Culebra

Since I have been to Vieques, an island not far from Culebra, I would love to visit this island to see the cultural differences.  Culebra is around 7 miles wide and five miles long.  It had much of the same history as Vieques with the Navy.  The island is a municipality of Puerto Rico so there is no need for Americans to have a passport.  The population of this island is around 2,000.  The picture on the left is of an abandoned Navy tank on Flamenco Beach. 


Where to Stay:  There is not as big of a selection to choose from because this is such a small island.  If you plan on going here to vacation, I would make sure to plan ahead and have a place lined out.  Generally, I promote HomeAway.  You can let them filter a place by how much you are willing to pay per week and by how many people are staying with you.  On TripAdvisor, there are a few clubhouses and apartments for rent as well. 



Beaches:  Flamenco Beach is the most popular beach on Culebra and is pictured in the above picture.  It is picturesque and is one of the best beaches as voted by Caribbean Travel and Life Magazine when it was in production.  Malena is on the Reserve and is much quieter than Flamenco, but is still gorgeous (what beach isn't, though?).  Another beach worth mentioning is Melones.  This beach is known for its good snorkeling. 

What to do:  Go to the different beaches.  That's a given!  There is turtle viewing because they nest on the beaches.  There is great snorkeling and businesses that offer tours.  There is shopping, which is something I always look forward to.  On Culebra, there are many artisans making their way by selling their wares.  It would be a good opportunity to bring home something different and authentic. There is the Museum of History that would be neat to check out if that's your thing.  TripAdvisor mentions that one of the top things to do is take a quick day trip to the island of Culebrita to see the lighthouse and snorkel.  It does mention that this is an all day thing, it is quite a long hike to the lighthouse and it can be costly. 

How to get there:  The majority of Americans fly into San Juan and then take a smaller airplane over.  The carriers that fly to Culebra include Air Flamenco, Vieques Air Link, Cape Air (we flew to Vieques with them), and Isla Nena.  There is also a ferry that runs from San Juan to Culebra.  I will give a strong caution about this.  First of all, the schedule is sketchy.  I have seen many sights that have had issues with them cancelling or not going at all on certain days.  Another issue is that the ferry is about an hour or more from the San Juan airport.  So, by the time you pay a taxi and the ferry, you could have just flown for a bit more cash.  Much less stressful, in my opinion.  I will give a tip about Cape Air.  As of now, there is no fee for baggage.  We paid for our luggage on the way there because we flew into San Juan with United; however, on the way home, Cape Air checked our bags through to Indianapolis and it didn't cost us a dime.  Pretty sweet deal if you ask me!


Please comment any tips and hints about this island if you have been there!  I originally planned on St. Martin and Dominica next February or Antigua and Dominica, but this little island is gaining ground on my radar! 

XOXO...Becky