viequesvisitor.com/ — has lots of suggestions for things to see and do.

Learn a little about Fajardo in the "Explore" section of Welcome to Puerto Rico — http://welcome.topuertorico.org/ — along with towns all over the island from Adjuntas to Yauco. Get a taste of the island's rich cuisine by trying out some of the entries under "Recipes," like Escabeche de Guineos. And take a look in "Tourist Information" for suggestions on places to see on the island.

One of the top places to visit is El Yunque National Forest — http://www.fs.fed.us/r8/caribbean/ — a unique piece of the U.S. National Forest system. There's a link to "Puerto Rico Parrot" about a unique example of the island's native wildlife. Another top attraction is the San Juan National Historic Site — http://www.nps.gov/saju/ — the complex of Spanish colonial forts guarding the harbor in the capital city of San Juan.

You could stay at a hotel or resort, or try one of the "paradores" listed by the Puerto Rico Tourism Co. — http://www.gotopuertorico.com/ — the semiofficial tourism guide to the island. Paradores are country inns, like Hacienda Juanita in the countryside near Maricao. There's plenty more to investigate, including the attractions, dining and shopping listed under "Attractions & Entertainment," and an interactive map where you can track down beaches, paradores, resorts and more.