PUERTO RICO // Imagine a Caribbean pirate's hideaway. The result will fall short of the reality of the splendid colonial heart of San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital. Shoehorned onto an islet guarding San Juan's harbour, and connected to the rest of Puerto Rico only by bridge, this history-steeped district feels surrounded by shimmering blue ocean. San Juan was among the first European settlements founded in the Americas (1521) and for a long time was one of the wealthiest too; the temptation was too much for ransacking pirates, including Sir Francis Drake. Old San Juan's key buildings are the bombastic forts of El Morro and San Cristóbal, the bulky bulwarks of which show the settlement's early need to repel invaders. Add a labyrinth of sinuous cobbled streets and the district's legendary drinking dens and you have one very comfortable enclave for a corsair. That said, it's not all swashbuckling swagger. Great galleries and museums, plus one of the Caribbean's best dining scenes, ensure Old San Juan caters to sophisticated sorts too.