Vieques
@katieparla
on 2022.01.189 Places
My dad and stepmom started going visit Vieques, a small island off the east coast of Puerto Rico, in 2005. When they first told me about it, I was pretty lukewarm about the place. I have never really had any desire to visit the Caribbean. The Turkey-Iraq border, yes. The turquoise and white sandy beaches of the Caribbean, no thanks. I guess I have just always associated the islands with all-inclusive resorts and cruise ports, which are my idea of hell. Plus, I am really just not that much of a beach person. But when my dad invited my sister and I to join him and his wife a few years back, I was open to the idea, mostly because he had been singing its praises for so long and he promised there was no Club Med.
Vieques is a really special place and, in many ways, it is still unspoiled in spite of the growing tourism industry and pointless W resort that opened a couple of years ago.
Also, all the restaurants with tables and chairs recommended below are well and good, but don’t miss out on the food trucks. The fast food cart between the water and El Quenepo serves refreshing homemade fruit popsicles. And the roasted chickens sold roadside and in people’s yards for $7 will blow your mind. And they are the perfect meal to bring to the beach for a picnic, along with a few ice cold Medallas, of course.
Quinta Jacaranda
Hotel · Vieques
There are lots of options for accommodations in Vieques, in a variety of price ranges. Let me just get this out of the way: there is a W on the island. It is the most popular but also the most soulless place to stay. There is nothing about the place that is unique to Vieques, the owner and much of the staff is foreign, and the pancakes are awful. Skip it in favor of a house rental. We use HomeAway and this trip stayed at Quinta Jacaranda, a villa with 3 bedrooms, a pool, sweeping views, fluffy towels, snorkel gear, and more at a third of the cost of what we would have paid for 2 standard rooms at the W.
VRBO
