SVI: please help us to enjoy Vieques!

We are bareboat chartering a catamaran in the SVI in May. I hope this group can help us plan our visit. So here are two questions:

1) Should we plan to go on a guided tour to Mosquito Bay or just anchor in Puerto Ferro in order to see the bioluminescence? We should manage to be in that area on a waxing crescent moon, so perhaps conditions will be good for this.

2) What should we make sure to see or do in Esperanza? I see horse riding is a possibility, would you recommend it? Do you have any recommendations for cafes or restaurants?

3) We plan a quiet night in Ensenada Honda. Any comments?

Thanks for your help.

In general, we prefer Culebra, and haven't spent much time in Vieques, so I can't help much.

As for (3) - we tried that once and it was wonderful until dusk when 50 million mosquitoes paid us a visit. I don't know if that's normal.

A good alternative to Ensenada Honda is Bahia de Sardinas, which is at the SW end of the Laguna de Lobina, off the ferry dock. It’s quieter, it’s more scenic, has great holding, and still offers a short dingy ride to town. If you’re coming from Vieques, it’s also a shorter trip.

I think Nibj is referring to the other, not be confused, Ensenada Honda towards the eastern end of Vieques. We anchored there - it was fine. Great protection and very calm, but water is a bit murky. You can explore the mangroves by dinghy, but we had rain so we skipped it.

As for #2, we skipped the Mosquito Bay bio tour also because of rain. We opted instead to anchor at Puerto Ferro - didn't see anything. It's another murky, mangrove lined bay with a few abandoned sailboats. There are nicer places to spend a night.

I too prefer Culebra and probably won't be back to Vieques soon. For your trip consider adding in a lunch/snorkel stop at Bahia de la Chiva. We also really enjoyed Punta Arena on the west end. Scenic spot, good snorkeling, and great sunsets over the Puerto Rico mainland.

Right you are, didn’t mean to confuse things.

#1 I recommend Melaya's Tours. Small group size with a guide and two in a glass bottom kayak. You can book online so very convenient. I think they do a 7pm, 8pm and 9pm tour. Anchor or arrange to rent a mooring (if available) in Esperanza.

#2: I like Duffys for a casual lunch and El Quenepo for an upscale dinner (reserve a table in advance).

#3 My favorite Vieques anchorage is Bahia de la Chiva, particularly forthe beach with some very warm shallow areas. If the wind really picks up from the SE to S then the east end of Ensenda Honda is a very protected anchorage. There are a couple private moorings there - don't tie up to them.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

FLJim: We will bring a boat load of bug spray!

Matt W: We have used your website a lot, thanks for that resource and your comments. Our first stop after Fajardo is planned to be Punta Arenas.

BaardJ: We plan now to take a tour of Mosquito Bay and give Puerto Ferro a miss.

TomGarvey: We will adjust our plans for Culebra to include Bahia de Sardinas (we plan to spend 3 of the 7 nights around Culebra).

As usual when sailing, everything will be a game day decision. This is our first visit and we are looking forward to a new experience after several visits to USVI/BVI.

Thanks again

We just returned from Vieques (land based).

Timing of the bio bay didn't work for us but this company came highly recommended to us by local business owner - https://www.tainoaquaadventures.com/

My son enjoyed riding with http://www.esperanzaridingcompany.com/ The stable was recommended by an island resident and it was solid. My parents had a horse farm and I was impressed by the quality of the tack and the condition of the horses.

We had luck at Bananas twice and both lunches were good. The portions were huge, enough for lunch the next day.

We had a VERY good dinner at El Quenepo. Reservations are a must. We wanted to try El Bok but it was closed two days during our trip.

Glad it was helpful!