Puerto Rico's East Region has three ridiculously unfair advantages over its fellow regions: They're called Vieques, Culebra and El Yunque. Each one of these destinations, on its own, is enough to vault this part of Puerto Rico into must-visit status. Taken together, they present a formidable (and truly spectacular) trio of destinations. Within them you'll find waterfalls, bioluminescent bays, beaches that make you feel like moving to Puerto Rico, tiny islands scattered like pearls across the sea, and much, much more.

So consider my five things to do in the East Region as the briefest of primers, a guide's version of an amuse-bouche. For me, the more I visit Puerto Rico's East, the more I discover to love about it.

You may never have heard of Porta Caribe,  but you've certainly heard of some its attractions. There's Ponce, a city so elegant it's known as the Pearl of the South. Ponce alone makes Porta Caribe a must-visit destination. After all, no other city on the island boasts the mansion of a rum dynasty, the most impressive collection of European art in the Caribbean, and a a fire station that looks like it once housed Dr. Seuss.

And then there's what's around Ponce: an ancient indigenous ceremonial center; a working 19th century coffee plantation that runs on water power; and, further beyond, miles of sun-splashed beaches facing the Caribbean, a dry forest that's been declared a United Nations Biosphere, and a colonial town that recalls Puerto Rico's aristocratic roots.

With all that, it was a bit difficult to boil my list down to only five reasons to visit Porta Caribe.

Porta Atlántico is Puerto Rico's new tourist region ... but how many of you know the remaining five? Not to worry ... I'm going to cover each of them this week and next. While "Gateway to the Atlantic" may be the newest destination, Porta del Sol, or "Gateway to the Sun," is among its most diverse and beautiful, especially if you love being outdoors.

Think of it this way; my 5 things to do in Porta del Sol includes diving, hiking, dry forests, surfing and whale watching! And all of these experiences are either unique to Puerto Rico or among the best of their kind on the island. In fact, there was so much I liked about this region that I had to break it down into lists of 5 things to do in Cabo Rojo, Rincón and  even Isabela.

If you love the beach, the water and a laid back, surfer-and-seafood vibe, you'll love the west coast of Puerto Rico ... also known as Porta del Sol.

Last week I teased about the launch of Porta Atlántico. This week I thought I'd introduce it properly with my list of five things to do in the region.

It's a pretty cool list, too. The Camuy Caves,  Arecibo Telescope, awesome beaches and what might be the best golf course in Puerto Rico, if not the Caribbean, are a pretty outstanding combination for a tourist region. There are whole islands that don't offer as much.

And the truth is, these five headliners only scratch the surface of what to see and do in Porta Atlántico. There's the small fort in Toa Baja that used to be El Morro's partner in the defense of San Juan against enemy ships; the colorful Festival of Masks in Hatillo, celebrated every year since 1823; the Blue-Flag beach at Punta Salinas; surfing at Jobos Beach; and the outlet mall at Barceloneta -- to name just a few things.

And pretty soon, there will be a cluster of shiny new hotels to welcome you when you head out of San Juan to explore Puerto Rico's newest destination. I'll announce those as they come along. For now, I'll leave you with this: when one destination gives you the third-largest subterranean river in the world; the largest single-dish radio telescope in the world; one of only a handful of beaches to receive international accreditation for environmental awareness and conservation; and what will soon be Puerto Rico's only 6-star hotel ... if one destination gave you all that, wouldn't you want to get out and explore it?