putch29m

has anybody stayed at martineau bay in vieques?
i understand it's on the atlantic ocean side of the island which is less desirable. is it an all-inclusive? if anybody has stayed there, i would like your opinion. thanks.

owa

Hi,
Hopefully HowardC will reply to your post. We hope to return to Vieques next year because we were totally taken by the island. Have fun, Owa

HowardC

We stayed twice at Martineau Bay when it was a Wyndham--Believe in Oct 2003 and Feb 2004. The first time they had a stay three days get one free so we stayed for 8 nights. The second time I won an auction on Luxury Link. It is a very nice resort and I would recommend it. The prooms are nicely decorated, they have a nice spa, infinity pool restaurant etc. Really the only resort on Vieques. The rest of the accomodations are more like guest Houses. Although on the Atlantic side there are a couple of beaches on the property which were nice. You will want to get a car to explore all the beaches on Vieques. We rented from Martineau Bay Car rental which is just outside the Martineau gate. NOt an Ai but they probably have a meal plan. Wouldn't lock myself into that. Explore some of the other restaurants on Vieques. If you do a HowardC search on this site you can probably pull up my trip reports along with lots of Provo and Anguilla info.

putch29m

the reason i asked if it was an AI is because that's what i don't want. i guess it's a choice between a more "traditional" resort or one of the smaller ones on vieques. is it a very large hotel? 144 rooms sounds fairly large. any place we stay is usually just a place to sleep and have breakfast in. we rarely spend much time at the hotel itself. with that in mind, would you recommend martineau bay?

HowardC

You have to remember that the Navy turned over Vieques about 5 years ago so there is not a lot of Tourist infrastructure i.e. respots, trendy restaurants etc. One night we walked out from dinner at Media Luna and a bunch of caballeros were galloping down the street on horseback. Cool. Most of the best beaches were on Navy property which was turned over to the Park Service and can't be developed. I did not find Martineau Bay to be a large overwhelming resort. Most of the rooms are in groups of eight spread through out the property and no more than three stories tall. There were not a lot of people there when we stayed but remember it was open less than a year. Some families from PR did come over to spend the weekend. Don't know of any guest houses that are on the beach. Bravo Beach hotel is a misnomer. It is very small and chic in a congested part of Isabella II. Small pool and really no beach. When the tide is out it is mostly rock. They had a small gourmet deli Chef Michaels on site but he pulled out. There is Inn on the Blue Horizon in Esperanza. which is small not on the beach. Haven't stayed there but have eaten at the restaurant Blue McCaw which was very good. Had a kitchen fire about a year ago and closed so don't know how the restaurant is now. ..In Esperanza there is also Haicenda Taminarando (16 guest rooms) 741-8528 and Posada Vista Mar 741-8715 which might be worth looking into. Wouldn't recommend Bananas to stay. Good restaurant for lunch but small rooms right behind the restaurant. You walk by the kitchen to get to them There is also Crows Nest 741-0033 in the middle of the island which has rooms. Ate there several times and it is good. Features steak. Suspect that except for Martineau most of the lodging you will find is fairly basic. I really got good deals for our stays and wouldn't hesitate to stay at Martineau again. During the day we explored the island but nice to have the amenities of a resort to use. Spa pool bar etc. Depending on the time of year you go you might need AC--A requirement of mine so check if you want it. Hope this helps.

P.S. At Sun Bay there were facilities, bathrooms and showers. Looked like they were equipped to serve food but didn't when they were there. The only facilities at the other beaches were Port-A Johns

putch29m

thank you for all the details. it sounds as though martineau bay may be a good "compromise"; going to an island that is not developed that much and staying at a resort that has the comforts of home when you want them to shower and sleep. since this trip will be next february, i wonder how much in advance i would have to book a place to stay. i'm not adverse to buying the plane tickets to san juan now but i don't usually have to book the land part until a few months before we go. thanks again for all the info.

HowardC

I suspect that you will be fine if you make reservations late Nov--early Dec. Have Martineau make a car reservation for you at Martineau Bay car rental and make sure you get a confirmation number. They will give you a ride in a golf cart to the Martineau gate and the car rental is just across the street. Rental cars are scarce on Vieques. We have gone to Vieques several ways--Bt ferry from Fajardo--$60 cab ride from San Juan about 1 1/2 hour ride on Ferry --Flew from San Juan airport on Sunshine Airways and also Vieques Air link from Isla Grande? airport. $14 cab fare from San Juan Airport but cheaper round trip. Heard American is going to start flying into Vieques so you might check that out too if you are flying AA into San Juan