Stuck in San Juan overnight?
The hotel at the international airport
may be a very convenient place to stay the night; if you're stuck. 'Best Western Airport Hotel' local tel. 787.791.1700. . . . Traveling with a pet? Try 'Green Isle Inn' close to the airport. Tel. 787.726.4330 ($79. to $99.) .
Local Island Airlines to Vieques:
• Vieques Air Link tel. 1-888-901-9247 or in Vieques: 787-741-8331/ 3266 - office or airport is 787-741-8211. . VAL has the most flights and offers the most service. Ceiba Airport Tel. 787- 534-4221.
• Isla Nena Airlines Tel.
1-877-812-5144, 787- 791-0413, 787-741-6362. Trip takes 30 minutes on an 8 passenger
plane.
• Air Sunshine Airlines,
Tel. 800-327-8900, 787-741-7900, also fly to St.Thomas, St.Croix,
Tortola etc. You can now fly from Vieques directly to St. Croix.
• M&N Airlines 1-877-622-5566, 787-791-7008
and in Vieques 787-741-3911 & 787-741-3912.
• Air Flamenco
• Cape Air is connected to the airlines computer
booking service so that you can ticket and reserve from anywhere
in the world and check your bags through to Vieques once the commence
to operate. 800-352-0714.
2. Fly from the nearby Isla Grande Airport in San Juan to
Vieques ( about half the price) : • Vieques Air Link • M&N
FERRY RIDE TO VIEQUES:
Trip to Vieques from Fajardo by ferry.
Kayaking in
the Vieques Mangrove Tunnels Aquafrenzy Kayaks
Vieques Beaches
• Archeological Sites ... VISIT THE the VCHT or Vieques Conservation and Historical Trust in Esperanza. Help them help the youth of Vieques through educational programs. They also have a small shop and mini museum. T. 787-741-8850 VCHT Website
" The Vieques Conservation & Historical Trust is a non-profit organization founded in 1984 and supported by members of the community and interested donors from around the world. It operates thanks to the efforts of dedicated volunteers and is strictly non-political in nature. The organization is concerned with the protection of the unique archeological, physical and ecological environment existing on Vieques."
Starwood W Hotel to open in Vieques:
Boasting the world's largest and fastest-growing portfolio of luxury hotels, Starwood leads the luxury brand segment with one of the hottest pipelines in the industry. W hotel and retreat opening soon in Vieques. W Hotels represents the ultimate expression of contemporary luxury. . . Expected opening of the Starwood W Vieques about November 2009
ALL NUMBERS START WITH 787-741-
• AA Help and information T.8939
• Aquafrenzy Biobay Kayak Trips Tel. 0913
• Beaches map and photos
• Puerto
Rico Government websites. Opens in new window.
•
Fort and Museum 'Conde de Mirasol' T. 1717 Open Wednesday through
Saturday. 10 AM to 4 PM.
•
Lighthouse Mini Museum T. 0060 Open 7 days except holidays. 8 AM
to 4 PM.
•
Groceries: There are two main grocery stores on Vieques ( both owned
by Morales brothers) and a collection of 'Colmados'. You can purchase
anything here on Vieques, on occasion, but not everything all the
time. Grocery store hours are 7 AM to 6 - 7 PM, half day on Sundays.
Colmados stay open a little later. There is also a, very enterprising,
fruit stand on the side of the road.
•
Health Food Store is located in Monte Santo on the main road.
Paso
Finos Shows are a big event in Vieques. . Weekends in Esperanza the streets
are over run with everyone showing off on their horses.
• Humane Society Animal adoption and Veterinary Clinic T. 0209
Publico Drivers in Vieques.
A. Rosa 787-312-1745
Ana Robles 2318 or 313-0599 - TAXI
Papy's Taxi 1359
Lolo Felix Tours
cel# 485-5447
Nito & Abby 4469
Jorge 2116
Fernando 605-4100
Eric 0448
Pepe Car Service 3392
Ishmael Ramos 0095
Henry 8621 or 380-1866
'Volunteer Vacation' with the Vieques Humane Society. You will be provided with shared living quarters bath & kitchen (and limited transportation) in exchange for volunteering to work with the animals and/or clinic 28 hours a week. All kinds of help needed and wanted.
.. contact person Barbara Rumore .. phone number 787.741.4773
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• Isabel Segunda- The main
town on Vieques: two banks, and one ATM at Banco Popular. The Post
Office T. 3891, two drug stores, several restaurants, a few places
to stay and some shops. Please note that Vieques is part of the
US and uses the American dollar.
Farmacia
San Antonio T. 8397
Isla Nena Pharmacy T. 1906
The
best vacation you can have in Vieques is with a jeep
rental (if you are staying more than one night). So
choose your rental vehicle first .. and then your lodging!
(You will need to reserve the jeep rental way in advance).
Most of the exquisitely beautiful beaches in Vieques
are at the end of long dirt roads on Nature Reserves
and can only be visited with your own rental jeep.
A few can be reached by public taxi, such as Sun Bay and
Red Beach. There are never enough jeeps to go around,
reserve well ahead! ( You can NOT bring a rental car on the ferry from the mainland.)
At long last! Tourist transportation within Vieques! Letty Pérez of Kiani Tours. This is the new schedule for tourist transportation. Beach Hopping: Routes include Sun Bay, Media Luna, Navio, Playa Caracas (Red), Pata Prieta (Secret), Manuelquí/Playa La Chiva (Blue), Escondida and La Plata (Silver). Departing: Daily from the Esperanza beach parking lot. Look for the van with the Kiani Tours sign. When you are dropped off, the driver will schedule the time you will be picked up from the beach. Kiani Tours also offers tours to Vieques points of interest . (787) 556-6003 / (787) 741-0925
Higher End, Small Inns:
'Hacienda Tamarindo'. Perched on a hilltop, the Hacienda captures cooling trade winds and spectacular 180º views south. Cozy Hammocks slump from mahogany trees, overlooking the gorgeous garden side pool. In the morning, their full American breakfast awaits you on the terrace. Tel. 8525
'Inn on The Blue Horizon' Very private Inn. Separate cabanas and a few rooms off main area, lobby and grounds are open to hotel guests only. POOL with lovely ocean view, all the way to the 'blue horizon'. Gorgeous location near a bluff, overlooking the sea. No children. Restaurant and bar and music on Saturday nights. FUN on Saturday nights! Tel. 3318
'La Lanchita' Children Welcome POOL right on the ocean and a beach you can swim and snorkel on, when calm. Kitchenettes. Fabulous view of the sea right at your doorstep. Good management makes this a super place to stay. Usually all booked up. Tel. 8449
'Hix Island House' is a very modern architecture/ Caribbean place to stay, starting at $185. off season, $235. on season. plus tax. Tel. 2305.
"Bravo Beach Hotel" is oceanside with 2 pools. 5 rooms face the ocean at $225. 2 rooms face the garden a little less. They also have 2 suites and a villa. Hilda is very friendly and helpful. Tel. 1128 Restaurant is called BBH . Tel. 0490
The waterfront in Esperanza, south coast town of Vieques.
Your first visit, just one or two nights ???? You should stay in Esperanza, on the waterfront, where you can walk to the biobay tours meeting places... Here is a list of guest houses in Esperanza that will usually accept guests for one night ONLY. Most lodging in Vieques will not accept one nighters.
All telephones start with 787-741- unless otherwise noted.
Trade Winds Tel. 8666, Bananas Tel. 8700, Amapola . . . all face the Malecon with easy swimming and 'night life' at your doorstep.
Alta Vista Tel. 3296, Pablos Tel. 8917, Casa de Kathy Tel. 3352, Casa Coral Tel. 1967 are just a few blocks away, relatively more quiet, in a residential neighborhood.
If you have a car there are three reasonable and nice places on the north shore in Isabel Segunda. Casa Amistad, Kama and Sea View Guest House.
For all lodging etc. in Vieques: visit these three websites:
ELENAS VIEQUES ECOLOGY WEBSITE
Vieques-Island.com • Enchanted Isle.com • Vieques Travel Guide.com
•
Rios Laundromat is open! Right across from Als Mar Azul in Isabel
II ( closed Mondays)
A waterfall in Vieques? YES! Some years, this little waterfall can be found by hiking up a ways following an arroyo. The arroyo is dry but suddenly the little stream will appear ( it disappears underground) Off the road along the south coast, west of Esperanza.
FIVE-THOUSAND YEARS OF HURRICANES IN VIEQUES. Read article by Franziska Badenschier in Woods Hole, US
Soil samples from the Playa Grande lagoon in Vieques have given US scientists insight into the last 5,000 years of Atlantic hurricanes. . .
The increase in super-strong hurricanes of category four and five -- as strong as storms get -- has been difficult to ignore in recent years. . . . . the reason why the intensity of hurricanes varied so greatly during the past 5,000 years . . changes in the West African monsoon -- a process of air circulation that occurs over a vast area -- and in El Nino are the reason
The seeming up-tick in violent hurricanes . . . climate change increases ocean surface temperatures, which fuels the transformation of weak winds to mighty hurricanes. . . humans, by virtue of carbon emissions leading to global warming . . . share at least some of the responsibility for the record hurricanes.
The surface temperature of the oceans really is increasing, "But that only favors the development of hurricanes," he says. It isn't, in other words, the whole story behind the many hurricanes in recent years.
"We happen to be living in an active hurricane phase," the geologist says
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Sun rise north shore Vieques Island.
Photo Elena.
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