Only a short ferry ride away from the main land lies Vieques, a beautiful island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. Together with the smaller sister island of Culebra they are known as the Spanish Virgin Islands, not far from the US and British Virgin Islands.
Both Vieques and Culebra are integral parts of Puerto Rico as municipalities. The language is Spanish, although English is widely spoken. Being Puerto Rico is part of the United States, visitors coming from North American don’t need a passport or visa.
It’s nicknamed “La Isla Nena” or the girl island. It’s located about 10 miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico.
from 1943 to 2003, Vieques was used by the US Navy for military 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. Now the whole island is a paradise for tourists that come to enjoy the natural exotic beaches, far from big resorts and crowds of people.
The white sand beaches, the clear waters and the attitude of the locals make this island a real paradise. Many locals and visitors are trying to resist development that will change the look and feel of this tropical heaven.
There are two important towns, Isabel Segunda and Esperanza.
Pristine Beaches
Red Beach, Garcia Beach, and Blue beach are full of marine life that is ideal for Caribbean Snorkeling. Orchid Beach is great for surfing. Sombe or Sun Bay is where the facilities of “El Balneario” are. It has many facilities for visitors. Mosquito Bay is a phosphorescent beach due to a phenomenon caused by millions of a tiny glow in the dark organisms.
On your next Puerto Rican vacation, I recommend a visit to Vieques. You can fly there from San Juan’s International Airport on a quick 20 minute flight. There are also some flights from neighboring St. Croix and St. Thomas in the US Virgin Islands.
You may also drive east from San Juan to Fajardo and take the one hour ferry ride to Vieques. The ferry operates three times a day.
Remember the name Vieques; it is becoming more and more popular as the days go by.
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