The wife and I are heading for a week of restful and sunny relaxation in Puerto Rico on the island Vieques. We’ll be vacationing with two other couples and a single friend, and we have two adjacent suites near Isobel II. We’ll be flying into San Juan, and taking a ferry to Isobel.
What to do and see? We are planning on renting a car on Vieques, but also taking at least one day trip to El Yunque on PR proper. I understand we are not allowed to take the car on the ferry, so we will either need a taxi or a second rental car for that day.
What foods to try? What to drink (Rum, I guess, but what type?) Are there any good local beers? What beaches to see (we’re definitely planning on Puerto Mosquito, which is the bioluminiscent one)
What should we know? Anything to be wary of? Two of us speak pidgin Spanish, and I speak Italian, which means I usually understand 30-40% of spoken spanish, more if it’s slow.
Regale me with tales and advice, o Dopers!
The Bio Bay is fantastic, just watch the moon phase. I strongly suggest you do a kayak tour rather than a motorboat tour.
Get a publico (shared van) at the airport to take you to Fajardo to catch the ferry. Watch your timing there, ferries often fill up quickly. Don’t count on just showing up and strolling onto the boat. It’s a real hassle, I prefer to fly the puddle jumpers.
I’d suggest you get to El Yunque before you leave the big island to save the multiple ferry hassles.
Rum is very good, readily available, and cheap. The local beer, Medalla is pretty light and not very flavorful. Imported beer can be pretty expensive. I generally stick to rum and soda or rum and fruit juice when I’m in PR.
Your Spanish skills should do you just fine. Almost everyone you meet will speak decent English.
Things to do/see:
The beaches on the West end of the island. Watch out for petty thieves, it’s pretty isolated out there.
Happy Hour at The Crow’s Nest
Snorkeling (hook up with a dive guide, it’ll be money well spent)
Banana’s restaurant (try the snapper sandwich)
Have fun, and you may also want to check out Culebra for your next vacation. It’s a little more laid back than Vieques.
They say Playa Flamenco, in Culebra, is an awesome beach. I haven’t been there, but I have a soft spot for Crashboat, in Aguadilla (west coast).
Personally, I like Medalla Light way more than I like other beers… Plus, it IS pretty cheap ($1-$3).
Puertorican Spanish is fast, although they will speak it slow for tourists, or more than likely, speak English for you.
The ferries are the main transport between the islets and the main island, so they’re more likely to be crowded than the small planes. The planes can also fill up fast, don’t count on either one of them to have space available when you need it, you may have to wait for the next one.
My drink of choice in warm weather is rum and tonic. Puerto Ricans strongly prefer Don Q to Bacardi, as the latter was a Cuban company that relocated to Puerto Rico after the revolution.
San Juan is worth spending a day or so in, especially if you have never been there or haven’t been back in awhile.
We honeymooned at the El Conquistador - we enjoyed it very much. Plus I had been to Puerto Rico a half-dozen times before this when I was in the Navy.
As mentioned, the ferry is the de facto “mass transit” for the islands and it fills up fast – and come to think of it, it doesn’t really run as often as it should (only four runs a day – the first and last are usually mobbed). The local puddle-jumper flights are often more sought out for efficiency.
An important update on the local flights: the Fajardo airport operation has been consolidated with the airport in Ceiba at the old Roosevelt Roads NAS, so it’s a wee bit farther afield. At Fajardo/Ceiba and Vieques some of the hometown carriers (VAL, Isla Nena Air, Air Sunshine) can arrange short-notice charters if the scheduled services fill up. From SJU itself those airlines and also US company Cape Air also do Vieques runs (Cape Air: about every 2 hours) for a higher cost.