Vieques Travel Guide

I thought our two day trip to Vieques deserved its own Vieques Travel Guide! Here are my favorite spots and how to get to Vieques from Puerto Rico.

Now that we live in San Juan, we really want to explore more of the island. But also, Costco and too many pina coladas life gets in the way and we don’t end up planning all the trips we intend to. That is why when my friend Krissi visited and suggested the trip to Vieques, my boyfriend and I were in! The Three Amigos. Or Two Lovers and an Amigo. That should be a TV show.

Just a quick ferry or flight away, Vieques is a tiny island off of the east coast of Puerto Rico with gorgeous beaches, one of the world’s only bioluminescent bays (arguably the brightest!!) and two cute towns.

The tricky part, how to get there. My friend Linda has a great post on Getting to Vieques so I’ll let you read the details there. We took the ferry (which is an hour from San Juan), just make sure to read the schedule and get there early and be in the loading area before they are boarding. Because they sell more tickets than they have room for, and they will leave you. Other than slightly misreading the schedule, we got on the ferry with no problems at all. Also, we went on a Tuesday which is way less busy than weekends. I may try the short flights next time, but we booked last minute and they were sold out.

I recommend renting a car even if you stay in one of the towns so you can drive around the island for funsies and to the beaches. And grab a free local map in case your cell service doesn’t work, and because it’s a great souvenir!

The ferry takes you into one town, Isabel II. We ate at Saint Voodoo’s for lunch when we got in (delicious food and even better views) and picked up our rental car and Coqui Car Rental right next door. We didn’t explore Isabel II too much, but did stop at a supermarket to pick up rum essentials.

The other town is Esperanza, which has a fun strip of restaurants and bars right on the beach. We heard Bili is tasty, but they were closed when we tried to go for brunch. We did have some drinks and tacos at Lazy Jacks, (enjoyed with the company of about 30 spring breakers) which were solid.

Where to stay?

You should definitely stay overnight so you can experience the bioluminescent bay. What’s that you ask? It’s basically glowing glittery water caused by a chemical reaction with microorganisms and it’s insane! I don’t have a photo of the bioluminescent bay (I tried, it was too dark) but it’s a MUST! There are a few tour companies that will take you out there in kayaks, which I recommend.

We stayed in an Airbnb right between the two towns (since we wanted two rooms, and it worked out great) but there are so cute hotel options too. The W is still closed from the hurricane, but it looks amazing for the future! Other cute hotels:

• El Blok
• Hix Island
• Malecon House

#1 attraction in Vieques- the beaches! We hit up two beaches. The Secret Beach (not so secret, since it’s on the map, but a little hard to get to) and the Black Sand Beach (a 15-minute “hike” away).

The Black Sand Beach (Playa Negra) is also next to an art gallery (with horsies!) that’s worth a stop.

There are horses (and even a peacock or two!) All over the island. All in all we had a relaxing two days, and it’s totally worth the schlep.

Let me know if you end up going!!