Vieques trip report
Feb 1st, 2004 | 04:16 PM
#1
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 114
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Vieques trip report
Back from a wonderful five days in Vieques. We flew from home to the San Juan Airport and rolled our bags to Vieques Air Link, thinking we'd have to wait several hours for our scheduled flight. But they put us on a tiny plane leaving immediately with another couple, so we arrived at the Vieques airport in early afternoon.
The terminal is new, small but attractive, and we were instructed to go inside to wait for our baggage. A minute later the buzzer sounded and the conveyor belt started. What luck--our bags were the first to arrive! (Of course, there were only ours and the other couple's!)
We took a publico to Island Rental Car, which had a Chevy Tracker waiting for us, and with the help of the indispensable island map drove to Hacienda Tamarindo for our four-night stay. The Hacienda is an attractive 16-room inn on a hill overlooking the Caribbean, and graciously provides beach chairs, towels, coolers and ice for its guests. It's a five-minute drive from the seaside town of Esperanza, where we twice had grilled fish sandwiches and home-made fries at Bananas (hey, they were good), and a five-minute walk to the gorgeous Inn on the Blue Horizon, where we ate at the Blue Macaw bar.
The rooms at Hacienda Tamarindo are comfortable and immaculate, but some rooms/views are better than others. We spent two nights in a rather gloomy room with a partial sea view next to the breakfast area, which would not be advisable for late sleepers, and the other two nights in a glorious corner room with
French doors that open to a tiny balcony. (We would have loved to have stayed in the corner room all four nights, but it was
reserved. On the other hand, that room didn't have air conditioning but the non-corner room did, which may be important to some folks.) And although I wasn't inside any, I don't think the rooms next to the parking area would be worth the price, since Tamarindo is one of the more expensive properties on the island.
There's been a lot of discussion on this board about what are the best beaches, and in my opinion they're all wonderful--pristine and empty, with soft, white sand, tropical vistas and, at least when we were there, calm blue seas that were wam and clear--perfect for snorkeling. Each day we drove to one or two different locations. Some beaches offer remote, private coves, and others are long crescents with wooden cabanas for shade. We would park near rocky outcroppings at each beach, because that generally signaled reef life below. The snorkeling was excellent--lots of small fish, live conch and starfish, and a huge variety of coral, all just a few feet
beneath you. Our favorite was Red Beach, on a beautiful bay with a lovely stretch of sand for walking, cabanas with picnic tables and a portapotty. The rocks and reef are at the far left, but you need to swim around the bend to see a profusion of sea fans. At most beaches a tiny biting insect would emerge toward the end of the day, so wear repellent if you're staying late.
Because the bioluminescent bay was the main reason for going to Vieques, we visited it twice--with Island Adventures (www.biobay.com) and with Golden Heron Kayaks (www.golden-heron.com). Island Adventures, which coincidentally is headquartered next to Hacienda Tamarindo, transported the evening's group in a schoolbus to the Biobay, where we boarded a boat. The crew was very knowledgable and did a good job explaining both the bioluminescence and the night sky.
There's an exceptionally dense concentration of bioluminescent
organisms in this particular bay, which has the unfortunate name of Mosquito Bay, and each one gives off a bright burst of light
when disturbed. So as the boat motored to the middle of the bay we'd see glowing areas caused by fish flying out of the water and stingrays racing away. But the best part was swimming in the bay. Almost everyone went in the water to enjoy the phenomenon up close. A glow would surround the swimmers, who looked like they were lit from below. My favorite experience was just wriggling my fingers in the water--I could see the individual bursts of light splash off my hand, like diamonds flashing, while looking up at a canopy of stars.
The following day we took Golden Heron's afternoon and evening kayak trip. About a dozen people met Elena, the owner, in Esperanza and we carpooled to the Biobay. Elena gave us Skin So Soft to repel bugs because deet isn't allowed in the bay. We
got into plastic kayaks with three guides (not Elena) and set off to a nearby area of dense mangrove channels, through which we didn't so much kayak as pull ourselves along. Then we had to kayak across the bay and through the channel into the sea. I had
only kayaked once before, in a gentle river, so after a while my shoulders and elbows hurt so much I couldn't keep up and a guide had to tow me! After a moderate distance in the ocean we landed at a beach. We then swam out to snorkel over a sea fan garden and returned to the beach to enjoy the sunset. The guides distributed our dinner (chicken and veggies in individual containers), made a bonfire and sang. It was about then that I was attacked by tiny flying insects that gave me dozens of bites that tortured me for almost a week. At dusk we kayaked back into the Biobay, reaching the middle by dark, and helped each other ease out of the kayaks to swim. Getting back in was more of a challenge. It was wonderful to see the glow caused by each stroke of our oars.
There are so few roads on Vieques that after a few days we had covered the populated central part of the island. However, there are miles of dirt roads now open in the preserves on the east and west ends that we didn't get to, some leading to beaches. FYI, I was unimpressed by the island's main town, Isabel Segundo, but found the rest of Vieques attractive and low-key. I would definitely return.
The terminal is new, small but attractive, and we were instructed to go inside to wait for our baggage. A minute later the buzzer sounded and the conveyor belt started. What luck--our bags were the first to arrive! (Of course, there were only ours and the other couple's!)
We took a publico to Island Rental Car, which had a Chevy Tracker waiting for us, and with the help of the indispensable island map drove to Hacienda Tamarindo for our four-night stay. The Hacienda is an attractive 16-room inn on a hill overlooking the Caribbean, and graciously provides beach chairs, towels, coolers and ice for its guests. It's a five-minute drive from the seaside town of Esperanza, where we twice had grilled fish sandwiches and home-made fries at Bananas (hey, they were good), and a five-minute walk to the gorgeous Inn on the Blue Horizon, where we ate at the Blue Macaw bar.
The rooms at Hacienda Tamarindo are comfortable and immaculate, but some rooms/views are better than others. We spent two nights in a rather gloomy room with a partial sea view next to the breakfast area, which would not be advisable for late sleepers, and the other two nights in a glorious corner room with
French doors that open to a tiny balcony. (We would have loved to have stayed in the corner room all four nights, but it was
reserved. On the other hand, that room didn't have air conditioning but the non-corner room did, which may be important to some folks.) And although I wasn't inside any, I don't think the rooms next to the parking area would be worth the price, since Tamarindo is one of the more expensive properties on the island.
There's been a lot of discussion on this board about what are the best beaches, and in my opinion they're all wonderful--pristine and empty, with soft, white sand, tropical vistas and, at least when we were there, calm blue seas that were wam and clear--perfect for snorkeling. Each day we drove to one or two different locations. Some beaches offer remote, private coves, and others are long crescents with wooden cabanas for shade. We would park near rocky outcroppings at each beach, because that generally signaled reef life below. The snorkeling was excellent--lots of small fish, live conch and starfish, and a huge variety of coral, all just a few feet
beneath you. Our favorite was Red Beach, on a beautiful bay with a lovely stretch of sand for walking, cabanas with picnic tables and a portapotty. The rocks and reef are at the far left, but you need to swim around the bend to see a profusion of sea fans. At most beaches a tiny biting insect would emerge toward the end of the day, so wear repellent if you're staying late.
Because the bioluminescent bay was the main reason for going to Vieques, we visited it twice--with Island Adventures (www.biobay.com) and with Golden Heron Kayaks (www.golden-heron.com). Island Adventures, which coincidentally is headquartered next to Hacienda Tamarindo, transported the evening's group in a schoolbus to the Biobay, where we boarded a boat. The crew was very knowledgable and did a good job explaining both the bioluminescence and the night sky.
There's an exceptionally dense concentration of bioluminescent
organisms in this particular bay, which has the unfortunate name of Mosquito Bay, and each one gives off a bright burst of light
when disturbed. So as the boat motored to the middle of the bay we'd see glowing areas caused by fish flying out of the water and stingrays racing away. But the best part was swimming in the bay. Almost everyone went in the water to enjoy the phenomenon up close. A glow would surround the swimmers, who looked like they were lit from below. My favorite experience was just wriggling my fingers in the water--I could see the individual bursts of light splash off my hand, like diamonds flashing, while looking up at a canopy of stars.
The following day we took Golden Heron's afternoon and evening kayak trip. About a dozen people met Elena, the owner, in Esperanza and we carpooled to the Biobay. Elena gave us Skin So Soft to repel bugs because deet isn't allowed in the bay. We
got into plastic kayaks with three guides (not Elena) and set off to a nearby area of dense mangrove channels, through which we didn't so much kayak as pull ourselves along. Then we had to kayak across the bay and through the channel into the sea. I had
only kayaked once before, in a gentle river, so after a while my shoulders and elbows hurt so much I couldn't keep up and a guide had to tow me! After a moderate distance in the ocean we landed at a beach. We then swam out to snorkel over a sea fan garden and returned to the beach to enjoy the sunset. The guides distributed our dinner (chicken and veggies in individual containers), made a bonfire and sang. It was about then that I was attacked by tiny flying insects that gave me dozens of bites that tortured me for almost a week. At dusk we kayaked back into the Biobay, reaching the middle by dark, and helped each other ease out of the kayaks to swim. Getting back in was more of a challenge. It was wonderful to see the glow caused by each stroke of our oars.
There are so few roads on Vieques that after a few days we had covered the populated central part of the island. However, there are miles of dirt roads now open in the preserves on the east and west ends that we didn't get to, some leading to beaches. FYI, I was unimpressed by the island's main town, Isabel Segundo, but found the rest of Vieques attractive and low-key. I would definitely return.
Feb 2nd, 2004 | 10:21 AM
#2
Joined: Feb 2003
Posts: 88
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Thanks for such a good report. We are staying "underneath" Tamarindo at Hector's by the Sea. Our rental car is supposed to be waiting for us there. Where can we pick up the island road map you mentioned? Can't wait to escape the snow.
Feb 2nd, 2004 | 05:43 PM
#4
Original Poster
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 114
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Dianne, the map is available at many locations--try the Vieques Air Link desk if you're flying in, or one of the shops on Esperanza's main street. It's produced by a local firm that sells ads on it, so I imagine any shop that buys an ad (such as Trade Winds, Tropical Baby and the Tiki Hut) carries the map.
Apr 11th, 2004 | 10:39 AM
#7
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 6
Likes: 0
great info on vieques!
around what time did you notice the no-see-ums and mosquitos coming out on the beach? afternoonish or more evening? im traveling with someone whos allergic to mosquito bites, so we're going to really try to avoid those times!
thanks
around what time did you notice the no-see-ums and mosquitos coming out on the beach? afternoonish or more evening? im traveling with someone whos allergic to mosquito bites, so we're going to really try to avoid those times!
thanks
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