NEED HELP - GOING TO VIEQUES TOMORROW!!!!
 

Hello! My girlfriend and I are so excited and we are leaving Philadelphia at 8am tomorrow and landing in San Juan at noon. I have not booked a flight to Vieques b/c I was told that you can do that when you get to the airport and that there are a couple "On Demand" airlines that are basically air taxis.

I am getting nervous though and am having anxiety that we will get to San Juan and not be able to get a flight to Vieques. $$ is not an issue so can someone please let me know what I can expect when we get to San Juan?

Will we be able to get a flight?

Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I've never left that to chance, but MN Aviation and Vieques Air are your best bets. I'd call right now if I were you. Have a great time; the beaches are unbelievable!

Thanks - I did try to call today but could not get anyone on the phone. My girlfriends boss has been there twice and did not have a problem and he is the person who told us about the island.

We are staying at the Martineau Bay Resort and Spa with an ocean view room. We already have our bio bay tour booked too! I will figure something out even if it means flying out of the other San Juan airport or taking the ferry (last resort!!). I will even look into a private charter if I have to.

Thanks again!

We flew out of SJU once and out of Isla Grande once, and both went fine. You might find Martineau a bit shabby, as they're getting ready to close down for renovations, but it is the only big hotel on the island. We were there in October, and what it lacked in amenities, the kind staff more than made up for. We have also stayed at Hector's By the Sea and loved, loved, loved it.

Actually, Hectors was our second option. I would much rather have the nice and friendly people than extra amenities. We are so excited.

Thanks for the help.

stykes,
We just returned from Vieques,June 20th.We stayed at Amapola Inn in Esparanza.

Who are you doing the biobay tour with?We went with Island Adventures..they were great.It is an awesome experience.I hope that you are going during a new moon...it's the best time to go!

Martineau Bay Resort looks really nice.We rented a car from Martineau car rental..across the street from you.Island Adventures is also near Martineau Bay resort.

Have a great time!

By the way...rent a car and explore the dirt roads around the island...it is great!

Christie

BTW...We had to take a last minute flight to Fajardo as the ferry was running late and we risked the chance of missing our flight back to NC.

We used Vieques Air link.Just check with the different charters and you should be able to find a flight.

Last resort would be the ferry..it's about an hour ride and I found it fun it to be fun..watching Vieques as you arrive!


Christie

My girlfriend actually already did rent a jeep that they are dropping off as soon as we get there - I am really looking forward to just driving around and exploring the island.

We are doing the Island Adventures pantoon boat tour in the bay. Not into doing the manual labor of the kayak!

Thanks 4 the help and we will post a review when we get home!

I am the girlfriend! Haha - I stumbled upon this in my last minute "Vieques" research - lose the anxiety - we are going to get there and have an awesome time ! haha the internet is funny..nothing is sacred..now I better get to bed bc we have to be at the airport at 5:30!

Thanks everyone for your help!

Have a great time and pretty please report back to us. We will be there in a month!

Will do a good trip report soon. We got back Sunday at midnight and I will not have enough free time to write a proper report of Vieques until tomorrow..the island time excuse does not sit well in Springfield, Pa. Briefly though - I will say I had the three most amazing days I've ever had..my biggest recommendation is to make sure you have an airplane from SJU to Vieques - the ferry was awful.. and you can't get a plane on short notice we took Cape Air into Vieques and it was WELL worth the$...I really want to learn Spanish and go back to Vieques to be a waitress...forever..

Oh, no...you got the bug!! That's what we did! Except we are only there for 5-6 months in the winter. And I do waitress, though the Spanish is coming along slowly!
Looking forward to the TR

I will wait for Kristen to post her trip report before I mention anything. We had an AMAZING time!

Quick notes

GET A FLIGHT to/from Vieques. The ferry is a 60 minute public transit boat. You don't even get the scenery since it is all inside.

Rent a jeep or SUV - A MUST!

FIND SECRET BEACH!

Get a cooler and buy beverages at a store - save ALOT of $$, especially if you drink beer.

More to come soon....

I am trying to be patient here...:-) Looking forward to hearing from both of you!
Maggi

When we went to Vieques two years ago we flew with Cape Air. It is the only airline that you could book via Travelocity or Expedia. It should be about $150 per person each way.

Secret and Blue Beaches are our favorites. Make sure you eat at Cafe Media Luna.

Cheers.

There is an open air area on the ferry so you can be out in the air and see the islands coming and going.
But the ferry is not practical if you have a tight schedule to get to the airport.
Cape Air is $95 per person each way...if anyone is paying $150, it must be because of expedia.

I never did this before and Frank keeps asking if I am writing a book..so please excuse if the review is not done well..all in all I had an amazing time, loved the people, and really would like to go back before it changes to a cookie cutter island :( It is inevitable because the beaches are just so beautiful...and it is truly a wonderful place..
http://fodors.com/forums/threadselec...amp;dirtyBit=1

Also - here are some of our pics - a lot of our really good pics got destroyed from the heat :( very sad - but I'll always have the memory :)
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?ai...p;id=623560275

mahobay - i sure do have the bug! i did not want to come home even a little bit.. i have years of restaurant experience too...god i love that place!

Great report Kristen. Your turn, Stykes! Don't worry about repeating any information. Everyone has a different and interesting take on things. 23 days and counting for us!