While Vieques looks wonderful (in fact, it's my next destination for 2006) and might be perfect for your honeymoon, most of the accommodations are not on the beach. I think the big exception is the big resort on Martineau Bay, formerly owned by Wyndham and recently sold. And since you don't want a big resort for your wedding... It would mean that all of your guests would have to rent a car to see anything of the island, and it also means that families with kids don't have that great distraction/entertainment of the sand and water right outside their door.

I think Negril would be an outstanding option for your wedding party. And while a place on the cliffs might be unsafe for very young children, a place like Idle Awhile or Coco La Palm directly on the beach would be perfect.

Our four children (ranging in age from 15 to 6 and all very well traveled) love Vieques. One of the things they like the most is exploring the beaches. Turning down a bumpy dirt road and discovering (yet another) gorgeous white sand beach with nothing and nobody on it is really quite a treat.

ccc, it's good to hear another vote of confidence for traveling with kids to Vieques. My husband and I are taking our granddaughter there for her 13th birthday in 2006. Husband and I are greatly looking forward to it. Granddaughter isn't as well traveled as your kids, I'm sure, but we're hoping she'll enjoy it as much as we will.

Vieques is on our short list of future Caribbean vacations and, from all I've read and heard, it is a beautiful location that satisfies most of your requirements.

My only reservation on the choice of Vieques is the relative difficulty of getting to the island. The flight to San Juan will be easy and inexpensive but getting to Vieques is not nearly as easy as some here have implied. If you're going to take the ferry, you'll need to rent cars or vans to take you to Fajardo, which is quite a distance from San Juan. If you decide to go with the commuter plane option, you need to realize that the prices from San Juan International Airport to Vieques are about double the price that is charged by San Juan's other airport. That is why many people will take a taxi from SJU to the other airport for their flight to Vieques. It was these logistical/transportation issues that led us to choose another destination for our next Caribbean vacation.

Vieques sounds like it may be a wonderful choice for your wedding. But you will need to carefully think out the logistics of how you're going to get everyone to and from the island.

We've been to Vieques quite a few times and it's really not that bad. Here are the options:
1) fly directly from San Juan International. This is the easiest and most expensive option. It costs $165+/- round trip.
2) fly from Isla Grande (the other airport in San Juan). Isla Grande is a roughly 15 minute cab ride from SJU. Flying from here costs $90+/- round trip.
3) take a taxi to Fajardo (roughly an hour and $60) and fly from there. This costs $23 each way.
4) take a taxi to Fajardo and take the ferry, which costs $2 each way.

It's definitely not as easy as some destinations (eg Montego Bay), but it's plenty easy. And if it were really, really easy it probably wouldn't be the place it is.

ccc-you are definitely convincing me we could make this work! travel was a big concern for me as well.... and while negril has a lot to offer, i am concerned about the tourist factor...wanting things to be more natural and to "tread lightly" on the place we choose.

so which is everyone's favoriite on vieques? hix house?

thanks.

The first time my wife and I went to Vieques (alone) we stayed at Hix and absolutely loved it. With that said, it's definitely not for everybody. Check out the reviews on tripadvisor.com for more extensive thoughts on what the pluses and minuses are. When I was there a few weeks ago, I met a couple on the airplane back to San Juan. They had just gotten married on Vieques and had taken over all of Hix. I think it would be an absolute blast, but again it's not for everybody. Tamarindo and Blue Horizon are also good choices in the boutique category. For a more traditional resort (but not Sandals)experience you could look at Martineau Bay, soon to be the first W Resort in the Caribbean.

We stayed at a small guest house next door to Inn at Blue Horizon & Tamarindo. It has only 3 rooms and is on a beautiful but rocky beach. Email me if you'd like more info.

The other place to check out is Bravo. It has gotten great reviews. I would not consider Martineau Bay - pretty sterile looking and it felt like a gated community.

hi, this is very interesting - i found this forum while searching for some information about Vieques wedding.
I checked the three hotels that ccc has recommended, and the Hix looks pretty good.
Any idea how much it costs to rent the entire Hix for several days and a wedding with less than 20 guests?
We are planning for May 2006. Thanks so much in advance.