Vieques 2023

By January, my desire to escape the ugly gray landscape of Ohio is intense. That and my increasingly miserable job and voila, it's time to go...anywhere. Luckily, a friend recently moved to Puerto Rico, so easy choice to visit and see some more sights.

Since I had been to San Juan just a couple years ago, we decided to venture out to vieques, a small island about 40 minutes off the east coast by ferry. The trip is a pretty comfortable ride, but unlike those in Mexico, there isn't beverage service and you're not supposed to bring anything aboard. Weird, but rules, I guess.

On arrival, we secured a golf cart from Fun Brothers in Esperanza. Note: this is literally on the other side of the island from the ferry ⛴️...oops. Luckily, a couple of feisty taxi ladies were ready to rock...and I mean this because the golf cart place really really promptly closes at 5, or more likely 10 minutes prior. We rolled in as she was locking up 😂

There are 2 main towns, Isabella and Esperanza. Esperanza has most of the bio bay tours, bars on the beach etc. Isabella is hilly and pretty diverse, lots of food options, nice views from up the hill of the Caribbean. We booked an Airbnb up the hill that was just perfect for our little group and had a fabulous outdoor space with an infinity pool. My only critique about the house is really just the driveway was at a >30 degree pitch, so 3 people and a golf cart were not getting up there 😂.

Link to the house: https://abnb.me/LGZ7z69jIwb

Places to visit:

Family Market is a great place for basics. There is also a wine room in the back with a fairly diverse selection.

Voodoo bar: this is where you go for a strong margarita and amazing sunset.

Plaza 1789: super cool old building that has burned down a few times over the years and has great charm. Cocktails were innovative and the food was really impressive. I had a yuca mofongo with a great skirt steak perched atop.

El yate: more of a dive type, but cool vibe and reasonable painkillers (the vieques cocktail).

Bio bay: another fun brothers activity in Esperanza. The bio illumination from these little plankton is seriously impressive, very peaceful. For $68 a person, very worth the experience...unless the idea of kayaking in the dark and having fish trails scoot beneath you freaks you out 😅 One such gentleman from Columbus was not enthused with a night paddle in the slightest. Oh, and your arse is going to get wet. It just is...and your feet are going to smell like a sulfur spring for a bit. Minor inconvenience for a great trip!

El blok hotel: across from the bio bay tour, nice hotel with great cocktails and a fun menu. I had a bunch of appetizers including grilled octopus and ceviche which were outstanding. The hotel is also a nice little boutique option if Airbnb is not your jam.

Lazy jacks: Esperanza again and was a perfect place to watch nfl playoff game. It also is the place where all the other bartenders go after work.

Playa negra: black sand beach in a peaceful setting. Learning curve here too. Don't follow google maps, just look for the trail head. The google directions take you down an off-road path with thorns that is questionable for a golf cart

Playa chiva: a bit off the beaten path, perfect for sunset and a beverage on the beach (bring it yourself). Really pretty beach and also super quiet.

Biekes restaurant: Tim highly recommends the extremely strong gin and tonic 😂 we had some incredible local fare including a whole fried snapper.