A short ferry away to the east of Puerto Rico lays the beautiful island of Vieques. Together with smaller sister Culebra they are the Spanish Virgin Islands, not far from the US and British Virgin Islands.
Both Vieques and Culebra are integral part of Puerto Rico as municipalities. The language is Spanish, although English is widely spoken. Being Puerto Rico part of the United States, visitors coming from North American don’t need a passport or visa.
It is nicknamed “La Isla Nena” or the girl island. It is located about 10 miles off the coast of Puerto Rico.
Since 1943, for the next 60 years Vieques was used by the US Navy for naval exercises and held a great part of the island territory. After years of pressure by local residents and many Puerto Ricans, the Navy left the island in 2003. Now the whole island is a paradise for tourists that come to enjoy the natural exotic beaches, far from big beaches resorts and crowd of people.
The white sand beaches, the clear waters and the attitude of the locals make of this island into a real paradise. Many locals and visitors are trying to resist too much development that will change for ever the look and feel of this heaven.
There are two important towns, Isabel Segunda and Esperanza. The first one is host to the Vieques Museum of Art and History and the Vieques Archives. Both located at “El Fortin Conde de Mirasol”
I want to mention a few of the pristine beaches
Red Beach
Garcia Beach
Blue beach full of marine life is ideal for Caribbean Snorkeling
Orchid Beach is great for surfing in its blue waters.
Sombe or Sun Bay is where the facilities of “El Balneario” are. It has many facilities for visitors.
Mosquito Bay is a phosphorescent beach one due a phenomenon caused by millions of a tiny form of marine life.
On your Puerto Rico Vacations, I recommend a visit to Vieques. You can fly there from San Juan International Airport on a 20 minutes short flight. There are also some flights from neighboring St Croix and St Thomas in the Us Virgin Islands.
You may also dry east from San Juan to Fajardo and take the ferry for the one hour ride to Vieques.
The ferry operates three times a day. For schedules call the Puerto Rico Port Authority Office at 800—981-2005
Remember its name Vieques; it is becoming more and more popular as the days go by.
By: Eddy Tuchman
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Eddy Tuchman loves to share his Caribbean travel tips on his website le-caribbean-islands.com. Visit le-caribbean-islands.com to learn more about great island getaways.


