Author: wanderer (---.nycmny.east.verizon.net)
Date: 04-02-06 08:09
A group of us traveled together on this trip and it was great. We used Padin transportation to get from SJU to Fajardo. Ilca and her husband are a great team. They showed up on time both times (roundtrip). From there, we took the ferry which cost $2.25 each to Culebra. Upon arrival, we grabbed a publico which cost $2.00 per person. Ask around for Sammy's number. He always sent a vehicle out to us or our friends regardless of time. Extremely dependable imo.
Some of us camped out on Flamenco Beach while others stayed at Posada La Hamaca.
Camping on Flamenco Beach -
We stayed in area D because area E was totally taken up (we arrived on a Sunday). I was a little disappointed because we weren't directly on the sand with the water right in front of us, but there are a couple of spots in area E which are (but were taken). I did see a swarm of bees which freaked me out - turns out we later saw that the hive must have fallen at the time we walked in their direction. I also saw scorpions a couple of times which made me nervous through our stay. As far as insect bites - there were plenty! Mosquitoes, no-see-ums, even ants. I started out the trip going from all-natural repellants and working my way up to 98% Deet (Ben's). During our stay, the showers weren't working but thankfully, we brought our own sun shower and that really helped. The bathrooms lights worked one night during our four night stay and it was a heart pounding experience to use them at night when the waterbugs were out. Day time was fine. Definitely bring your own toilet tissue and maybe Purell wipes for germaphobes. Regardless of these little factors, Playa Flamenco is ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL and totally worth spending your days at. Hubby and I are usually the exploring types but we pretty much stayed put on Playa Flamenco and headed into town two out of the four evenings we were there. We were so content we never had the urge to do anything else. Very out of the ordinary for us. :) Other things to consider is to bring sunglasses, a sun hat and LOTS of sunscreen. The sun is really strong but walking on the sand was nothing. If you're not into snorkeling, you might still want to at least consider bringing goggles.
Mamacita's -
It's true, the food is great. I had the Churrasca which was cooked to perfection. The service is wonderful and we all had a blast at the bar.
Posada La Hamaca -
We visited our pals who were staying here. The backyard is really nice to relax at during the day (if you're not hitting the beach). The rooms looked clean. Its proximity to Mamacita's is a major plus.
From Culebra, we took the Island Hi Speed ferry to Vieques. It was a very comfortable ride. We docked in Isabel and took a $3 pp publico ride to Esperanza where our group stayed at Casa Alta Vista which was the perfect choice. Walking distance to town, clean rooms, AC, and the rooftop deck is awesome for star gazing. My only problem which my husband didn't tell me about until we were leaving the island is that they charged us for using the light in the hall! Meanwhile, it wasn't on nearly as often as our friends and they weren't charged! Despite that, everyone had a great time with Ricky and the owner Mark.
We all did the biobay tour with Blue Caribe. The experience itself was very cool. For those afraid fo the water, you can try to ask them to put you in a two-man kayak instead and go with someone who you feel comfortable with. They usually reserve these kayaks for those with children. I think next time, I'm going to see what it's like to do the biobay with another tour. I didn't feel completely satisfied. One warning, when you get out of the van upon arrival at the biobay site, watch out for those bushes - they're thorny. No one warned us of this and I nearly backed right into one!
Eats:
Lunch at Bilis- wasn't for me or a few others in our group. A burger ordered medium rare came out well done - very well done.
Lunch at Tito Blokes - They ran out of chuletas (pork) and fried chicken which all of us were hankering for. They only had some seafood items and wouldn't let us order side dishes like beans and rice since we didn't want seafood.
Dinner at Bananas - great staff. Really awesome service. We arrived right before the kitchen was closing and totally accommodated our group. The pork chops were awesome as were the ribs.
Dinner at Tradewinds - better make reservations. Friends were looking forward to dining there and were turned away two nights in a row.
There is a spot to enjoy a nice breakfast / lunch which is right next to Extreme Watersports (?) on the strip. There is an antique shop inside as well. I highly recommend it - they are so accommodating and friendly, I wanted to stay in Vieques another day just to have breakfast there again.
Extreme Watersports does a $250 jetski island tour with a stop in Isabel. I highly recommend it. The owner is AWESOME and down to earth. It was one of the highlights of our visit in Vieques.
I think that's it for my review...hope it helps those visiting either island for the first time! :)
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