My husband & I are thinking of visiting Vieques this year instead of our usual Tortola/Anegada trip. It would be a land-based trip for about 7-10 days. We're pretty laid back & are also hoping to avoid the cruise ship crowds that we experienced in Tortola last year. Quiet & relaxed (with great scenery) is what we're shooting for, as well as some flats fishing.
Any suggestions as to places to stay, beaches to visit, restaurants would be greatly appreciated!

Bio bay tour is a must.
Sun Bay is beautiful.
Many nice restaurants in Esperanza.
Punta Arenas area is very remote and not visited by many.

I fell in love with Vieques with I went last year. I like the Esperanza area myself. I didn't find Isabel Segunda too scenic. We stayed about a five-minute drive outside Esperanza at Blue Horizon Boutique Resort. It's not on the beach but its peaceful with beautiful views. Most places you will be driving to the beaches anyway. As Twanger said, Bio Bay tour and Sun Bay are musts. I would also recommend renting a vehicle. Taxis are not plentiful.

We have friends who spent Thanksgiving at W. They said it was great. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/Wink.gif" alt="" />

Thank you all for the suggestions - very helpful, as this is new territory for us. Peaceful & beautiful sounds wonderful right about now. We are definitely planning on renting a car.
Ferry good way to get to Vieques?

Yes, though I have always sailed there, I believe most folk take the ferry.

Okay, it's been a few years since we went to Vieques, staying at the oceanfront home of a friend - couldn't beat the accommodations, the views or the price! The US Navy was still there when we went last. It was definitely a while back.

It's a beautiful island and unless it's changed drastically since we were there, you really don't need to worry too much about cruiseship visitors overwhelming the island since it really doesn't lend itself to day-trippers like so many other islands.

I have to agree with the others - whatever you do, please don't miss Bio Bay. It's possibly one of the most incredibly beautiful natural phenomena I've ever been fortunate enough to see. And I agree that Sun Bay is lovely, too, and definitely a NOT to be missed beach. If you're driving around, watch out for the wild roaming horses. If they do damage to your property, nobody knows who owns them but if you injure one, the owners are all over you. Funny thing, that!

We flew over as opposed to using the ferry but our friends who own there always do the ferry, even for a day of shopping on PR. Having flown over once on VAL, I would definitely do the ferry next time. It's kind of like going to Saba from St. Maarten but in reverse, where on any future trips, we'll fly, says my beloved husband who was not a fan of the Edge.. <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" /> <img src="http://www.traveltalkonline.com/forums/images/graemlins/handshake.gif" alt="" />

Just booked flight to SJU! We'll be spending both arrival day & night before departure somewhere on island before heading to Vieques, which will give us more flexibility with transportation. Still not sure if we'll be flying or taking ferry (recent ferry trips between Tortola to Anegada have made getting on those small planes pretty attractive to me). Looks like there are several airports/airlines for getting to Vieques, so will need to decide. And decide on where to stay those travel nights (will probably be where we can cash in some loyalty points). Can't wait to get to someplace warm!

We flew Cape Air from PR and they were great

We flew Cape Air as well. Almost didn't get off the island at night due to foggy conditions in San Juan.

Did you get a rental car? Where are you staying on Vieques?

I'm late to the game on this thread but just an FYI- I would never rely on the ferry system as a tourist. It's bad even for residents and they get first dibs on tickets and tourists are turned away. I always fly from either SJU or ISG, which is only about 10-15 cab ride from SJU and the flights are only $75 each way.
If anyone ever has any questions, you can PM me. I lived their for almost 5 years and am back in the states currently. Also, Cape Air's service and cancellations have been horrible lately. Not worth the price. Go to Isla Grande airport and take a VAL flight.

Is there a Cruising Guide for the SVI?

Yes and it's priced right too.

http://freecruisingguides.com/puerto-rico

That's the one we use. The Street and Pavlidas guides are out of date.

Cheers, RickG