If you are looking for someplace warm to escape to this winter, but want a place with a little bit of adventure, Vieques is the perfect vacation spot. This small island off the coast of Puerto Rico is laid-back, beautiful and full of things to see and do. The vibe is casual and not self-conscious, and you don't need to dress up to go anywhere here.
Getting to Vieques
Our airplane.
You know you are in for an adventure when you see the airplane that will take you on the 10-minute flight from Ceiba, Puerto Rico to the island of Vieques. (www.airflamenco.net, about $30 each way). But the flight is quick, easy, and there's a great view!
Note: If you are not keen on flying in a small plane, you can take a ferry over to Vieques (about an hour and a half) for about $4. per person.
Getting Around
Taxis are hard to come by on the island, so you will need to rent a car to get around Vieques. The standard issue rental car here is a Jeep 4x4. I had thought this was overkill, but once I saw some of the roads you have to take to get to some of the island's beaches and attractions, I understood why you need a Jeep.
The photo shows the trail to Navio Beach.
Where to Stay
View from lobby balcony at Hacienda Tamarindo.We chose to stay at Hacienda Tamarindo, a lovely 17-room guest house with beautiful ocean views, and close to the town of Esperanza. The rooms include a full breakfast, and the hotel has a nice pool area. The service is wonderful and we had a lovely time there! There is no beach access or restaurant on the property, but with so many great options on the island this was not too much of a problem.
Pool area at W Retreat Spa.
If you are looking for something a little more plush, and with more of a total resort experience, The W Retreat and Spa is probably your best option. We enjoyed a visit to the pool bar where we enjoyed a lovely cocktail and were able to tour the lobby, beach and pool areas. The restaurant was closed the day we visited so we did not get the try it, but we hope to get a chance to visit Vieques again and try it out!
The Beaches
Three days is not enough time to explore all of the beaches in Vieques, and we lost one day to rain. So, we were only able to see a few of the beautiful Vieques beaches. Some of them are hard to find and require a bumpy jeep ride or a short hike, but the rewards are worth it! The most interesting beach we visited was Playa Negra, which is a black sand beach. It was beautiful and secluded. One of the marvelous things about Vieques is that we had nearly every beach we visited entirely to ourselves. Esperanza. Playa Negra, a black sand beach. Playa Negra Playa Negra
Things to See
In addition to the beautiful beaches, Vieques has a rich history and archaeology to explore. The Fortin Conde de Mirasol, pictured at left, is a must see and hosts a museum containing artifacts from both pre-historic and colonial times on the island. As a bonus, the fort is located up on a mount which affords a phenomenal view of the island of Vieques. Don't miss taking a tour of the biolumininescent bay, which can be done by either boat or kayak, depending on how adventurous you feel. There are opportunities for fishing, sailing, snorkeling and diving as well.
Restaurants
We had some really great meals in Vieques. I expected food to be very casual and simple, but was pleasantly surprised at the quality and creativity of some of the restaurants we tried.
Lobster and shrimp Mofongo at El Quenepo.
El Quenepo, in Esperanza, was our favorite. This was as good as any five-star restaurant in any big city, but located in the middle of beach paradise. They had the best mofongo I've had in a long time... filled with lobster and shrimp. Everything we ordered was wonderful! Other great places included Bili Restaurant, where we had a delicious fresh fried whole snapper, and Duffy's, with great fish sandwiches made from the catch of the day.
