If you have to take a 9 passenger plane to get somewhere then you know it’s going to be worthwhile.
That’s how we got to Vieques, our latest adventure. 8 miles from the Puerto Rico mainland it straddles the Caribbean and the Atlantic. You can take a ferry which is more of a schlep; we opted for a plane, which takes about 15 minutes from San Juan. For me, who stresses out when I have to fly, taking a 9 seater in itself is an adventure. Everyone has to “truthfully” give their weight, the bags have to be weighed and then each person is given a designated seat so the weight is evenly distributed. Looking at the gathering clouds, I really thought I was going to die but in actuality I rather liked the flight. Flying beneath the clouds along the coast, you get a nice view and before we knew it we were landing.
If you’re looking for boutique hotels and upscale shops, go to St. Martin. If you’re looking for small funky inns, pristine beaches, wildlife refuges, natural beauty, the famous bio-luminscent bay, wild horses, scrappy dogs, great restaurants and a few good shops and galleries, then Vieques is for you. There’s nothing pretentious about it. Just two gas stations, owned by the same person, no Starbucks or other brand name establishment, no big box stores and the people are proud of that fact. The only name brand on the island is a W hotel, where we went for a drink on our first night.
All you need to pack are shorts, t-shirts, bathing suits, flip flops and a good book.
It’s small with a population of under 10,000, there’s not one stop light on the island, it’s in slight disrepair and every car looks like its been sandblasted. This is a typical home in Isabel Segundo II. Slowly, shops and homes are being bought and renovated.
There are two towns, Isabel Segundo 11 which is the capital and where the ferry docks and is on the Atlantic side. Esperanza which has a little Malecon on one side with bars and a people selling beach wear and the usual costume jewelry. On the other side of the street is a strip with restaurants and bars. Esperanza is on the Carribbean side of the island and has a little more going on.
Once used by the US Navy as a firing and testing range for bombs and missiles, it’s now on the radar for people looking for the next “it” spot. I’m not sure it’s going to be an “it spot but there are plenty of people who have made it their second home and many people who are now calling it home.
Wild horses? Yes, all over the island, in the streets and in the country, horses are everywhere.
Beaches, the count varies anywhere from 25-50 beaches depending on who you talk to. Some say the beaches are among the best in the Caribbean and I second that thought. I’ve been to magnificent beaches all over the world and these count as some of the best. On our first day we drove the length of the island to a beach called Green Beach. Very remote, with a bad road but the destination made it worthwhile. Not a single person on the beach.
Five miles of bad road!! But beautiful, right? Thank god we didn’t get a flat tire. No cell service and no people!!
Our second day, two beaches. The best part, drive to the beach, park your car and walk about 100 steps to the beach. The one warning we were always given, leave your car windows open or else you’ll come back to smashed windows.
There are beach police and four wheel drive vehicles patrolling some of the beaches. On one particular beach, Roy decided to change into his bathing suit on the beach. I didn’t even see him doing it. All I saw was the police driving by and warning him that he could be arrested for doing that. That’s my boy!
How’s this for a beach? Not too shabby, right?
Food? Not a bad meal. From the very first meal we had after we got settled in to our last meal. All good. If you want down and dirty Puerto Rican cuisine it’s there. If you want upscale dining-ditto. If you want a food truck-yup they have that too!
This truck was parked in front of the beach in Esperanza. Fresh fruit smoothies and frappes.
A little local color along the Malecon in Esperanza.
This is El Yate, where we had our first taste of local fare. Rice and beans, tostones, conch empanadillas, conch salad, friendly people, cold beer, and hot sauce so good we had to go to a store/bar where it was being sold so we could buy some. El Yate made a good first impression of what was to come.
One of our favorite restaurants was Bili in Esperanza. We ate lunch there twice. This is a conch empanadilla, which was followed by grilled spiny Caribbean lobster. A local specialty that we also ordered was Mamposteao which is stir fry rice with beans, peppers, a secret ingredient and ripe plantain chutney. Do I have to tell you how good that was? The chef is a Culinary Institute of America grad and has some good cred. Eric Ripert of Le Bernadin was so impressed with the conch salad, which we had, that he came back twice and needed to know the recipe.
I have a soft spot for the scrappy dogs. Vieques has plenty but people are taking them in and tourists are taking them home. Many of the airlines offer free transportation for the dogs. The dogs I saw were running in little packs. They were happy and looked like they ate well. Take a look – what do you think?
So, that’s how we spent our Fourth of July holiday. Much better than going to Martha’s Vineyard and costing about the same. Will we go back? I don’t think so. Too many places to go, too little time. We are going to another island later this summer which is the opposite of what I’ve described about Vieques. The island of Capri. Can’t wait!
See you at the bar….
