use Puerto Rico as a jump off point so you can get your feet wet living around this area without having to miss out on any of the american comforts. It's cheap to fly here from NY, cost of living is cheap, and it has plenty of uncrowded beaches...
Earlier this week, I was on the off island of Culebra between pr and vi. Plenty of shit around here like this...If you want, you could just get a small boat and go all over the place.
