Vieques is an adventure, in that with the fairly recent departure ofthe US Navy, the island is just waking up to the tourism posibilities. The locals are working hard on taking advantage of the fantastic natural resources in order to make it eco-tourism friendly, as well as being vigilant of developers who would love to jump in and grow big
resorts that may harm the environment. That, plus everyone being on island time, makes for slow going progress.
Our house is in the town of Isabel Segunda, where the ferry comes in. It is the oldest town (of the two, the other being Esperanza) with plenty of hustle and bustle.
When the Navy set up the base 63 years ago, they told everyone to leave. Many people refused, but because
the Navy told everyone they had to leave, those who stayed were squatters. People lost the rights to the land that they lived on. This has left the island with a large handful of properties that no one has cared for. This is all being worked out, but, because everyone is on island time (a recuring theme), it is slow going. Culturally and sociologically, the island is an interesting story, with wonderful, super private beaches, and huge wildlife reserves.
The house ("La Aleta") is a small house, mostly built in 1910 (with some newer additions).
The house has 4 bedrooms (3 in the main house, and 1 with seperate entrance from the back of the house) and 2 full bathrooms. There is also a livingroom and full kitchen. There is a back patio where there is an outdoor shower and shed with a washing machine.
The rooms are small but there is sleeping room for 8 (one room has bunkbeds and the other 3 have full sized beds). The livingroom has a pull-out futon couch which is pretty comfortable.
It is a cozy house, on a great island, but it is not a resort. We want to be sure to tell anyone who is interested that if drinks by the pool with turned down sheets waiting for you in your room is your idea of a vacation then we would be happy to suggest one of the spots on Vieques who offer that-- with no judgment, because we'd be in trouble if we
all wanted to do the same thing on our days off! But, if your idea of travel is finding out about a community of people, warts and all, with amazing beaches just minutes away from your private house with kitchen for cooking your own meals and a back patio for eating and chatting late into the night, or walking down the street to a local bar or restaurant, then our house is the place for you.
If you decide to rent La Aleta, e-mail us at laaeta@gmail.com to reserve your preferred dates. Just before your trip we'll give you the keys, some directions to the house, tips for things to do and places to go, and suggestions for where to rent a car (suggested for getting to the really great beaches and out of the way spots). Go to availability above to check the calendar.
Here are some other sites for you to check out the island a bit...
http://enchanted-isle.com
http://www.biobay.com/
http://www.vieques-island.com/beaches.shtml
http://www.islavieques.com/vieques.html
http://www.wildflycharters.com
(our friend Captain Greg the fisherman)