Vieques, Puerto Rico
Untouched Beaches, Wild Horses & Bioluminescent Bay of Vieques Island
Puerto Rico is a unique Caribbean island, full of sparkling beaches, rich vibrant culture and and flavor and rhythm that’s distinctly Boricua. The Boricua spirit is one that honors Puerto Rico’s island heritage. It’s a way of life and a state of mind that has developed from a challenging history. Beginning thousands of years ago, Puerto Rico was settled by indigenous peoples and then colonized by Spain after Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493. Remaining under Spanish rule for the next four centuries, it was African slaves and settlers mainly from the Canary Islands and Andalusia that changed the cultural and demographic landscape of the island. By the late 19th century, Puerto Rico began to develop a clear identity around the fusion of these indigenous, African and European influences. Finally, in 1898 after the Spanish-American War, the island was handed over to the U.S. by Spain. Puerto Rico itself has one main island and several smaller islands including Mona, Culebra and Vieques.
Vieques is an island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico and one held dear to my heart, though largely unknown, ever since my grandparents served a church mission there years ago. While teaching English in South Korea, my family was able to visit my grandparents on the island but I wasn’t able to make the trip. So, it was finally time for me to discover this untouched land myself. Vieques is a true paradise, applauded for its untouched outdoors and known for its wild roaming horses, pristine beaches and magical Bioluminescent Bay, all tucked within a mere 52 square miles.
Our trip to Puerto Rico began with a flight from LAX to Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan and a layover in Fort Lauderdale. While in Viejo San Juan, we explored its old city walls, windy coastline and countless delicious restaurants. From there, we hopped on a ferry over to Vieques Island. Originally, having issues getting tickets, we were told tourists couldn’t use the ferry but were able to purchase them online for $2 USD, also booking a tour for Bioluminescent Bay costing $60 USD through a tour company.
Settle In to Hix Island House
From Old San Juan, our driver Carlos picked us up at Hotel El Convento and began the 90 minute drive to the ferry. Arriving just in time, we took seats inside the main cabin for the 40 minute ride. After docking, the passengers rushed the exit and poured out one by one. Early on, it was pretty cute when we realized there was no need for taxi’s or a car rental and a golf cart would get us around the island just as easily. On foot, we made our way over to the rental shop to pick up our golf cart, priced at $65 USD a day.
Restless and starving, we stopped in Biekes Bistro for lunch; that boricua vibe alive and well. Inside, Juan and Stephanie were incredibly kind and helped us order the best meals possible, catered to our own personal preferences. Juan, the chef, simply asked us what types of food we like and in turn came up with a tasty meal for each of us. For me, trifongo with shrimp and creole sauce and a passion fruit mojito. Trifongo, similar to mofongo, is a combination of smashed fried green plantains, fried sweet plantains and boiled yuca. For my partner, the churrasco, or grilled beef, and shrimp with rice and beans. Everything was absolutely delicious and it was surely one of the best meals during our trip.
Stuffed full of comfort food, we drove the cart to our hotel, Hix Island House, about 15 minutes away. By this time, the sky was black and littered with bright twinkly stars. It felt like we were in the middle of nowhere, only surrounded by the chirping and croaking sounds of the nightlife. After some confusion, we realized out rental space was massive and we couldn’t believe it was all ours. The layout included a large kitchen, dining area, lounge, two bedrooms and two baths with a walkout shower and patio.
In the morning, we prepared breakfast in the room as they had provided essentials like bread, eggs, fruit and coffee. Struggling with the soft white bread and coffee, breakfast wasn’t exactly what I had hoped for but enough to get the day started.
Eventually, we realized Hix Island House has multiple structures and we were in Casa Solaris, the first off-grid guesthouse in the Caribbean. After locating the main lobby, the gentleman there explained the amenities including the pool and yoga classes offered in their outdoor studio, costing $20 USD. And if we were interested in picnicking at the beach, coolers and beach chairs were up for grabs.
Hike Down to Playa Negra
A teeny tiny beach located on the southern side of the island, Black Sand Beach, or Playa Negra, can be reached by parking along the street and hiking down to the waters edge.
A quick 10 to 15 minute walk, the hike was pleasant, along a dirt path lined with thick plant life.
Along the way, tons of brightly colored orange crabs poked out from holes in the hillside. Just as soon as they saw you coming, they would pop back into their holes, hiding from any threat.
Eventually, the pathway opened up into a small black sand beach with steep cliffs on either side. That small opening was really the only area with black sand and it wasn’t all that impressive, to be honest. The sand was soft but the water itself was fairly rough and the beach was filled with a lot of debris and pebbles.
Not likely a beach for swimming, it was still an enjoyable stop. The sand was velvety soft but water soaked, almost like mud, mixed with seaweed and the like.
The best part was discovering some really beautiful petrified black coral that had washed up onto the shore. Keeping it for luck, I walked up and down the beach searching for more treasures.
After wandering the beach for a short time, we moved on to lunch at Bananas, an open air beach bar and grill that offers bar food like burgers, sandwiches, salads and other light bites. We ordered a caesar salad, cheeseburger with fries and green fish curry with rice.
Unfortunately, the meal lacked flavor and the salad had too much dressing, something we came across often on Vieques Island. The food was either really delicious (and often times indulgent) or not so great. Most of the food seemed to be geared toward tourists but not quite pulled off successfully. However, anything authentically Puerto Rican and not a take on American food, was definitely worth a try.
Sun Yourself at Sun Bay Beach
Also located on the south side of the island, was Sun Bay Beach, an idyllic beach just inside the bay of Ensenada Sombe. With soft sand and calm waters protected by the bay, this spot was much better than the last. Nearly deserted, the beach was perfect for a relaxing day in the sun, sand and warm waters.
With no one and nothing around, the beach was completely private. The weather was ideal, clear and warm, and so were the waters of the bay, almost crystal clear.
In the late afternoon, after swimming and sunbathing for hours, we found a food truck called Rincon del Sabor, for another bite to eat. We chose shrimp with plantains and fried chicken with a side salad. This time, all was yummy, crisp and full of flavor.
Back at the hotel, we spent some quiet time by the pool, rested up and prepared for dinner.
For dinner we drove our cart over to Tin Box, a unique restaurant serving up sushi alongside BBQ. To drink, I chose the watermelon margarita and Maylin, a beer. Food-wise, we selected a handful of unusual items from the sushi menu which were definitely not typical but pretty tasty nonetheless.
The lasagna sushi everyone had been raving about was not my favorite but the Dragon Egg and crab dish were both delicious. We also opted for a BBQ plate including ribs, mac and cheese and corn bread, all of which were full of flavor.
Breakfast at Rising Roost
One of the best restaurants in town was Rising Roost and although a 20 minute wait, totally worth it. The interior was super cute, with a covered patio out back where we took our seats. Incredibly busy, we thought it best to place our order quickly, ordering their specialty of sweet cream coffee with condensed milk (similar to Vietnamese coffee), along with a bitter lavender lemonade and mango juice.
To eat, I ordered an acai bowl topped with fresh fruit and an egg in a cup, consisting of a baked hash brown cup with spinach, onions and cheese, covered with egg and bacon.
For Maylin, a bacon and egg grilled cheese sandwich, which she loved. My meal was yummy but a bit on the small side.
Bask in the Sun at Playa la Chiva & Pig Out at Gracias, De Nada
Further east on the southern coastline in barrio Puerto Ferro lies Playa la Chiva, or Blue Beach. It’s one of the prettiest beaches I’ve come across and surely the best we found on Vieques Island. Granted, the sandy shore does have lots of seaweed but other than that its crystal clear waters are nothing short of perfection making it ideal for swimming and snorkeling.
Tucked away in Bahia de la Chiva with the tiny Isla Chiva directly south, we entered this beach through entrance number six and made our way to the white sandy beach. Straightaway, the gorgeous scenic views and turquoise waters were impressive. There were only a few others there, making it perfectly quiet and calm. The beach also felt very clean, without any bugs or small critters. And the bay was incredibly warm, like bath water. Sunbathing and splashing in the warm waters, we stayed on for a few hours; a true paradise.
Without too many options for lunch we pulled over at Gracias, De Nada on the way out and were so glad we did. Maylin obviously got the Cuban sandwich, a variation of a ham and cheese with roast pork and ham, smothered in Swiss cheese, pickles and yellow mustard.
For myself, a classic cheeseburger with all the toppings including pickle, onion, tomato and lettuce. Honestly, it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had and good reason to eat gluten (sorry, tummy).
Maylin had similar reviews for her sandwich, only comparing it to those she’s tasted in Miami, the Cuban mecca stateside. And then it was back to Hix Island Hotel to get ready for an exciting evening.
Let Sparks Fly at Bioluminescent Bay
Around dinnertime, it was finally time for our trip to Bioluminescent Bay, what I had been anticipating for days with childlike eagerness. Puerto Mosquito Bioluminescent Bay or Mosquito Bio Bay, is a bay on the southern coast of Vieques famous for its bioluminescence produced by the dinoflagellate Pyrodinium bahamense, which glow blue when agitated. A species of phytoplankton, it can only be found in the Virgin Islands, The Bahamas and Puerto Rico.
At 7 p.m. sharp we met our guide, Raul, and a few others in the Esperanza area, a cute little strip near the water with a handful of restaurants. There were also gorgeous gold and peach-colored views of the coastline during sunset and a rope swing down near the water to enjoy.
With two other couples and our guide, we jumped into an oversized van and began driving, reaching a bumpy dirt road leading to the entrance of the bay. After parking, we hopped out into the darkness and pulled on our life jackets. We each grabbed a paddle and then stood quietly in a circle, listening as our guide explained what would happen next and how to maneuver the paddle. With that, it was two per boat (secretly bummed they weren’t glass bottom boats).
Unsure what to expect, we jumped into our paddle boat and began paddling. As we made our way out into the waters, we’d group around our guide regularly as he listed off interesting facts about the bay. Most importantly, what glows are called dinoflagellate and there are four factors that help them glow. Those factors include the salt content at 7% which is higher than the ocean, the mangroves which help filter the water, the moon, though it shouldn’t be too bright, and the red lights surrounding the area which makes everything appear darker. At the time of our visit, about 85% fo the glow was visible, the full 100% had not been seen since the two major hurricanes in 2017, Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria.
Initially, I didn’t notice much but the deeper we got into the waters, the darker it became. And then, suddenly I started to see fish zipping around underwater, their trails lighting up in the dark. Sardines and other small fish even jumped up and out of the water, taking the glow with them. It’s oxygen that creates the glow, a blue iridescent shimmering. So, as we paddled, the disturbed water from the swoosh would light up. The glowing was absolutely incredible, like something I’d never seen before and pure magic.
Our group was only on the water for about an hour, which definitely went by too quickly. I asked about swimming in the waters too, which is actually allowed but a bit tough in the pitch black of night. Though disappointed because I wanted to stay longer, we eventually made our way back to shore when I realized I hadn’t even gotten a single photo of the experience. In the morning, we’d ride the ferry back to the main island, taxi to the airport and fly home. What a wonderful experience to end our holiday.
