mauilover07

Hello - my husband and I are looking to rent a small villa for a week next January or February on either St. John's or Vieques. Can anyone recommend a nice, clean villa close to a nice beach that is also a short drive to restaurants and shopping? Also, we are planning on renting a car - do we need 4-wheel drive to get around? Thank you!

ishkribbl

I have not stayed at these places but based on other people's great reviews I had bookmarked these two places for future trips ideas. You might want to look at the websites and if they look interesting then do some research from there:

www.palmcottagesvieques.com
http://bravosbythesea.com

both are on Vieques- we have been to Culebra (and St. John) but not Vieques yet. Vieques would be much less expensive in the long run than SJ if cost is a factor. I think you would need a jeep in either place but that is just my opinion. Take a look....

Pulley

On St. John there are not a whole lot of beach villas for rent. Most are on Great Cruz Bay, near the Westin. This is my least favorite beach on St. John. So if SJ is your destination you will have to rent a jeep. There are so many beautiful beaches and great snorkeling spots that a jeep is a must. Pick a villa within your price range and the amenities you want (pool, A/C, etc.) and enjoy all of St. John. You'll like being close to Cruz Bay. If money is no object then I would look at Caneel, 7 beaches, and close to town or Gallows Point where you can walk to town. One thing to consider is you are going during high season and limited parking in Cruz Bay makes Gallows Point a favorite. Of course from Caneel you could take a taxi. Hope this helps.

mauilover07

Thanks to both of you for the wonderful travel advice. I went to both of the websites that ishkribbl recommended (there is no "s" after palmcottagevieques.com by the way). But I did wanted to ask ishkribbl how they found Culebra and is it easy to get from Vieques to Culebra? I heard Culebra is beautiful too but perhaps not too much other stuff to do there but go to the beach?

mahobaygirl

If you go to enchanted-isle.com there are tons of places to rent in Vieques, it will also have a link for Culebra.
I would definately get a 4 wheel drive. On Vieques most beaches are down old roads with pot holes and such and on STJ there are the steep hills that get slippery when it rains and lots of the villas are up very steep hills.
I prefer STJ for the beauty and the beaches,and snorkeling, but Vieques has beaches that are almost as beautiful, and they are much more deserted. Overall it will cost less to visit VQS.
Getting to Culebra from VQS can be done on a hopper flight, I think they just charter now, no more scheduled.. Otherwise you take a very early morning ferry to the big island and then turn around and get on the ferry to culebra, and the same thing when you want to get back to vieques...a LOT of wasted time.
Hope this helps.
We only visited Culebra once, and found Flamenco Beach long and beautiful, but while Vieques is "sleepy", CUL is "asleep"!!

ishkribbl

Culebra is not for everyone, for sure! It is very laid back and for people who are looking for more "off the beaten path" vacations. We thought Zoni Beach was absolutely gorgeous. We wanted to try to split our time between Culebra and Vieques or at least visit Vieques but the person who answered you is correct- it is very close but very difficult (or expensive) to go from one to the other so we gave up. We found some good places to eat and a different beach adventure every day- we are snorkelers- but there is certainly nothing on Culebra like the nicer restaurants and shops on SJ. It all depends on your personality and vacation style. If you like remote, primitive but beautiful then maybe you would want to look at Zoni Beach House rental but I think maybe SJ is probably more what you are looking for.

mauilover07

Thanks for all of the travel advice. We do have a limited budget and as of now it seems that Vieques fits the bill - unless anyone has any other similar inexpensive villa recommendations on other islands?

Maggi

As I mentioned in my trip report back in September, I heartily recommend the Palm Cottages and the Bravos by the Sea rentals. We stayed in the Pool Cottage (part of the Palm Cottage complex) and were more than happy there. The furnishings and design are upscale, professional, clean and comfortable. You won't believe the fabulous pool there, complete with waterfall feature. We toured Bravos by the Sea (these properties are owned by the same people) and would definitely rent that place next time.