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Hello, once again I am turning to everyone on this very active forum for advice and opinion. We have visited Culebra and absolutely love it like everyone else. We thought we might visit Vieques just to compare. I was interested to know if Vieques is similar to Culebra or very different. I mean the atmosphere, the towns, and the friendliness. Is Vieques as warm and welcoming as Culebra? I know there are two towns and more people. I was interested to know from the perspective of Culebra what to expect in Vieques. Be nice. Also, does anyone have any recommendations for places to stay? Not the W, someplace outside of town, perhaps with easy beach access. Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences.
I think you need to visit and compare yourself rather than asking on this forum, I'd say. Maybe spend a day or two there then make compare and see what you may like.
Ive been to Veiques and its nothing spectacular. Beaches are huge and flat. I thought it was boring and just a huge slab of land. After a few hours, we couldn't wait to get out of there. We ended up taking the $25 air flamenco flight from Vequez to Culebra.
Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Thank you for the feedback. I get the impression that Vieques is very different from Culebra. The silence speaks volumes. The topic is almost Taboo. We may visit Vieques for a day or two, as Marcos suggests, but I think we will spend most of our time in Culebra.
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Author: Frank S. (---.nyc.res.rr.com)
there wouldnt be as much silence if you posted on a pro vieques board like on Trip Advisor
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Author: rachael kalabokes (---.hsd1.pa.comcast.net)
it depends on what exactly you want to be doing on your vacation.
culebra is a very quiet, laid back island. most of the beaches aside from flamenco are private. flamenco has its kiosks which open whenever they feel like but serve up some cheap delicious eats as well as a place to grab drinks and ice. there are a handful or so restaurants that are open typically 5 days a week each, ranging from amazing zacco's tacos to pizza, to fancier meals such as suzie's. i have yet to have a bad meal on culebra!!! if you do go, i highly recommend renting a golf cart.
i ALWAYS stay at Casita Tropical. Its clean, cheap, has a/c and the owner Molly bends over backwards to make sure your stay is wonderful and informed.
vieques was a much more bustling island. we stayed at Casa de Amistad -- very reasonably priced and VERY NICE! clean, updated, and just a very well run establishment. its not close to the beach or to the touristy town of Esperanza (about 10-15 min drive). But i actually liked staying in Isabel because taking the drive was an amazing experience. each time we took a different route and drove through where all the islanders lived, and at some points seen some AMAZING views of the ocean.
vieques has much more to do at night, and a lot more dining options. Next Course was probably our favorite spot to dine! But there were plenty of bars lined up in Esperanza for tourists to jump between after they eat dinner. There were more beaches to pick from, some of which you have to pay a fee to get into, which i believe was only $3. Sun Bay was gorgeous, lined with palm trees for you to sit under and long enough that you could find a quiet spot easily.
if you rent a jeep (((THIS IS A MUST))) keep going down the road past Sun Bay and check out the other two beaches! you will be the only ones there! Cliff jumping or hanging out in a huge bay! awesome!
my next trip back to PR, we chose Culebra again (i've been there maybe 6 times now). I am pregnant so I wanted a more laid back environment! But if I were you, I'd do Culebra for about 4 days, and then jump on a plane and hit up Vieques for 3 or 4 days.
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Thanks Rachael, I didn't realize Vieques was so much more developed than Culebra. We love laid back Culebra and thought it might be interesting to visit Vieques just to compare. The beaches there look every bit as nice as Culebra plus there are more of them! I'm interested to hear from people who have been to both just to see what they think comparing the two. Your comments are very helpful and just the kind I'm looking for. I feel I have a better idea of what Vieques is like and I think your suggestions are very good. I would like to say just one thing about the golf carts. They can be dangerous and are not for kids. Personally I'm always willing to spend a bit more and get a Jeep. Preferably from Jerry! Like you, we like it more laid back so Culebra is probably more our speed. We are planning to Visit Vieques just to check it out and we will rent a Jeep to drive around the island.
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Vieques does have some nice beaches. We have gone over there for the day when Flamenco was flying there from culebra. Reseve your rental car early on Vieques as they run out quick. And when we picked up our rental the gas was below Empty and the gas station line was 30 min. long. It's okay to check out. Go to Espiranza for some drinks and eats and shopping.
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Author: Pam Dow (---.maine.res.rr.com)
Having spent one vacation last year in Vieques and planning another one this year with the kids, we love Vieques. It was laid back enough for our taste, yet gave us plenty to do when we wanted to. We stayed at Ababor Suites which is situated right on the beach with views of Culebra. They are very reasonably priced and also offer a jeep rental from the property. They have other amenities as well. We really enjoyed our vacation there. The island has many beautiful beaches there, my favorite being Green Beach or Punta Arenas. We snorkeled a new beach everyday of our vacation, but went back to Green Beach as I felt I saw more marine activities there. We visited Le Ceiba, the 375 year old tree which was really awesome to see. The horses that roam free are really kewl to see as well. That all being said, we loved Vieques, so much so that we wanted to take the kids for some real quality family time. We weren't able to do BioBay on our last vacation due to it being a full moon time, but already have our reservations for this vacation. In looking up other things to do with our kids for this vacation, I remembered looking over at Culebra from time to time, wanting to check out their famous Flamenco Beach. So I looked up ferry info so we could at least visit. Then I started looking at other things about Culebra and have pretty much decided our next vacation will probably be there! :-) But back to my point, Ababor Suites was an awesome place to stay. They are located on the north side of the island, in an area called Playa Bastimento. You can look them up on TripAdvisor.com. There are a couple other beach front homes for rent through HomeAway.com that are located on Playa Bastimento as well, and can also look them up on TripAdvisor.com. If you go to HomeAway.com, I look for properties and then put filters on for places that are on the beach and waterfront and have had good luck with it. Hopefully this helps. Sorry it was soooo long, but I tend to have the gift of gab, especially when I've had a couple of Pina Coladas!! lol
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
Thanks! We don't mind long answers and we love Pina Coladas! Ababor Suites sounds like the kind of place we are looking for, right on the beach. The available jeep rental is a nice perk. Thanks for your suggestions, we will check them out. You will love Culebra, it is very kid friendly. Flamenco beach is awesome but our favorite is Zoni. Culebra is very small town friendly. It is fine for even a day trip to the beach and something to eat in town if you get an early start and are well organized. But once you get there you will want to stay for a while. I think a week is very nice and gives you the time to really unwind.
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Re: Culebra vs. Vieques
We stayed on vieques probably a half dozen times over the past twenty years. We visit Culebra once to twice a year in same period. Vieques is both same a d different. Bigger and feels it. A bit less laid back at times. Beaches are nice but few are sheltered so lots of surge and tons of sea grass every time I am there. Bio bay is definitely worth the trip. My favorite beach is blue beach. Good snorkeling if u cen make it out to the little island called Chiva. Snorkeling not as accessible or widespread as in Culebra. Wide array of restaurants and some are quite nice. Kayaking is just so so. Great views. Driving is pleasant as it is more wide open than Culebra but traffic is fast and sometimes furious.