Returned Sunday night from 8 nights in Vieques. It was our 2nd trip in a year....and we loved it. It is a very mellow and unique island --- and in the past year, some amazing new restaurants have popped up to bring Vieques up to speed from a culinary perspective (see Nov. 2004 Food and Wine).

What makes Vieques unique in the Carribean are (from a good and bad perspective): interesting topography, secluded beaches, no high-rise development (and none to come as it is forbidden by law), no franchises (forbidden by law), no casinos or golf-courses, US dollar, Latin culture, much less development than some other islands, certain infrastructure problems, no cruise ships, really slow pace, unemployment nears 30%, 2/3 of the island is a natural wildlife preserve, designated as such by the US govt, the history of US military exercises on the island, lack of certain amenities (last year the island ran out of gas around the holidays for 3 days while waiting for a ferry from the mainland).

On this trip, we split our stay between Inn at the Blue Horizon and Hacienda Tamarindo --- liking the latter better. From what a lot of repeat visitors were saying, the IOBH has gotten a little shabby in recent years...but some rooms are nicer than others. Hacienda was about 2/3 the price, and seemed cleaner, better mantained, etc. The pool at Hacienda is one of the prettiest on the island. Next time we go back, we will probably rent a villa. We stayed at the Wyndham property (Martineau Bay) on our trip last January and were not impressed by the service, in light of the really high prices (esp for Vieques). The property has recently been sold to a prominent family from Spain, and they are looking to have Starwood operate it starting this summer. There is some debate about whether it will be a Luxury Collection property or a W hotel.

As for activities, we had 2 sailing/snorkeling days with Marauder Sailing, which was very fun and we highly recommend them. Its a husband/wife operation and they are great fun. Also, Vieques has the largest (and supposedly best) bioluminesent bay in the world and it is a very very cool sight. You have to do the trek with a group to the BioBay after dark, and wait for the bay to light up. Its not to be missed. You need a car to discover the hidden beaches (where we were sometimes the only people on the beach for hours at a time) --- our favorite beach is Navio with its pure white sand and clear water (the temp of bath water). We also got massages at the Martineau Bay spa (ask for Carlos!), and were surprised by the great service --- its being run as a Golden Door spa.

As for restaurants, try any of the following: Bayahonda (post-ethnic Carribean fusion --- amazing....in a creative industrial space and try the complimentary after dinner sherry --- not what I remember sherry tasting like!); Cafe Media Luna (Indian-Latin fusion tapas); Uvas (Argentian fusion); Chef Michael's FoodSpace (great lunches -- pate cheese and wine); Chez Shack (casual bohemian seafood shack!); Blue Macaw (its the must-do classic Vieques restaurant); and Bili (creative Puerto Rican -- try the Bili drink --- its very potent). There are others too, but these are my favorites. As a heads up -- try to avoid MBar during the holidays, and they are incapable of meeting the demands of a busy restaurant (though eating at the bar allowed us to avoid a lot of the mishaps many other patrons faces last week).

Hope this helps!

Thanks for your trip report. I have been looking at Vieques for our family of 10. We love to snorkel, sail, and spend time on the beach. In your opinion, where is the best place to stay? Would food for 10 cost me a fortune? Thanks, owa

Thanks for the trip report - we are headed to Vieques in March. Glad to hear that you liked the Hacienda Tamarindo as that is where we are booked. As for the snorkeling - did you book that before you got to the island or is this something you can book once you arrive?

Owa: Look into a villa --- check the enchanted-isle.com website or some of the local realtors. As long as you are not going during high season, you should be able to find a villa. And its more affordable. Alternatively, looking at renting rooms at Hacienda Tamarindo (its a large house, with a small cottage with 2 bdrms attached).
Food prices vary. Most of the restaurants in my report were higher end and thus, pricier. There are restaurants which are much lower priced too. It all depends on what you are looking for.

JuliePA: I made my arrangements for snorkeling beforehand since it was high season. They were really busy and in high demand, so if you know you are going to do it, I would reserve ahead of time.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Enjoyed reading your report. We were in Vieques in Oct 03 and Feb 04. Stayed at Wyndham both times. The first time it was stay 3 days get the 4th free so we stayed 8 days and it worked out to about $200/day. The second I won a six day auction for about $1200 which includud breakfast every day one dinner and two 50 Min massages. Since I am a wyndham by request member we were upgraded to an ocean front suite both times. The first time they were only open six months and had some kinks to work out especially with the dinner menu but the second tome was much better. Thought the staff was excellent. Interesting it's being sold. It was originally built by Starwood and all Wyndham had to do was uncrate the furniture and open it. Agree about Carlos. Had a hot stone massage which was great and I'm not a massage person. Really nice spa facilities. We loved Blue Mccaw, Bayaonda, Chez Shack and Cafe Media Luna too.

My family and I traveled to Vieques in December 2002. We stayed at the Crow's Nest and loved it. The staff is very friendly, there is a delightful restaurant and bar on site and a very beautiful pool with a view of a field where a family of horses were grazing. It was gorgeous, comfortable and very affordable. Check it out!

Thank you for the great trip report! We are headed to Vieques and Culebra for the first time in early Feb. Can you explain what you mean by the Mbar? Great dining tips too. Who did you do the bio bay trip with? Thanks again.

dswl: How do you contact Marauder Sailing - do they have a web site?

Julie PA:

You can reach Marauder Sailing at 787-435-4858 (see the ad in http://www.vieques-events.com/)

Sharondi:

About MBar --- I just meant it was a nightmare service-wise during the holidays. Its across from the Wyndham so a lot of people go there, but they couldn't handle the crowds (we saw at least 4 tables just walk out the night we were there). Even though we had a reservation, they couldn't seat us. But we were on vacation --- so we ordered some drinks and ate at the bar area (it was actually pretty good). We went on a Tuesday night, and most restaurants are closed on Tuesdays in Vieques so it was slim pickings.

we are going to vieques the beginning of feb-have not been in 2 years. would you please tell me about boyahonda and mbar-where are they located?

Bayaonda is located west of Isabella Segundo on Route 200 going toward Wyndham Martineau Bay and the airport. It is past Route 201 which goes to Esperanza on a corner on the left hand side. Not fancy--Tin roof, concrete floor sort of eclectic with cloums that go nowhere but excellent food.. Can't help with Mbar unless it is the old Patio near Wyndahm on route 200.

We bdid the Bio Bay tour with Island Adventures which is by Inn on the Blue Horizon. They take you by bus to Sun Bay and Mosquito lagoon and use a pontoon boat. Ideally yoou want a dark overcast night with no moon but the advantage of the pontoon boat is that if it is light you can swim under the pontoons for full effect. Their phone # is 741-0720. When we went they were doing two tours a night about 7 and 8:30 PM