For some reason, the search function isn't working too well for me because when I enter "Vieques" in the search box, a grand total of 14 posts is all I see, and only a few of them are from within the last year.

Anyway, my husband and I are heading back down to the Caribbean in May with another 13 year old. We're spending 3 nights at the Hacienda Tamarindo in Vieques and I have a few questions regarding activities. We've a rental car reserved already and intend to investigate several beaches. My first question is, which beaches offer any kind of shade, either natural or umbrella, and at what times of day? We love exploring beaches and going for long snorkels, but we love to come back to rest in the shade. If we had one disappointment about our Tortola trip it was the lack of shade after about 11:00 am on the beaches.

Secondly, is there a place for going riding? I know there are herds of wild horses on the island, and I'm thrilled at the prospect of seeing them, but it would be fun to go riding on the beach. I've checked out www.enchanted-isle.com but haven't seen any information about riding. There's a photo on the Hacienda Tamarindo site showing folks on horseback, but the reservations person I spoke with didn't know any more information.

Most trip reports I've read mention snorkeling from shore, and I've taken notes about locations, but are there any snorkeling boat trips worth checking into?

Is the biobay kayak tour problematic for someone with torn rotator cuffs? My husband and I have never kayaked and don't know if the motion is similar enough to a canoe to keep us from doing the kayak. He has two torn cuffs and canoeing is impossible for him. If not the kayak, is the pontoon-style boat the next best bet for getting the full biobay experience?

Our last night will be in San Juan, and we're leaning towards Old San Juan for accommodation. It seems that the main three choices there are El Convento, Hotel Milano, and the Sheraton. Does one stand above the others for overall value? Since it's only one night, we won't mind splurging if El COnvento is demonstrably a better value, or if the location is much better for exploring OSJ by foot.

Also, where would you go for breakfast in OSJ?

Many thanks!

Hi ejcrowe. We didn't stay at El Convento but we had lunch there while walking around Old San Juan. It's definitely a good location if you plan to explore OSJ on foot. We had lunch at the hotel's 'El Picoteo Bar & Tapas" restaurant which is in a courtyard setting. Soooo lovely.
We really enjoyed our walk around OSJ.
Looking forward to hearing from you about Vieques. Enjoy!

Thanks, caribtraveler. I was just getting ready to top the post and beg in an undignified manner for input. My husband is really leaning toward El Convento, so that coupled with your rec on its location could clinch it for me.

Where are you headed next, and with or without your son?

Hi ejcrowe, I am so jealous of you going to Vieques in May. You will have a great time.

There are picinic table/shelters on red beach. It was very popular with families. Also, if you go to blue beach and snorkel, there are numerous, short turn-offs to the beach all along the road. I would think you could find some shade there.

As I said in our report, the bio bay trip exceeded our expectations. Your 13 year old will love getting in the water and moving her arms and legs. Will you be there without the moon?

Happy travels, Owa

owa
I am having trouble finding your trip report when I click on your name. Is there something I should be doing once I get onto your page? I remember reading it a while ago and wanted to copy it for the snorkeling info.

Has anyone found turtles while snorkeling?

So far we have only snorkeled at Red Beach to the left.
Thanks

ejcrowe: We're (with our son) are heading to the Cayman Islands in April.
We're also travel to Negril in August. I was doing some research on this board last week and came across your trip report. Thoroughly enjoyed it. Because of you, I added a drive to Treasure Beach. I wasn't planning to go that far South at first.

Owa: I also read your Vieques trip report a while ago. Enjoyed it as well. My husband has been wanting to go. So, some day...

Mahobaygirl, I clicked on my name and it came up. It was at the end of November and the first part of December. We saw turtles when we swam to the island off the docks of Esperanza. Snorkeling on Red Beach would be great with kids because of the easy entry.

caribtraveler, I'm glad you enjoyed my trip report. Your must go. We will definitely go back one of these first years. Of the four trips last year, Vieques was our favorite. From all reports, we will have better snorkeling on Bonaire. Owa

Thanks for all of the good input. Owa, your original trip report is now showing up in my search function, so I don't know what happened before. Our trip to the biobay will be when the moon is at its last quarter. We wanted to go with a new moon, but we didn't want to travel over Memorial Day weekend!

Caribtraveler, I hope you find TB and the environs as enchanting as I did. Marion is there right now and I long to hear back from her about this stay. Maybe Tivertonhouse can give us an update...