Vieques tips
 

My boyfriend and I are going to Vieques this winter and are so excited. We're flying into San Juan, staying there for a night (in a holiday inn I think) and then going to Vieques the next day for four nights. We're planning on taking the ferry (is there a best time to go) and renting our car at the Inn on the Blue Horizon which is where we'll be staying. (Has anyone rented a car/jeep from them? i'm hoping its legit). We definitely plan on visiting a few different beaches on the island (best must-sees?) and going to the bio bay. Any other reccomendations for us? Is there surfing on the island and if so are there any board rentals around? I'm trying to convince my boyfriend to extend our trip and go to a surf camp in rincon for a few days but we're not sure if we can take off of work for this. any suggestions/advice is greatly appreciated. We can't wait!

Depending on your arrival time at San Juan (assuming it is SJU) I suggest you fly Vieques instead. Cape Air operates flights there 3-4 times a day. This saves you a lot of time. If you were to take the ferry you will need to take a bus ride to Farjado (excuse the spelling), and then the ferry. By the time you get there your day is shot.

Inn on the Blue Horizon is in Esperanza, the smaller of the two towns on Vieques. Pretty nice spot. Not sure about their Jeep Rentals but they are all about the same there anyway, do reserve in advance.

Bio bay is cool, but do check the moon phase during your stay there because the less moon the better the experience.

There are a number of great beaches there. Blue Beach and Playa Navio have my nods. Both are pristine and especially Blue which is in the former Naval Reserve. If you are adventurous drive around inside the Naval Reserve where dirt roads often lead to a nice, quiet cove where you and your boyfriend can enjoy solitude (my wife and I had a cove - our private beach - for almost the entire day without visitors).

During the winter they do get some trade winds but the beaches that I visited the surf was almost non-existent. By rule north facing beaches (I think Green Beach is one of them) tend to get more surf. In Esperanza there are a number of rental places but not sure if they rent surfing equipment other than snorkling gear.

I do not recommend doing Rincon on the same trip - it is on the opposite side of Puerto Rico, which is another 2 hour drive from San Juan. I'd rather you stay on Vieques longer! Trust me, it is being developed now so enjoy before it gets too commercial.

One place that I highly recommend for dinner - Cafe Media Luna in Isabella II, their main town. Awesome tapas.

I hope this helps!

All the info Foodiechan provided is right on. our first time to the island was via ferry, and it seems whenever we have friends coming with us, want to take the ferry. It is a nice 1 hour ride, you get to watch the island in the horizon as you approach, but it does take a few hours out of your day, especially if you cannot make the 1 pm ferry. (the next one leaves at 4 pm but you do get to watch the sun set)!
Inn on the Blue Horizon is a VERY reputable establishment so I am sure you will have no problem with car rental.
I particularly love Sun Bay, it is a mile long beach, and very few people. You can move under the sea grape and palm trees when you have had enough sun. It is just so peaceful there.
Blue and Red beach are the beautiful pure white sand beaches, they are a must see (but that old Navy road can seem endless if you are driving an old clunker) :)
I had a lot of fun watching people in the surf at Navio. It is the beach with the most surf. My husband and friend kept getting knocked over by the surf, but kept getting up and doing it again. I also watched some guys on boogie boards, and a young kid on a surf board that gave it his all.

Travel the entire island, you will end up finding places on your own that you will love.

Other recommendations: there are great restaurants in the more tourist oriented town of Esperanza, but try to get out and eat at the local places in Isabelle II, the roadside stands. Try the local foods!
Posters do not often mention the horses of the island, but they are everywhere, especially on the West end, bring a camera and enjoy. (I have approached with apples and carrots and they could care less!)
Enjoy

Thanks so much for your help so far, all such good advice! I love horses and that was one of the things that made me infatuated with the idea of visiting vieques. We're going late February, I know its so far away but its fun to gather information early and daydream about being there!

I would wager that most of those horses have no idea what an apple or a carrot is!

Navio does have the best surf, but I'm not aware of anywhere that rents surf boards. Green beach actually faces west, and it's the only beach on which I get cell phone reception (from mainland PR)!

I agree that flying is easier and less stressful than taking the ferry. Sometimes it's cheaper and/or better times if you fly from Isla Grande, the municipal airport in San Juan, rather than SJU. It's about a 15 minute taxi ride and costs about $20. You can find a fairly complete list of airlines and flight times every month in http://www.vieques-events.com Cape Air's planes are among the smallest; I have successfully used MN Aviation, Vieques Air Link, and Air Flamenco.

I particularly like the Island Steakhouse at the Crow's Nest. And yes, beware of the roads; we joke about the moon craters on the way to Navio!

ha! i went to costa rica two years ago and the potholes were the size of kitchen sinks. it made for a memorable ride though! i think we're renting a convertible, not sure if it is an SUV. i'm considering calling to change this. also who is the best tour to take us to biobay and how early in advance should this be booked? to be honest, i've never been in a small plane and might be more emotionally comfortable knowing i'm taking the ferry. we'll see i will look into it because a few saved hours could be priceless in a place like vieques!

I also recommend flying rather than the ferry. We have flown from both SJU International and Isla Grande which tends to be cheaper even with the cab ride. Have done M&N Aviation and Air Sunshine. It is a short 15 min flight and you are low enough to see lots of PR. Wife doesn't particularily like small planes and she was fine. It is an Hour plus ride to Fjardo to the ferry ($60 by cab) and then about 1 1/2 hour ferry ride. There were no cabs at the ferry terminal just public transportation so we drove all over dropping people off before getting to where we were staying. There are cabs at the airport. American Airlines was talking of service to Vieques from SJU but don't know if it started yet. Regarding Bio Bay. Recommend Island Adventures which is next to Blue Horizons rather than a Kayak tour. Blue Horizons can make reservations. They use a pontoon boat and the tour is narated. One advantage is that if there is a moon you can swim under the pontoon boat to get the full effect. Agree with the Steak House at Crow's Nest and Cafe Media Luna recommendations. Would also add Chez Shack. Had a good meal at La Serina in Esperanza and Bananas is good for lunch. Navio Beach is where they filmed Lord of the Flies. Facilities are limited at the beaches. No lounge chairs, umbrellas, food service etc. Good snorkeling on the left side of Mosquito Pier. Lots of star fish.

Howard-the counter for American Eagle is all set at the Vieques airport, right in a prominent spot as you walk in the door! Just have not heard any more about it.
We like flying Air Link into Isla Grande, saves a few $$. Once you fly those small planes once, you get used to it and it is very scenic. One of my last trips, I took a 6:40 pm Cape Air flight and got to fly as the sun was setting-priceless!
I also recommend Island Adventures. For one, I cannot imagine climbing into and out of a kayak, esp. at night. We spoke with a family who had gone with some freelancer in his boat and were not impressed. With Island Adventures you get to ride on the old school bus to get there, you get lectures on the flora and fauna of the island, they point out the constellations. You learn a lot. The first 2 times we had to swim under the boat, the last time the moon was hidden and we just could not believe how magical it was. Minutes after getting back into the boac, I could pull my bathing suit away from my skin, and I was still looking like Tinkerbell sprinkled her dust on me!!

I forgot about Chez Shack, great BBQ and steel drum band on Monday nights. Sit at the bar and you will not need reservations. It is out in the boonies, though!!

I loved Chez Shack the first year we went but felt the quality of the food had deteriorated this year. As of March, the owners of La Sirena were divorcing and the building was for sale. It was open as a bar only on weekend nights (no food). Shaunaa's and Mucho Gusto are good for local food; both in Isabel. Cafe Mamasonga across from the ferry dock has terrific breakfast.

I more or less agree with the previous posters about everything--fly versus taking the ferry, reserving a rental car ahead of time, etc.

If you're very active, you might prefer the kayak tour of the biobay, but I sure did love the pontoon ride and the fascinating lecture involved. I'd recommend taking the later tour on any given evening, as you can have a bit more time to enjoy swimming in the bay that way.

We enjoyed Banana's for lunch or dinner (same menu for both meals), Tradewinds for fresh seafood, Media Luna for a more romantic atmosphere. And we especially loved the Flan Lady who sells these wonders from her own home in Esperanza. There are also vendors set up near Sun Bay selling baked potatoes, empanadas, and other street foods.

I wrote a very long trip report on Vieques here that was posted in May that you might find helpful. Owa, another poster here, has another one that is really fantastic. And HowardC also has lots of helpful info on other posts, so just do a search with "Vieques" and the various user names.

Have fun... Vieques is really neat. Definitely do the Biobay thing. We did a kayak/snorkel/dinner/biobay trip with "Abe"... it was wonderful and worth every penny. :) If you get bored and you like animals, go visit the Vieques Humane Society -- they're such nice folks and small donations are SO very much appreciated. We took home the BEST dog in the world from them. :)

This is not a reply, but rather a further question.
My wife and I just recently starting investigating Vieques for a winter vacation.Our guidebook to the Caribbean lists Inn on the Blue Horizon which sounds nice. It does not appear to be directly on the beach. Is it an easy walk to the beach or do you need to rent a car? How is the snorkeling there and on the island as a whole? Any further suggestions would be appreciated.

On Vieques, you drive to the beaches so no true beachfront except for Martineau Bay which was Wyndam resorts, not sure if that has changed. You can stay anywhere -- villa on the hillside or Bravo Hotel which has a rocky shore accessability.

Put in Inn on the Blue Horizon in the search as I've seen it mentioned several times lately.

Don't let driving to the deserted beaches change your mind. There are several and all beautiful.

Inn on the Blue Horizon is on the water, but not on a beach. The closest beach is Sun Bay, a short drive away. It's a very small inn that looked quite nice when I walked through it. I had lunch there one day and another afternoon I spent some time at their bar.

I believe that Martineau Bay is the only accommodation on the beach.

True, Martineau Bay is the only hotel on the beach.
As BEachgirl said, most beaches you need to drive to. Some are down old Navy roads, some down old roads with huge pot holes! It is all an adventure down there!
I was somewhat disappointed in the snorkeling on Vieques, but I had been to STJ and the BVI's the previous years and that makes it unfair to compare!
There are some snorkeling spots, we enjoyed theleft side of Mosquito Pier. They say right in front of the Malecon in Esperanza is good as well.
On our last day there, we met this guy who does snorkel tours and he told us of numerous spots accessible by boat. We intend to look him up this winter.
Make Bio Bay a priority, it will be a highlight of your trip!

Dont use Cape Air---or ferry---

Use vieques air:
Flights to Vieques leave from Isla Grand Airport near the heart of San Juan -- not to be confused with the main Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport near Isla Verde. Vieques Air Link (tel. 787/741-8331) operates four daily flights from San Juan.


Check this out for more Vieques tips:

http://stjohnbeachguide.com/Vieques_...es_Beaches.htm

publisher, it seems kind of harsh to make a blanket statement not to fly a particular airline without giving a reason...

Cape Air is a perfectly good airline to fly and also offers a few flights per day, but from SJU.

It would make the most sense for the traveler in question to fly whichever airline had a departure most convenient to their arrival in San Juan, don't you think?

You are right EJ, there are a handful of decent airlines out of VQS. We have used Air Flamenco, Air Link and Cape Air. It really does matter when your flight out of San Juan (or into for that matter) which airline you choose.
We were booked on a 3 pm flight with Air Flamenco to Isla Grande in May. Well it was raining, the plane we were going to be using was stranded in Culebra because of the rain. It did not come back til morning. (of course the people behind the desk did not come and tell us, but that is another story and another lesson).
We then booked with Air Link, they did not leave in the end because of the rain in SJ. The only airline that left that afternoon was Cape Air. I thought I heard someone say it was because of "insurance", my husband thought it was "instruments". Anyway we had to go back to the house,luggage, dog and all!
Nothing is ever guaranteed in the Caribbean!
And do not be afraid to take the ferry, it is a nice alternative. You have a nice hour+ ride with views of Vieques and Culebra, and PR!

I loved the ferry ride over ... say flying fish for the first time in my life!....

but the flight home (Vieques air only because we "showed up" and they'd take us)... was good fun too. One mode each way was perfect for us. :)

Drive slowly... some of those horses are getting old and can't jump out of the way of cars like they used to be able to!

enjoy...

You guys are great. Such helpful advice!

has anyone done any fishing in vieques? my husband is an avid fisherman and he always brings his fishing gear, wherever we go in the caribbean. he doesn't have much luck usually...did anybody find a good spot, either a jetty, a pier or from shore in vieques? we will be there in february.

Putch, there is great flats fishing. There are 2 charter captains on the island. I can highly recommend Gregg McKee, www.wildflycharters.com Francisco is the other captain; I'm not sure if he has a website.

okay so we just went to book flights and were floored by how much the trip from ny to puerto rico is in February. over $500! well we already have our accommodations booked and we NEED to go so i am thinking... since we are spending some loot for the flight we might as well go for more than four days. so i think we're going to extend the trip onto the mainland or elsewhere. any suggestions? i read online about this surf camp in rincon... ever heard? I am open to suggestions and advice! thanks.

i was also wondering about the drive from san juan to rincon... its about 2 and a half hours but a bit cheaper than flying into aguadilla. is it a nice ride?

I had flown with Cape Air and they were perfectly fine. Air Flamenco we also used on a seperate trip to Culebra. Both are fine. Obviously one needs to remember that those are twin-prop Cessesna 7-passenger planes!

I actually preferred to fly from SJU because the transfer was much more convenient. Just make sure you budget at least an hour for your transfers because you will have to take all your luggage from your in-bound flight, and re-enter security back into the terminal. That's the only inconvenience.

My girlfriend and I are traveling to Vieques the first week in September. I know we are rolling the dice with the weather, but are more concerned with selecting a place to stay. We are considering Martineau, Bravo Beach or renting a Villa. Any suggestions?

Martinaeau is owned by Starwood Hotels Group, so you will get a pretty standard first class hotel treatment. There's nothing wrong with that. However, do consider its beach not the best on the island.

I think you will get a lot more out of the "villa" experience. You will cook some meals, and most of them have more of a "homey" feel that will make this island experience more intimate.

My wife and I had a great time in Vieques. Hope you will enjoy the island too!

I didn't take the time to read the 26 other messages, but in case no one mentioned it (how could they not?) definitely go to the phospherscence Bay (SP?) and swim in it. It's one of the high points of my life!

where is the best place to be in san juan? we don't necesarily need to be on the beach since we'll be in vieques but we'd like a hotel that is walking distance to some cool things in town. suggestions?

We love Old San Juan, we have stayed at Hotel Milano it is right on Forenza in the heart of the little town. You can walk to the forts, shops, restaurants, take the 50 cent ferry to the Bacardi distillery for a free tour. Also have stayed at the Howard johnsons there, I read some bad reviews, but we enjoyed it. Floor to ceiling louvered doors opened to the street, also in the heart of it all.
Enjoy......

ditto on Hotel Milano... it's old and kind of "clunky" but they're very nice and the location cannot be beat.

i just called hotel milano and they do not have the dates i need available. boo. any other suggestions?

The bioluminscent bay is wonderful - we did a kayak tour - starting through the mangroves, stopping at a small uninhabited island for a bonfire dinner and wandering around eating sea grapes, and then kayaking into the bioluminescent bay after sunset. It depends on your preferences, but I can't imagine doing this from a larger boat. It's amazing as you start to get close to the bay and you dip your paddle in and see the flickers of glitter and then you're able to jump right in. I am a big chicken and never felt unsafe or nervous. The kayaks have lights so you can see ahead of you and then you can turn them off when you get to the bay. We used a company through this website, which is very helpful:
http://www.elenas-vieques.com/biobay.html.

Note the links on the website discussing the moon phases (which affect visibility) and the recommendation that you do not use any bug spray with DEET - it is harmful to the organisms that create the phosphorescence.

Have a great time!

We splurged by spending our one night in Old San Juan at El Convento--it was a beautiful hotel and I cannot find a single thing to fault it. The rooms were comfortable, even the street views were lovely overlooking a small suare & park, the wine & cheese reception was very nice, the staff were all splendid, the public areas were gorgeous. I called to get a Triple-A discount that was not advertised on the website and ended up being a little less than what was being offered on sites like www.hotels.com.

The Howard Johnsons that I mentioned is the Hotel De Armes,or something like that. Very affordable. We have enjoyed Bio Bay on the pontoon boat offered by Island Adventures. It was not a paty boat scene. Lots of quiet, interested people, they tell you of the flora and fauna of the islands. Then you can go into the water if you want to-do it! It is amazing. They give you a flotation belt and let you swim for 20 minutes or so.

these two are big chains i know, but its only for one or two nights and they are in our price range. wondering which has a better location, we want to be near old san juan. i think location is most important to us since we will be in san juan for such a short time. also if you know anything else about this hotels reputation. i need to book today! thanks friends.
The Courtyard Marriot in Miramar
or
Radisson Ambassador in Condado
or
Normandie Hotel
Much thanks!

or best western hotel pierre...

it seems that so many people who post messages on trip advisor about the hacienda tamarindo in vieques have stayed in room 23. the reason i ask is because we have been booked to stay in that room this coming winter. does anybody have an explanation or a theory?

I was shocked to see that you had to pay $500 for airline tickets from NY. (I hope this was for both of you.) Jet Blue normally has $99-$119 each way. Once in San Juan, you could use one of the local carriers to fly to Vieques for about $100 or less RT (Cape Air, Vieques Air Link or Flamenco Air)

we go away during president's week every february and the airline prices are always high and tickets must be purchased during the summer. $500 for february is a "good" price and not extraordinary. so the price you pay is directly linked to when you fly. as you get closer to february, you will see the prices go up to over $1000 round trip. there are fewer flights and as many or more people getting away every february.
that has been my experience over the last 17 years of going away in february.
if someone knows a "secret" about getting cheap tickets that week i'd love to hear it and save money.