January 31, 2019

Vieques, an island off the coast of Mainland Puerto Rico, known as “Isla Nena” aka Little Girl. Vieques is known for it’s breathtaking white sand beaches, unbelievable sapphire blue waters, and oh yeah, a casual FOUR THOUSAND horses that freely roam about the island. I know what question you must all be thinking so I’ll get to that now. What is the condition of Vieques post-Hurricane Maria? To be honest, it’s great! We talked to quite a few locals that experienced the hurricane – some who are from the island stayed throughout the storm and others, whose livelihoods were more affected by the disaster, which deterred tourism, think (scuba instructors, restaurant workers). Some of these people left the island for the good part of a year, to places where they could make money and one-day return. Many people who did so are now back, helping to restore the island to it’s original condition – and they are doing a damn good job! There are many restaurants and bars back up and running, guest houses, Air B n B’s and hotels are not only in operating condition, but it’s as if you wouldn’t even know there was a hurricane. What brought us to Vieques you ask? Scuba diving! Our time in Vieques was short and sweet, but here’s a glimpse into 36-hours in Vieques, a Puerto Rican paradise. How To Get To Vieques The first way to get to Vieques is by ferry. Before Maria, the ferry was located in Fajarado – about a 45 minute drive from the San Juan airport. Now, the ferry is located a bit further down the road at an old naval base in Ceiba. There are two types of ferries that run – the passenger ferry (slightly faster) and the cargo ferry (carries passengers, as well). Check the schedules here and remember to arrive early to secure your spot! We landed in San Juan and immediately jumped in a taxi to head for Ceiba and catch the last cargo ferry, and last ferry in general, for that evening. Since we were on a time crunch, we grabbed the fixed rate taxi (as opposed to walking closer to the city and grabbing an Uber – FYI Ubers are not allowed to enter the airport area, so you must take their local taxis or walk 15 minutes to an Uber-friendly zone). The taxi from the airport to Ceiba Ferry Terminal cost us $92 which we thought was a bit steep, but hey, we didn’t really have another option. At the ferry terminal, tickets for the departure time you want go on sale one hour prior to departure, but advanced reservations for cars or large cargo can be made ahead of time and are highly recommended! Our ferry was scheduled to depart at 8:15 pm and took about one hour dock to dock. Fortunately, our accommodations were only half a mile from the ferry terminal in Vieques, so we could walk to our hotel. Where We Stayed in Vieques. Before our trip, we scoured the internet for a good Air B n B or hotel. Most Air B n B hosts would not let us book because we were taking the last ferry – which turns out can often be delayed. Due to this potential scenario, most hosts did not want to have to wait up for us. So, we found a place that would, Tropical Guest House. The owners of Tropical Guest House, Joe and Maria, are kind and generous hosts that helped us navigate the journey from the mainland to Vieques and were beyond accommodating and sweet! Maria met us at nearly 11:00 at night, gave us a run down of the island and guest house and was always available to answer any question we had. Side note (pretty much everyone speaks impeccable English here!). Tropical Guest House is in a more local neighborhood, but is walking distance to some of the best coffee shops and restaurants on the island (a topic for later). Our room was quaint and simple, exactly what we needed: a queen bed, space to put our luggage, and a full bathroom with HOT water (so great after a chilly night dive). Our room even had a view of the luscious jungle backyard, where we spotted an couple iguanas sunbathing during the heat of the day. How to Get Around the Island There are a couple taxi services on the island we took advantage of. Although it is an island, there are certain places that are miles and miles apart from each other and not feasible to walk to. 787-741-8294 and 939-208-1600 are the numbers of local taxi drivers. Keep in mind, taxis can add up, but if you’re only on the island for a day or two like we were, it’s probably the best option to get around. Alternatively, many people rent scooters, golf carts or Jeeps to trek around the island of Vieques. There are many shops around the island to choose from but a local recommendation was Scooters for Rent! What to Do Scuba We spent the majority of our time under the sea with our friends Tania and Arnaud from Isla Nina Scuba. We did 3 dives in one day, starting with the first two over in Esperanza (about 4 miles from where we stayed in Isabel II). We met Arnaud at 8:00 am and headed out to La Corona, a beautiful dive location where we saw sting rays, GIANT green moray eels, grouper, king Caribbean crab and some other beautiful fish. The first dive was 58 minutes and a depth of 64 feet. We went back to the boat dock for a quick surface snack Arnaud so kindly provided of roasted pine nut hummus and crunchy pita chips. We all exchanged dive stories about sea life and funny scuba incidents, then headed out to a site called Anchor, for dive number two. The second dive was a shallower dive of around 54 feet, but equally as beautiful (with scuba diving, it’s rarely about how deep you go!). On this dive, we watched giant lobster scatter across the ocean floor as we floated above, triggerfish darting amongst the soft corals, spider crabs, and my personal favorite, Christmas tree worms that suck themselves back into tiny holes at the speed of lightning (take that claim with a grain of salt). Our third dive brought us all the way out to Mosquito Pier. Quick history lesson for you: Mosquito Bay used to be part of the naval base in Vieques, where the government attempted to build a land bridge from Vieques to the Puerto Rico mainland - crazy, right?! Now the crumbling pier provides an underwater habitat that is a mecca for scuba diving! Keep an eye out for sea turtles, octopus, dozens of lobster and tarpon fish. Visit a Bioluminescent Bay Unfortunately we did not get to go on a bioluminescent bay night tour - so little time, so much to do! But, everyone says this is a MUST while on Vieques and that the island boasts the world's most vibrant bioluminescent bay. We saw a few bioluminescent plankton on our night dive, but nothing near compared to what the island of Vieque has to offer. Walk Around Through the Town & Colorful Neighborhoods One of my favorite things about Puerto Rico is the vibrant color EVERYWHERE. Bright yellows, pinks, blues, reds, greens, you name it - Puerto Rico is like an artists paint palette, unashamedly bold and beautiful. I could have walked the streets and neighborhoods for hours on end, oggling at homes but I have a feeling the locals might get tired of it pretty fast. Here are a few of my favorite buildings from bopping around Vieques. Take a Morning Stroll on Seaglass Beach Ever dreamed of finding a note in an old bottle washed up on the beach shore? Well, at Seaglass Beach in Vieques, you might just stumble upon one. This short stretch of rocky beach is perfect for a quick morning stroll. Walk a short ways into the water and you'll find a shallow rock reef formation that you can stand on making it look like you're walking on water! Don't worry you can stand on it, it's not a corral reef :) Island Eats Coffee at Panaderia La Viequense Panaderia La Viequense is a charming local cafe recommended to us by our guest house host, Maria. It is on the outer edges of "downtown" Isabel II and you can't miss the double doors brazen with metal seahorses. The coffee shop is famous for baked sweets and morning treats but we chose instead to grab a couple of frothy lattes. Word on the street is to try the guava pastries! Yelp reviews say this spot is cash only, but we were able to pay with plastic! Breakfast at Roy's Trip Advisor will say it's closed, but don't fret! Roy's Coffee Lounge is open for business and cute as ever! Nestled behind the walls of a cotton candy pink building, this coffee and dining spot is a gem not to miss. The front of the cafe dons a small dining and bar area, then opens up to a luscious outdoor patio that extends way back, revealing over a dozen tables. There are cats roaming around the outdoors, not bothersome, but just a heads up if you're allergic, consider the inside seating. We sat outside tucked up against the wall under palm fronds that occasionally tickled my back. Wondering what to order? Try one of Roy's famous skillets and a peach belini - they'll bring you your own miniature champagne bottle! Cheers! Lunch Oceanside at Duffy's A dining experience at Duffy's is hard to beat. Oceanfront views, indoor/outdoor seating, friendly service, a large menu with options for vegan and vegetarians, and the coldest craft beer on the island! We went to Duffy's for a post-scuba lunch and let me tell you how a refreshing a Corona with lime tasted on our salty sun-kissed lips. If they have it freshly caught, order the lobster ceviche with plantain chips! Afternoon Ice Cream at D'Frozz Artisanal Ice Cream & Coffee Bar We stumbled on this adorable ice cream shop while exploring downtown Isabel II and ventured inside to find the cutest colorful interior with decadent ice cream made in-house. Not going to lie, the air conditioning was heavenly in the midst of a humid Puerto Rican day. Dinner at El Local OO765 El Local is a brand new restaurant to the island of Vieques, inspired by the local Viequense cuisine. The menu at El Local aims to please and I cannot put into words how incredible the cocktails were! The detailed and intricate production topped with a beautiful presentation kept us sipping all evening long! What to try: Appetizer: El Triangulo (Conch Salad!) Dinner: Punta Mulas (Fish of the Day -...

Travel Guide to Vieques, Puerto Rico