ejcrowe's trip report: Vieques and Old San Juan, May 2006
May 24th, 2006, 04:01 PM
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ejcrowe's trip report: Vieques and Old San Juan, May 2006
My husband and I have a ritual of taking each of the children in our families someplace special for their 13th birthdays, and this year was granddaughter Eliza’s turn. Her parents were uncomfortable with our traveling out of the country with her, so we settled on Vieques as a destination, thanks in large part to reviewers here at Fodor’s, especially Owa and Howard. A dramatic turn of events in her family resulted in Eliza’s mother, Cara, joining us at the last moment for the trip. As much research as I did prior to the trip, the most valuable thing I learned was that I am lucky to have a partner whose travel style meshes almost seamlessly with my own—and our travel style is very different from his daughter Cara’s style. This trip definitely had more snags than any other we’ve taken, some of which could have been avoided with better communication, and some of which no amount of planning could have prevented. Rather than give a day-by-day approach, I’ll try to break this report up into broad categories so that folks can skip to the parts more pertinent to their interests, with the Vieques portion first.
TRAVEL TO VIEQUES: We flew American Airlines nonstop from Hartford, CT, to San Juan. We had about 45 minutes to walk from the AA terminal all the way to the terminal where the smaller commuter airlines are located. This is NOT at all marked inside the AA terminal and we had to constantly stop and ask directions to Cape Air. Once we found Cape Air, we checked in, gave them our body weights and weights of our carry-on items, and waited to board. The flight was short and spectacular—there was no co-pilot on this small plane, so I was fortunate enough to sit up front next to the pilot and I took full advantage of the views. Arrival in the Vieques airport was non-eventful. After getting our bags we walked outside and waved to the taxi driver on the hill, who came to pick us up.
LANGUAGE: English is spoken everywhere, though Spanish is definitely the first language of the island. I have 2 years of high school Spanish lodged somewhere in my memory and I was happy to have the chance to use a bit of it—though embarrassed by how much I have forgotten, sometimes to the point of petrification. Still, a stock set of a few dozen words and phrases did me well. My husband gamely tried out a bit of Spanish, and though his accent is horrible and he usually flubs his phrases, he’s jovial and not embarrassed by his mistakes, so he got along well, no matter what the situation. Neither Cara nor Eliza spoke a word of Spanish on the trip to anybody who spoke it as a first language. I will definitely take a short course of conversational Spanish before I return to Vieques or PR so that I can do more than order my food, exchange minimal pleasantries, and respond to shopkeepers in Spanish.
LODGING: We chose Hacienda Tamarindo and stayed in a 2-room suite. The property is beautiful with gorgeous views of the Caribbean. Our room was one of the few featured on the website, though the décor has been updated considerably, and it was quite comfortable, composed of a king-size bedroom with two very nice armoires, a sitting room with two twin-size daybeds, and a bathroom connecting the two. Only the main bedroom had a/c, but the staff thoughtfully provided a floor fan, which, combined with the ceiling fan, cooled the room sufficiently for sleeping. Unfortunately, our room was adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast area, and since the door to the room was a louvered door, quite a bit of noise filtered through in the mornings. Though to be fair, it didn’t seem as loud as the roosters outdoors, and my husband and I didn’t hear it at all in our bedroom—it was just the sitting room that was affected.
After getting off to a shaky start with a certain staff member (she actually told me that she had received an email I sent the day before departure but didn’t bother to read or respond to it since I would be there the next day! The email was a request for 4 packed lunches since we would arrive mid-afternoon and might be too tired to drive someplace to get a late lunch.), we very quickly warmed to the place. We were all charmed by Barkley, the resident Old English Sheepdog, and Shaboo, the brightly colored parrot. Not to mention the staff, including the aforementioned woman who turned out to be a delight. The pool was a true oasis, with a shaded pergola and chaises at one end and a vista overlooking the green hills rolling down to the Caribbean at the other. There were two hammocks strung in shaded areas beside the pool, a water fountain incorporated into the pool that muffled voices very effectively, and two small bench-like alcoves set into the deep end of the pool that were perfect for sitting and reading so that one’s bottom half was submerged while one’s torso was above the waterline.
One thing I really liked about the property was that there seemed to be plenty of private spaces, both sunny and shaded, for tete-a-tetes. Some overlooked the pool, others faced out over the gardens or had views of the Caribbean, but all were nicely situated for privacy. Romantic couples would definitely have no problem finding a space for just themselves. Another thing I really liked were the decorative touches here and there, unexpected little pieces, ranging from an antique wheelchair parked in a corner, to a tiled fountain at the entrance, to a Janus-head hanging up near the breakfast area. The honor bar was also very handy to have around, as we could just make our own drinks and record them in a notebook—I would have enjoyed having a blender there to make frozen drinks, and there was no ice cream in the freezer as described on the website. There was also a small air-conditioned sitting room with a lending library, decent selection of board games, and a computer with high-speed access for guest use.
My husband and I will definitely return to the HacTam. And even though circumstances were such that Cara was very distracted on this trip, she liked this B&B so much that she has already booked a 4 night stay for later this year with her husband.
FOOD: Breakfast is included in the room price at HacTam, so we ate there every morning before heading out. The menu consists of toast, various kinds of eggs, fruit, a choice of meat, hot or cold cereals, various juices, and a daily special. I’m trying to lose a bit of weight, so I opted for fruit and cold cereals until our last day when the special was French toast stuffed with cream cheese and guava—tell me, dear reader, what would YOU have ordered? I simply had to do it, and it was delicious. I sampled my husband’s and Eliza’s omelets, eggs Benedict, and spicy hash browns and they were all very good.
Our first lunch we opted to walk down to the bar at Inn on the Blue Horizon since the HacTam didn’t process my request for 4 sack lunches. The Inn is about a 3 minute walk down the hill from where we stayed, and the bar area was a little kitschy but overall quite pleasant. Our food was pretty simple and straightforward—we ordered either salads with grilled fish/chicken or quesadillas. The food was adequate, neither bad nor praiseworthy, but the setting was serene, the Medalla beer was refreshing, and the strawberry pina colada was divine. Eliza and I ended up walking back down to the bar later in the trip just to sit and sip some drinks. The bartender that day was very pleasant, comping us a free round of drinks, and flirting outrageously with Eliza until I casually mentioned that we were celebrating her 13th birthday (she looks much, much older), at which point his manner abruptly switched into a friendly, avuncular mode.
We had our first dinner at Tradewind’s in Esperanza. The food was very good and a decent price—for two appetizers, 3 salads, 3 entrees, 2 desserts, and a handful of drinks, it came to about $100. Highlights were the fresh fish selections, the artichoke hearts in a gorgonzola sauce, and the wonderful bread pudding. The most expensive entrée was $27 for the fresh fish, with other entrees starting at $12. The atmosphere was very casual, an open-air dining area across from the Malecon.
Our second day we had a late lunch and an early dinner at Banana’s, also in Esperanza, just a little farther down the Malecon. The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner, and prices were decent -- $4 for appetizers such as jerk chicken or fried plantains, $5-8 for hamburgers or hotdogs, and $8-15 for entrees. For our late lunch we shared a couple orders of jerk chicken, which was great, and an order of chicken wings, which were okay. The pina coladas were great, though! We went back there for dinner that night because we knew it would be quick, as we had to get back for a biobay tour. For dinner I had the hamburger, which was pretty good. My husband had the pork chops, which he said were very good, but the bbq ribs that Eliza and Cara split were pretty BAD. Still, with a round of drinks, the tab only came to about $40 for the 4 of us.
Our last dinner in Vieques was at Café Media Luna in Isabel II, which was our best meal by far. We had to sit at a table for four in the main room, but there are tables for two out on private balconies surrounding the second-floor dining room that would be very romantic for a special dinner. My only complaint was that the music was so loud that it sometimes obstructed conversation. We ordered coconut curry chicken, jamon Serrano pizza, ginger-shrimp wontons, shrimp and veggies spring rolls, and a filet mignon. All were fantastic—good-sized portions, extremely flavorful, and beautifully presented. Their desserts were unbelievable—some of the best desserts I’ve encountered in a long time, and I’m a connoisseur! We had black-bottom caramel pudding, caramelized banana bread pudding, mango flan, and a trio of handmade ice creams. Each one was better than the last. With two rounds of drinks and all of the above food, the bill came to about $150 plus tip.
The only other food we had in Vieques was on our way back to the airport to go to San Juna. We stopped in Esperanza at the house of a woman who makes flan—we each got a small coconut flan to eat in the car. They were $1 each and just about the best thing I’ve ever put into my mouth. We heard about her on our biobay trip and were determined not to leave the island without a sample. It was definitely worth a detour!
This is going on a bit, so I’ll stop for now and pick up with the rest tomorrow evening. Please let me know if you have any questions so far.
TRAVEL TO VIEQUES: We flew American Airlines nonstop from Hartford, CT, to San Juan. We had about 45 minutes to walk from the AA terminal all the way to the terminal where the smaller commuter airlines are located. This is NOT at all marked inside the AA terminal and we had to constantly stop and ask directions to Cape Air. Once we found Cape Air, we checked in, gave them our body weights and weights of our carry-on items, and waited to board. The flight was short and spectacular—there was no co-pilot on this small plane, so I was fortunate enough to sit up front next to the pilot and I took full advantage of the views. Arrival in the Vieques airport was non-eventful. After getting our bags we walked outside and waved to the taxi driver on the hill, who came to pick us up.
LANGUAGE: English is spoken everywhere, though Spanish is definitely the first language of the island. I have 2 years of high school Spanish lodged somewhere in my memory and I was happy to have the chance to use a bit of it—though embarrassed by how much I have forgotten, sometimes to the point of petrification. Still, a stock set of a few dozen words and phrases did me well. My husband gamely tried out a bit of Spanish, and though his accent is horrible and he usually flubs his phrases, he’s jovial and not embarrassed by his mistakes, so he got along well, no matter what the situation. Neither Cara nor Eliza spoke a word of Spanish on the trip to anybody who spoke it as a first language. I will definitely take a short course of conversational Spanish before I return to Vieques or PR so that I can do more than order my food, exchange minimal pleasantries, and respond to shopkeepers in Spanish.
LODGING: We chose Hacienda Tamarindo and stayed in a 2-room suite. The property is beautiful with gorgeous views of the Caribbean. Our room was one of the few featured on the website, though the décor has been updated considerably, and it was quite comfortable, composed of a king-size bedroom with two very nice armoires, a sitting room with two twin-size daybeds, and a bathroom connecting the two. Only the main bedroom had a/c, but the staff thoughtfully provided a floor fan, which, combined with the ceiling fan, cooled the room sufficiently for sleeping. Unfortunately, our room was adjacent to the kitchen and breakfast area, and since the door to the room was a louvered door, quite a bit of noise filtered through in the mornings. Though to be fair, it didn’t seem as loud as the roosters outdoors, and my husband and I didn’t hear it at all in our bedroom—it was just the sitting room that was affected.
After getting off to a shaky start with a certain staff member (she actually told me that she had received an email I sent the day before departure but didn’t bother to read or respond to it since I would be there the next day! The email was a request for 4 packed lunches since we would arrive mid-afternoon and might be too tired to drive someplace to get a late lunch.), we very quickly warmed to the place. We were all charmed by Barkley, the resident Old English Sheepdog, and Shaboo, the brightly colored parrot. Not to mention the staff, including the aforementioned woman who turned out to be a delight. The pool was a true oasis, with a shaded pergola and chaises at one end and a vista overlooking the green hills rolling down to the Caribbean at the other. There were two hammocks strung in shaded areas beside the pool, a water fountain incorporated into the pool that muffled voices very effectively, and two small bench-like alcoves set into the deep end of the pool that were perfect for sitting and reading so that one’s bottom half was submerged while one’s torso was above the waterline.
One thing I really liked about the property was that there seemed to be plenty of private spaces, both sunny and shaded, for tete-a-tetes. Some overlooked the pool, others faced out over the gardens or had views of the Caribbean, but all were nicely situated for privacy. Romantic couples would definitely have no problem finding a space for just themselves. Another thing I really liked were the decorative touches here and there, unexpected little pieces, ranging from an antique wheelchair parked in a corner, to a tiled fountain at the entrance, to a Janus-head hanging up near the breakfast area. The honor bar was also very handy to have around, as we could just make our own drinks and record them in a notebook—I would have enjoyed having a blender there to make frozen drinks, and there was no ice cream in the freezer as described on the website. There was also a small air-conditioned sitting room with a lending library, decent selection of board games, and a computer with high-speed access for guest use.
My husband and I will definitely return to the HacTam. And even though circumstances were such that Cara was very distracted on this trip, she liked this B&B so much that she has already booked a 4 night stay for later this year with her husband.
FOOD: Breakfast is included in the room price at HacTam, so we ate there every morning before heading out. The menu consists of toast, various kinds of eggs, fruit, a choice of meat, hot or cold cereals, various juices, and a daily special. I’m trying to lose a bit of weight, so I opted for fruit and cold cereals until our last day when the special was French toast stuffed with cream cheese and guava—tell me, dear reader, what would YOU have ordered? I simply had to do it, and it was delicious. I sampled my husband’s and Eliza’s omelets, eggs Benedict, and spicy hash browns and they were all very good.
Our first lunch we opted to walk down to the bar at Inn on the Blue Horizon since the HacTam didn’t process my request for 4 sack lunches. The Inn is about a 3 minute walk down the hill from where we stayed, and the bar area was a little kitschy but overall quite pleasant. Our food was pretty simple and straightforward—we ordered either salads with grilled fish/chicken or quesadillas. The food was adequate, neither bad nor praiseworthy, but the setting was serene, the Medalla beer was refreshing, and the strawberry pina colada was divine. Eliza and I ended up walking back down to the bar later in the trip just to sit and sip some drinks. The bartender that day was very pleasant, comping us a free round of drinks, and flirting outrageously with Eliza until I casually mentioned that we were celebrating her 13th birthday (she looks much, much older), at which point his manner abruptly switched into a friendly, avuncular mode.
We had our first dinner at Tradewind’s in Esperanza. The food was very good and a decent price—for two appetizers, 3 salads, 3 entrees, 2 desserts, and a handful of drinks, it came to about $100. Highlights were the fresh fish selections, the artichoke hearts in a gorgonzola sauce, and the wonderful bread pudding. The most expensive entrée was $27 for the fresh fish, with other entrees starting at $12. The atmosphere was very casual, an open-air dining area across from the Malecon.
Our second day we had a late lunch and an early dinner at Banana’s, also in Esperanza, just a little farther down the Malecon. The menu is the same for both lunch and dinner, and prices were decent -- $4 for appetizers such as jerk chicken or fried plantains, $5-8 for hamburgers or hotdogs, and $8-15 for entrees. For our late lunch we shared a couple orders of jerk chicken, which was great, and an order of chicken wings, which were okay. The pina coladas were great, though! We went back there for dinner that night because we knew it would be quick, as we had to get back for a biobay tour. For dinner I had the hamburger, which was pretty good. My husband had the pork chops, which he said were very good, but the bbq ribs that Eliza and Cara split were pretty BAD. Still, with a round of drinks, the tab only came to about $40 for the 4 of us.
Our last dinner in Vieques was at Café Media Luna in Isabel II, which was our best meal by far. We had to sit at a table for four in the main room, but there are tables for two out on private balconies surrounding the second-floor dining room that would be very romantic for a special dinner. My only complaint was that the music was so loud that it sometimes obstructed conversation. We ordered coconut curry chicken, jamon Serrano pizza, ginger-shrimp wontons, shrimp and veggies spring rolls, and a filet mignon. All were fantastic—good-sized portions, extremely flavorful, and beautifully presented. Their desserts were unbelievable—some of the best desserts I’ve encountered in a long time, and I’m a connoisseur! We had black-bottom caramel pudding, caramelized banana bread pudding, mango flan, and a trio of handmade ice creams. Each one was better than the last. With two rounds of drinks and all of the above food, the bill came to about $150 plus tip.
The only other food we had in Vieques was on our way back to the airport to go to San Juna. We stopped in Esperanza at the house of a woman who makes flan—we each got a small coconut flan to eat in the car. They were $1 each and just about the best thing I’ve ever put into my mouth. We heard about her on our biobay trip and were determined not to leave the island without a sample. It was definitely worth a detour!
This is going on a bit, so I’ll stop for now and pick up with the rest tomorrow evening. Please let me know if you have any questions so far.
May 24th, 2006, 04:34 PM
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Wow EJ, you're quick 
I was thinking that Vieques would be a good second resort after our trip to Nevis but the best compromise with DH was Aruba.
This is definitely the best Vieques report I've read, I'd love to hear about the biobay tour - so don't be long
I was thinking that Vieques would be a good second resort after our trip to Nevis but the best compromise with DH was Aruba.
This is definitely the best Vieques report I've read, I'd love to hear about the biobay tour - so don't be long
May 24th, 2006, 05:01 PM
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Thanks EJ for a wonderful report !!
Although it was somewhat unkind to tempt us all with those wonderful dessert descriptions....especially at the *sweet tooth* hour of night !
Welcome back !
Marion
Although it was somewhat unkind to tempt us all with those wonderful dessert descriptions....especially at the *sweet tooth* hour of night
!Welcome back !
Marion
May 24th, 2006, 05:31 PM
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Thanks for your kind words and warm fuzzies, folks. It's definitely good to be back. Here's Par
BIOBAY – No trip to Vieques would be complete without a visit to one of the bioluminescent bays. I booked us on the 7:45 pm trip through Island Adventures, which is right next door to HacTam. Despite briefing my traveling companions of how cool and how nearly unique this experience is in the world, I was the only one who wore a bathing suit. The others just kind of gave me that “Okay, we’ll go with you to humor you, but this whole lecture/bus ride/nighttime swim doesn’t sound very interesting” look. Well, it was not only interesting, but it was magical, moving, and very nearly spiritual. I was in the water by myself (well, with the others from the pontoon, but not with my traveling companions) for only a few moments when Eliza tentatively asked whether it was dark enough for her to enter the water in just her bra & panties. Soon enough, my husband, Cara, and Eliza were all with me in the water, the three of them stripped down to their skivvies. I read a description once that claimed it was like swimming through liquid starlight, and it’s an apt way of putting it. I think my favorite part was lifting my arms out of the water to see thousands of pinpricks of light stream off my skin. Truly this was an incomparable experience, not just for this trip but among all of my travels. And at only $30/adult plus tip (we left about a 50% tip, we were so impressed with the young men guiding us and the tour overall), it is an amazing bargain. Everybody agreed that the biobay was the highlight of the trip, and I spent the rest of the evening feeling quietly, smugly vindicated.
CAR RENTAL & DRIVING – HacTam arranged a car rental for us ahead of time and the vehicle was waiting for us upon our arrival through Maritza rentals. Well, it was a disaster. It was a RAV-4 (I think) with soft panels that could be unzipped for an open air vehicle, but the last driver had lost one of the panels, and some light rain had made it very unpleasant sitting in the back seat. What’s more, there was a nasty mosquito infestation someplace under the front two seats. Whenever anybody sat down, a real swarm of mosquitoes rose up. We took the car back first thing the next morning to ask for a new one. The only one they had was a 4-door hardtop Jeep Wrangler-type vehicle (but I can’t remember what make & model), which we gladly accepted, despite the fact that it hadn’t been cleaned out yet from the previous renter. That, too, had some problems, but we managed to work around those—the front driver’s side window wouldn’t go up all the way without physically lifting it with one hand while pulling the automatic button up with the other. And the passenger’s side front door handle came off on the inside, so that door could only be opened from the outside. And the automatic locks button didn’t unlock any doors. Clearly these are not insurmountable problems, but they were minor hassles. Next time I rent a car, I will be sure to check all of the window and locking mechanisms first. As for driving, the paved roads are very good on Vieques, but quite narrow. At first glance, they only look wide enough to accommodate one vehicle. All of the paved roads were in good condition and the highways/numbered routes had good signage. There were very few blind curves. Since the driving is on the same side as what I’m used to here in the States, it was very easy. The hard part was watching out for animals—horses, dogs, chickens, etc. And paying attention to one-way streets in Isabel II. The unpaved roads, on the other hand, were really rough in spots and it is essential to have a vehicle with a good clearance underneath. The unpaved roads are not well marked at all, and there is not a single good map available on the island. The map that all hotels and rental car companies give out clearly states in the upper corner “This map is not to be used for navigational purposes.” Don’t you just love it?
BEACHES & WATER SPORTS – One of the main reasons I chose Vieques, aside from the parental restrictions that is, was for its reputation of having beautiful beaches and good snorkeling. We were not disappointed one whit with the beaches, though we only got to see a small sampling of them. Our first day we got off to a much later start than my husband and I like, so it was noon by the time we got to our first beach. We arrived at Red Beach after a brief but exciting detour by way of the old navy airstrip only to find that it was actually crowded. We didn’t get out of the car but backtracked to a different dirt road and took that to the end, which put us on what I think was Garcia Beach, as it seemed a bit too big to be Secret Beach. We were the only ones on the beach for the first couple of hours, which was glorious. The surf was moderate, the sand was soft and white, and the company was good as we all gamboled about in the gentle waves. We picnicked on the beach with the backpack coolers of lunch that HacTam had arranged for us for $8.50 apiece. We had our choice of sandwiches, an apple or orange, soda or bottled water, chips, and a cookie, which was convenient, but I’m sorry to say not very good. The bread was too thick and a little stale and all of sandwiches were incorrectly made, apart from my peanut butter and mango jam sammich. Everything else was fine, though, but really, there’s not much you can do to make a bag of Doritos bad (or good, depending on your point of view).
We left Garcia Beach and drove around for about 30 minutes on the dirt roads looking for Secret Beach, which was promised to have good snorkeling, but we never did find it. We just ended up on dead-end roads surrounded by mangroves smelling of decaying vegetation. By this time, we were all getting a little cranky, so we gave up the beach hunt and went back to the hotel to swim before dinner.
On our second day I had arranged a daysail with Barbara and Kris, owners of the sailboat Marauder, to take just the four of us out on the water. It started off with a bang, seeing wild dolphins play around the boat, and then seeing a humongous sea turtle surfacing for air before diving again (it was bigger around than the circle my arms can make). But then the wind picked up, which means the waves picked up, and Cara became violently seasick. My husband was not far behind her. Eliza didn’t get sick, but if you can imagine the 5 most embarrassing things that could happen to a teenage girl out on a boat, 3 of them happened to her. The poor thing was a good sport about it all, and Cara eventually felt a little better by the time we turned back toward Esperanza, but sadly we were all relieved by the time we got to shore again. That being said, I thought that Kris and Barbara were terrific—they prepared an excellent lunch of Caesar salad with sliced grilled chicken, and they provided sodas, water and beer for us all day. They were fun and informative and told us their story of moving from St. Thomas to Vieques 3 years ago. They’re building a home on Vieques, but for now they live aboard the Marauder. They told wonderful stories as well as some history of Vieques itself. I would definitely recommend them for a fun way to spend the day.
The daysail included two snorkeling stops, neither of which was impressive, I’m sorry to say. Visibility wasn’t great, as the water was somewhat rough from the wind and there were particles of sand everywhere. This was mightily disappointing, as just prior to the trip I had invested in a new digital camera with an underwater housing.
We wanted to make it out to Green Beach and Blue Beach, but we just didn’t have the time. Sun Bay/Sombe was just lovely, a mile-long stretch of sand with plenty of natural shade, but we didn’t get in the water there as there were hundreds of thousands of tiny jellyfish particles in the water, and we observed one family finding that out the hard way. Neither did we get to snorkel at Mosquito Pier. I saw hardly any fish in my two snorkeling tries, but I must say that the sea fans and coral looked very healthy from what I did see. I’ll just have to write this trip off as bad timing and go back again to see it all.
BIOBAY – No trip to Vieques would be complete without a visit to one of the bioluminescent bays. I booked us on the 7:45 pm trip through Island Adventures, which is right next door to HacTam. Despite briefing my traveling companions of how cool and how nearly unique this experience is in the world, I was the only one who wore a bathing suit. The others just kind of gave me that “Okay, we’ll go with you to humor you, but this whole lecture/bus ride/nighttime swim doesn’t sound very interesting” look. Well, it was not only interesting, but it was magical, moving, and very nearly spiritual. I was in the water by myself (well, with the others from the pontoon, but not with my traveling companions) for only a few moments when Eliza tentatively asked whether it was dark enough for her to enter the water in just her bra & panties. Soon enough, my husband, Cara, and Eliza were all with me in the water, the three of them stripped down to their skivvies. I read a description once that claimed it was like swimming through liquid starlight, and it’s an apt way of putting it. I think my favorite part was lifting my arms out of the water to see thousands of pinpricks of light stream off my skin. Truly this was an incomparable experience, not just for this trip but among all of my travels. And at only $30/adult plus tip (we left about a 50% tip, we were so impressed with the young men guiding us and the tour overall), it is an amazing bargain. Everybody agreed that the biobay was the highlight of the trip, and I spent the rest of the evening feeling quietly, smugly vindicated.
CAR RENTAL & DRIVING – HacTam arranged a car rental for us ahead of time and the vehicle was waiting for us upon our arrival through Maritza rentals. Well, it was a disaster. It was a RAV-4 (I think) with soft panels that could be unzipped for an open air vehicle, but the last driver had lost one of the panels, and some light rain had made it very unpleasant sitting in the back seat. What’s more, there was a nasty mosquito infestation someplace under the front two seats. Whenever anybody sat down, a real swarm of mosquitoes rose up. We took the car back first thing the next morning to ask for a new one. The only one they had was a 4-door hardtop Jeep Wrangler-type vehicle (but I can’t remember what make & model), which we gladly accepted, despite the fact that it hadn’t been cleaned out yet from the previous renter. That, too, had some problems, but we managed to work around those—the front driver’s side window wouldn’t go up all the way without physically lifting it with one hand while pulling the automatic button up with the other. And the passenger’s side front door handle came off on the inside, so that door could only be opened from the outside. And the automatic locks button didn’t unlock any doors. Clearly these are not insurmountable problems, but they were minor hassles. Next time I rent a car, I will be sure to check all of the window and locking mechanisms first. As for driving, the paved roads are very good on Vieques, but quite narrow. At first glance, they only look wide enough to accommodate one vehicle. All of the paved roads were in good condition and the highways/numbered routes had good signage. There were very few blind curves. Since the driving is on the same side as what I’m used to here in the States, it was very easy. The hard part was watching out for animals—horses, dogs, chickens, etc. And paying attention to one-way streets in Isabel II. The unpaved roads, on the other hand, were really rough in spots and it is essential to have a vehicle with a good clearance underneath. The unpaved roads are not well marked at all, and there is not a single good map available on the island. The map that all hotels and rental car companies give out clearly states in the upper corner “This map is not to be used for navigational purposes.” Don’t you just love it?
BEACHES & WATER SPORTS – One of the main reasons I chose Vieques, aside from the parental restrictions that is, was for its reputation of having beautiful beaches and good snorkeling. We were not disappointed one whit with the beaches, though we only got to see a small sampling of them. Our first day we got off to a much later start than my husband and I like, so it was noon by the time we got to our first beach. We arrived at Red Beach after a brief but exciting detour by way of the old navy airstrip only to find that it was actually crowded. We didn’t get out of the car but backtracked to a different dirt road and took that to the end, which put us on what I think was Garcia Beach, as it seemed a bit too big to be Secret Beach. We were the only ones on the beach for the first couple of hours, which was glorious. The surf was moderate, the sand was soft and white, and the company was good as we all gamboled about in the gentle waves. We picnicked on the beach with the backpack coolers of lunch that HacTam had arranged for us for $8.50 apiece. We had our choice of sandwiches, an apple or orange, soda or bottled water, chips, and a cookie, which was convenient, but I’m sorry to say not very good. The bread was too thick and a little stale and all of sandwiches were incorrectly made, apart from my peanut butter and mango jam sammich. Everything else was fine, though, but really, there’s not much you can do to make a bag of Doritos bad (or good, depending on your point of view).
We left Garcia Beach and drove around for about 30 minutes on the dirt roads looking for Secret Beach, which was promised to have good snorkeling, but we never did find it. We just ended up on dead-end roads surrounded by mangroves smelling of decaying vegetation. By this time, we were all getting a little cranky, so we gave up the beach hunt and went back to the hotel to swim before dinner.
On our second day I had arranged a daysail with Barbara and Kris, owners of the sailboat Marauder, to take just the four of us out on the water. It started off with a bang, seeing wild dolphins play around the boat, and then seeing a humongous sea turtle surfacing for air before diving again (it was bigger around than the circle my arms can make). But then the wind picked up, which means the waves picked up, and Cara became violently seasick. My husband was not far behind her. Eliza didn’t get sick, but if you can imagine the 5 most embarrassing things that could happen to a teenage girl out on a boat, 3 of them happened to her. The poor thing was a good sport about it all, and Cara eventually felt a little better by the time we turned back toward Esperanza, but sadly we were all relieved by the time we got to shore again. That being said, I thought that Kris and Barbara were terrific—they prepared an excellent lunch of Caesar salad with sliced grilled chicken, and they provided sodas, water and beer for us all day. They were fun and informative and told us their story of moving from St. Thomas to Vieques 3 years ago. They’re building a home on Vieques, but for now they live aboard the Marauder. They told wonderful stories as well as some history of Vieques itself. I would definitely recommend them for a fun way to spend the day.
The daysail included two snorkeling stops, neither of which was impressive, I’m sorry to say. Visibility wasn’t great, as the water was somewhat rough from the wind and there were particles of sand everywhere. This was mightily disappointing, as just prior to the trip I had invested in a new digital camera with an underwater housing.
We wanted to make it out to Green Beach and Blue Beach, but we just didn’t have the time. Sun Bay/Sombe was just lovely, a mile-long stretch of sand with plenty of natural shade, but we didn’t get in the water there as there were hundreds of thousands of tiny jellyfish particles in the water, and we observed one family finding that out the hard way. Neither did we get to snorkel at Mosquito Pier. I saw hardly any fish in my two snorkeling tries, but I must say that the sea fans and coral looked very healthy from what I did see. I’ll just have to write this trip off as bad timing and go back again to see it all.
May 24th, 2006, 05:32 PM
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EJ, I'm going to go to bed with a smile on my face after reading your great report!! I'm looking forward to more. We have already decided that we will definitely go back to Vieques next year. You must describe where the flan can be had. I hope that unplanned events were overcome enough to really enjoy Vieques. Thanks EJ, Owa
May 25th, 2006, 03:11 AM
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Ej,
I am so enjoying your TR. I was lucky enough to be able to spend part of the winter down there, I have not yet been back a month and your TR made me miss it even more!!
About the jellyfish at Sun Bay, were they along the whole beach? Or just parts? I spent most of my afternoons there (my husband was working so I was alone and did not like to go to the farther out beaches alone). If you go to the end of the beach towards the east, the water was calmer and had less of a drop off as you get in. It took me a week or 2 to discover that end of the beach! I never saw any jellyfish, but had a situation where I felt stinging inside my bathing suit, after talking to a woman, seems they were jellyfish larvae! Yuck.
Sun Bay is a fickle beach, some days rough and filled with seagrass all over the beach and in the water and the next day it can be clean and peaceful! My favorite part was late afternoon, moving towards the shade, the sun starts to set and all the colors change, so peaceful!
I had the same feeling about Bio Bay as the rest of your family did, and boy was I surprised. We now encourage everyone to go...
I am so enjoying your TR. I was lucky enough to be able to spend part of the winter down there, I have not yet been back a month and your TR made me miss it even more!!
About the jellyfish at Sun Bay, were they along the whole beach? Or just parts? I spent most of my afternoons there (my husband was working so I was alone and did not like to go to the farther out beaches alone). If you go to the end of the beach towards the east, the water was calmer and had less of a drop off as you get in. It took me a week or 2 to discover that end of the beach! I never saw any jellyfish, but had a situation where I felt stinging inside my bathing suit, after talking to a woman, seems they were jellyfish larvae! Yuck.
Sun Bay is a fickle beach, some days rough and filled with seagrass all over the beach and in the water and the next day it can be clean and peaceful! My favorite part was late afternoon, moving towards the shade, the sun starts to set and all the colors change, so peaceful!
I had the same feeling about Bio Bay as the rest of your family did, and boy was I surprised. We now encourage everyone to go...
May 25th, 2006, 03:53 AM
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Time flies. I can't believe you're back already. I'm so enjoying your trip report. Owa had planted the seed with her report about us going to Vieques. You confirmed it for us. I'm thinking this would be a husband and me trip, without Patrick.
Can't wait to read the rest of your report.
Fyi, we had the same issue at the airport in San Juan, trying to find Cape Air for a flight to Tortola.
Welcome back!
Can't wait to read the rest of your report.
Fyi, we had the same issue at the airport in San Juan, trying to find Cape Air for a flight to Tortola.
Welcome back!
May 25th, 2006, 04:44 AM
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Owa, the place was a little yellow house with a sign outside reading Flan Queso Vanilla Coco. the house is on the water side of the street as you enter Esperanza from the Inn on the Blue Horizon or HacTam, right before hitting Tradewinds. She offered small flans for $1 and large, pie-sized ones for $7.
I forgot my Spanish for "Do you have any..." and apparently broke into broken French and ended up saying "Buenos dias! Avez-vous des flan?", which made us all laugh, especially me when I realized my linguistic error.
mahaobaygirl, I'm not sure about the jellyfish locataion throughout sunbay. we had been warned by two difrerent expats that the jellyfish particles (and they both seemed sure that it wasn't a whole jellyfish) were very heavy right now at Sun Bay and advised avoiding going in the water. We had really only stopped by to walk along the water , take some pictures of the marvelous trees and the wild horses, and perhaps stop for an empanada from the street vendors.
Here's the next installment of my trip report:
GENERAL THOUGHTS – Overall, we loved Vieques and look forward to returning. Cara’s approach (and Eliza followed suit) to vacation, and to schedules in particular, is pretty “Impressionistic.” My husband and I, on the other hand, knew we only had 3 nights in Vieques and wanted to make the most of it. Before we went on the trip, we stressed to Cara that if she wanted time to go off on her own, or just to hang out relaxing at the pool, that would be fine. But I think she thought that since we were paying for the trip that she had to go along with us on our schedules for everything. It probably would have worked out better for everybody if we had agreed to go our separate ways in the morning—for Cara to sleep late and enjoy some lazy time away from her 5 (!) kids and for my husband and me to feel that we were getting to explore as much as we wanted. We still all had a wonderful time (at least I think so), but I did get the feeling that I was being a little too much of a tour director for Cara’s taste, and I found myself sometimes growing a bit impatient with her pace. It’s the sort of thing we couldn’t have known before the trip, because we’ve never traveled together.
Because of time constraints and schedules, we didn’t see nearly as much as wanted to, especially of Isabel II. I liked Esperanza a lot, but it certainly did have ex-pat flavor rather than a local flavor. I’m also sorry that I didn’t get to try any food patties from the beach vendors or a baked potato from the baked potato lady—she’ll put anything on a potato for you—conch, shrimp or lobster, as well as the more traditional baked potato toppings.
Our flight to San Juan was non-eventful, again on Cape Air, and we arrived a bit ahead of schedule. We made our way to ground transportation, where I felt proud to be able to request a taxi for 4 people with 4 bags to go to El Convento in Spanish. And to ask the price in Spanish and to actually reply to a couple of pleasantries in Spanish. And then I felt silly for feeling so proud over such a small accomplishment.
VIEJO SAN JUAN
LODGING – I decided that spending our last night in Old San Juan would be a good way of easing back into the hustle & bustle of the real world. Hotel El Convento is definitely more than we tend to spend on our hotel rooms, but I’m very glad we splurged. Resort-type places aside, it is the nicest full-service hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I have to say that I would hard pressed to stay anyplace else in OSJ in the future. The location is perfect for walking around, the courtyard of the hotel is a peaceful place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a book in the early morning, and the views from the rooftop pool and decks were just lovely. Our room had two double beds, a flatscreen TV, a Bose CD player, small refrigerator, small safe, full bathroom, air conditioning, and a small Juliet balcony whose doors we could throw wide open to see the parque right below us and the cathedral to our left. Every staff member, from the concierge to the bartenders to the bellhop exuded graciousness and made us feel welcome in a solicitous but not overbearing way.
Included with the price of the room is an outdoor, rooftop wine and cheese reception, which we were very glad to take advantage of. Our flight from Vieques was timed so that it would have been very difficult to eat an early lunch before hand, and our arrival at El Convento was such that their restaurant had stopped serving lunch already, and we did not want to eat a full meal at 3:45 pm, so the reception was ideal. The hotel provided a wide variety of hard and soft cheeses and other nibbles, plus a choice of about 6 different wines as well as coffee, tea, bottled water and soda. So the adults sat with our wine and Eliza with her soda as we watched a cruise ship leave port and saw the clouds to the west become tinted with the pastels of sunset—which reminds me: this is the first trip I can think of where we saw no direct sunsets, only evidence of sunsets.
Check-out is at noon, but the hotel provides a secure closet for leaving behind luggage if, like us, you have a late afternoon flight and want to spend the time walking around OSJ. Guests who have already checked out can still take advantage of all of the hotel’s facilities, so we also had access to the pool but more importantly to the shower rooms in the fitness center so that we could change clothes before leaving for the airport.
I forgot my Spanish for "Do you have any..." and apparently broke into broken French and ended up saying "Buenos dias! Avez-vous des flan?", which made us all laugh, especially me when I realized my linguistic error.
mahaobaygirl, I'm not sure about the jellyfish locataion throughout sunbay. we had been warned by two difrerent expats that the jellyfish particles (and they both seemed sure that it wasn't a whole jellyfish) were very heavy right now at Sun Bay and advised avoiding going in the water. We had really only stopped by to walk along the water , take some pictures of the marvelous trees and the wild horses, and perhaps stop for an empanada from the street vendors.
Here's the next installment of my trip report:
GENERAL THOUGHTS – Overall, we loved Vieques and look forward to returning. Cara’s approach (and Eliza followed suit) to vacation, and to schedules in particular, is pretty “Impressionistic.” My husband and I, on the other hand, knew we only had 3 nights in Vieques and wanted to make the most of it. Before we went on the trip, we stressed to Cara that if she wanted time to go off on her own, or just to hang out relaxing at the pool, that would be fine. But I think she thought that since we were paying for the trip that she had to go along with us on our schedules for everything. It probably would have worked out better for everybody if we had agreed to go our separate ways in the morning—for Cara to sleep late and enjoy some lazy time away from her 5 (!) kids and for my husband and me to feel that we were getting to explore as much as we wanted. We still all had a wonderful time (at least I think so), but I did get the feeling that I was being a little too much of a tour director for Cara’s taste, and I found myself sometimes growing a bit impatient with her pace. It’s the sort of thing we couldn’t have known before the trip, because we’ve never traveled together.
Because of time constraints and schedules, we didn’t see nearly as much as wanted to, especially of Isabel II. I liked Esperanza a lot, but it certainly did have ex-pat flavor rather than a local flavor. I’m also sorry that I didn’t get to try any food patties from the beach vendors or a baked potato from the baked potato lady—she’ll put anything on a potato for you—conch, shrimp or lobster, as well as the more traditional baked potato toppings.
Our flight to San Juan was non-eventful, again on Cape Air, and we arrived a bit ahead of schedule. We made our way to ground transportation, where I felt proud to be able to request a taxi for 4 people with 4 bags to go to El Convento in Spanish. And to ask the price in Spanish and to actually reply to a couple of pleasantries in Spanish. And then I felt silly for feeling so proud over such a small accomplishment.
VIEJO SAN JUAN
LODGING – I decided that spending our last night in Old San Juan would be a good way of easing back into the hustle & bustle of the real world. Hotel El Convento is definitely more than we tend to spend on our hotel rooms, but I’m very glad we splurged. Resort-type places aside, it is the nicest full-service hotel I’ve ever stayed in and I have to say that I would hard pressed to stay anyplace else in OSJ in the future. The location is perfect for walking around, the courtyard of the hotel is a peaceful place to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee and a book in the early morning, and the views from the rooftop pool and decks were just lovely. Our room had two double beds, a flatscreen TV, a Bose CD player, small refrigerator, small safe, full bathroom, air conditioning, and a small Juliet balcony whose doors we could throw wide open to see the parque right below us and the cathedral to our left. Every staff member, from the concierge to the bartenders to the bellhop exuded graciousness and made us feel welcome in a solicitous but not overbearing way.
Included with the price of the room is an outdoor, rooftop wine and cheese reception, which we were very glad to take advantage of. Our flight from Vieques was timed so that it would have been very difficult to eat an early lunch before hand, and our arrival at El Convento was such that their restaurant had stopped serving lunch already, and we did not want to eat a full meal at 3:45 pm, so the reception was ideal. The hotel provided a wide variety of hard and soft cheeses and other nibbles, plus a choice of about 6 different wines as well as coffee, tea, bottled water and soda. So the adults sat with our wine and Eliza with her soda as we watched a cruise ship leave port and saw the clouds to the west become tinted with the pastels of sunset—which reminds me: this is the first trip I can think of where we saw no direct sunsets, only evidence of sunsets.
Check-out is at noon, but the hotel provides a secure closet for leaving behind luggage if, like us, you have a late afternoon flight and want to spend the time walking around OSJ. Guests who have already checked out can still take advantage of all of the hotel’s facilities, so we also had access to the pool but more importantly to the shower rooms in the fitness center so that we could change clothes before leaving for the airport.
May 25th, 2006, 04:46 AM
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EJ, We posted within a minute of each other last night so I just read the rest of your report this morning. I'm so sorry you didn't get to do more snorkeling. Snorkeling really does depend on the weather and waves. We were lucky. The Bio Bay is something not to be missed. My husband didn't wear a bathing suit either. Why don't they listen to us wise woman!!! My grandchildren would absolutely love it also. You will have to go back with just your husband. It has so much fun reading your report. Thanks again, Owa
May 25th, 2006, 05:36 AM
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Good morning, EJ,
Thanks for all the other installments...just glorious reading. I've been saying it for years and I'll say it again...write a travel book !
After that success, you can switch gears and write one on interpersonal relationships in a blended family ;-) Your patience gave me some inspiration !
I loved the Spanish/French request for the flan. Reminded me of trying to take my wedding vows in Hebrew, with a strong French accent. Both sides of the family were very confused ;-)
Now it's time to look forward to that trip with your husband You know it will be even more special now.
Marion
Thanks for all the other installments...just glorious reading. I've been saying it for years and I'll say it again...write a travel book
!After that success, you can switch gears and write one on interpersonal relationships in a blended family ;-) Your patience gave me some inspiration !
I loved the Spanish/French request for the flan. Reminded me of trying to take my wedding vows in Hebrew, with a strong French accent. Both sides of the family were very confused ;-)
Now it's time to look forward to that trip with your husband
You know it will be even more special now.Marion
May 25th, 2006, 06:21 AM
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Thanks for all of the replies, everybody. I admit that now I travel with an eye to how I can decribe it in a trip report.
Marion, I have to ask why you were reciting your Hebrew vows with a French accent. Did you learn Hebrew from a French speaker? I assume from other comments I've read over the years that English is your first language...
This might be the right time to acknowlege just how blended our family is...I've been coy about it on this forum but there's really no point in it. My oldest "stepdaughter" (a term we NEVER use in the family) is actually 10 years older than I am and the youngest is my age. We've come a long way in our relationship, which started as just short of antagonistic and has evolved over the years into a mutual cordiality. I like her very much, and I hope that she likes me a bit, as it has taken us some time to see each other for who we are rather than what we represent. Because of the somewhat tentative nature of our relationship, I think we were less straightforward with each other on this trip than we could have been--neither one wanted to disrupt a newfound harmony by offering something that could be construed as criticism.
So while it's true that Cara's lackadaisical attitude toward time and punctuality may have made me impatient from time to time, it's only fair to scrutinize my own behavior--rather than coming across as a tour guide, I may have seemed more like a travel dictator, trying to keep people on schedule and getting them to keep up. And yes, I was the only one who did any research for the trip, so I was the one offering suggestions for restaurants, activities, beaches, etc. While I would like to think that I came across as being full of helpful information, it is more likely that I came across as being an insufferable know-it-all. So when you're reading my trip report, please do keep this background information in mind.
Marion, I have to ask why you were reciting your Hebrew vows with a French accent. Did you learn Hebrew from a French speaker? I assume from other comments I've read over the years that English is your first language...
This might be the right time to acknowlege just how blended our family is...I've been coy about it on this forum but there's really no point in it. My oldest "stepdaughter" (a term we NEVER use in the family) is actually 10 years older than I am and the youngest is my age. We've come a long way in our relationship, which started as just short of antagonistic and has evolved over the years into a mutual cordiality. I like her very much, and I hope that she likes me a bit, as it has taken us some time to see each other for who we are rather than what we represent. Because of the somewhat tentative nature of our relationship, I think we were less straightforward with each other on this trip than we could have been--neither one wanted to disrupt a newfound harmony by offering something that could be construed as criticism.
So while it's true that Cara's lackadaisical attitude toward time and punctuality may have made me impatient from time to time, it's only fair to scrutinize my own behavior--rather than coming across as a tour guide, I may have seemed more like a travel dictator, trying to keep people on schedule and getting them to keep up. And yes, I was the only one who did any research for the trip, so I was the one offering suggestions for restaurants, activities, beaches, etc. While I would like to think that I came across as being full of helpful information, it is more likely that I came across as being an insufferable know-it-all. So when you're reading my trip report, please do keep this background information in mind.
May 25th, 2006, 07:00 AM
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EJ,
Thanks for sharing in such a thoughtful manner. I still think that the majority of posters here are women, and we all have our history, our present and our future. When we travel we do the planning and try to make the necessary compromises. We usually are responsible for the details of leaving the home and family intact while we are gone. We offer advise on what to pack and in many cases we DO the packing for two or more. We try to leave some baggage at home, emotional and physical, and look forward to making everyone smile...including ourselves
But we are not, nor should we be, responsible for all that awaits us. Was it the Mamas and the Papas who sang "go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do" ? Upon arrival, I'd start singing that song !
Yes...English...but I studied French in HS, and my mom was fluent in French...so when presented with any new language, the French comes out
I think you made the BEST of a difficult situation and came home to share with us. Your candor and compassion are a great asset to all who consider you a WISE woman !
Marion
Thanks for sharing in such a thoughtful manner. I still think that the majority of posters here are women, and we all have our history, our present and our future. When we travel we do the planning and try to make the necessary compromises. We usually are responsible for the details of leaving the home and family intact while we are gone. We offer advise on what to pack and in many cases we DO the packing for two or more. We try to leave some baggage at home, emotional and physical, and look forward to making everyone smile...including ourselves
But we are not, nor should we be, responsible for all that awaits us. Was it the Mamas and the Papas who sang "go where you wanna go, do what you wanna do" ? Upon arrival, I'd start singing that song
!Yes...English...but I studied French in HS, and my mom was fluent in French...so when presented with any new language, the French comes out
I think you made the BEST of a difficult situation and came home to share with us. Your candor and compassion are a great asset to all who consider you a WISE woman
!Marion
May 25th, 2006, 07:22 AM
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Thanks for the detailed report on Vieques and OSJ. I had the opportunity, as a “vibrant” 18 year old, to experience 5 days in San Juan with my grandfather and “step” grandmother. We stayed at the El San Juan and I was in awe of the city, its beautiful people (women especially) and Old San Juan, in particular. I still remember the cobblestone streets and the sidewalk cafes. My room at the ESJ had a TV and phone in the bathroom….I thought that was pretty awesome back then! I definitely want to get to Vieques before it gets “discovered”. It sounds wonderful and your trip report(s) really help visualize the island.
May 25th, 2006, 09:00 AM
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I so enjoyed reading your report. Thanks for writing it. Vieques has interested me for some time. You have provided great insight and information for future visitors.
Loved the map disclaimer "not for navigational purposes"!
CW
Loved the map disclaimer "not for navigational purposes"!
CW
May 25th, 2006, 10:00 AM
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Just a note to say I thoroughly thoroughly, thoroughly, enjoyed your trip report...all the personal asides made it all the more pleasant, and I can relate to many of the things you mentioned.
Thank you.
Thank you.
May 25th, 2006, 04:00 PM
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Hi ej,
Thanks for the great report! Now I'm really looking forward to our trip to Vieques in Nov!
The Bio bay tour sounds like a surreal experience that I'm hoping my kids will love and I know they'll love the flan.
Thanks for the great report! Now I'm really looking forward to our trip to Vieques in Nov!
The Bio bay tour sounds like a surreal experience that I'm hoping my kids will love and I know they'll love the flan.
