Casa Las Palmas
Written: Nov 23 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great waterfront view, walk to town, nearby dock, nice tropical setting
Cons: Many steps, not handicapped friendly. Minimum 1-week stay. No credit cards, but take checks.
The Bottom Line: Culebra is one of the last unspoiled Caribbean islands. It still is what the Caribbean used to be. Casa Las Palmas is basic but affordable. Adequate facilities and great views.
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| beachbum49's Full Review: Culebra |
My wife and I stayed at Casa Las Palmas on Culebra last year. It is a rental villa right on the bay about half a mile or so south of town, toward the Caribbean side. The main house has three bedrooms (one of them pretty small), a kitchen with a full refrigerator and stove, and a combo LR/DR. There is a large deck outside with great views over the water. The setting is tropical, with lots of flowers and palm trees. There are even some tropical fruit trees nearby. We picked key limes (for drinks), grapefruits (for juice only - too many pits), guavas (very tasty) and star fruits (sweet, not sour like the supermarket ones) right from the trees outside.
We shared the house with another couple. It's big enough so four people have plenty of room and don't get in each other's way, although I don't know how it would be with six. The furniture is simple (platform beds, a trestle table with vinyl chairs in the DR, a bamboo sofa, coffee table and armchairs in the LR, wooden tables and vinyl lounges on the deck). The BRs all have ceiling fans and A/C, although we never used the A/C because the nights were cool and the ceiling fan was all we needed. The kitchen has the basics - nothing fancy, but adequate. The owners provide bed linens, towels, and a starter supply of soap, detergent and toilet paper. You have to buy anything else you need. All in all, it's good value for the money. We stayed a week, and it only cost each couple $100/day. Not bad for a Caribbean island in peak season. There is also a 1BR apartment just below the main house, which rents separately and is good for couples. It has its own deck and the view is just slightly less spectacular than from the main deck. Renting a place with kitchen facilities is almost a necessity because Culebra has very few restaurants and you get tired of them after a while. The food is not great, most fish is frozen (although the waters around Culebra are full of fish!), prices are comparable to New York, Chicago or LA, and service is poor to nonexistent. Some of them, like Dinghy Dock and Mamacita's have a nice island atmosphere, kind of like tiki bars. The restaurant/bar at Tamarindo has unbelievable sunsets, but it's rarely open and has lots of mosquitoes. This bar and the bar at Seabourne have cans of Off sitting around for patrons to use, so that gives you an idea. We had no bug problem at Casa Las Palmas because it catches the trade winds and there is no standing water nearby. We sat out on the deck at night without being bothered. All the windows and doors have screens anyway. Apparently mosquitoes hatch about two weeks after a big rain. We were there during the dry winter season, but I hear the island can sometimes get buggy as late as Christmas.
We read about primitive plumbing on Culebra (not being able to flush toilet paper, etc.) and we were a little apprehensive, but I'm glad to say we had no such problem at Casa Las Palmas. The water pressure wasn't always great, particularly when two people were taking showers at the same time, but everything worked the way it was supposed to.
We rented a jeep from Jerry's Jeeps. It was a little pricey at $40/day for a vehicle that had seen better days, but it ran OK and it got us everywhere we wanted to go. We took boat rides to Culebrita and Luis Pena, two deserted islands off Culebra. Great snorkeling and beaches at both places. Speaking of beaches, Flamenco has to be one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean, if not the world. Resaca and Brava are a little remote (you have to hike about a half hour), but well worth going to. You'll be all alone there on about a mile of beach. The same goes for Tortuga Beach on Culebrita and Tortola Beach, just west of Zoni. You can drive to Zoni, Culebra's second most popular beach after Flamenco. If you want to get to Tortola Beach, you have to then walk to the end of Zoni Beach and around the rocky point. There probably won't be anybody on Tortola Beach, either.
All around, we had a good time and we plan to return. Culebra is a great place for people who like quiet, unspoiled natural beauty. The bonus is you can still have all this at a reasonable price. Just don't expect nightlife, fancy restaurants, resort amenities, or being pampered or catered to on your vacation. If you don't go there with those kinds of expectations, you won't be disappointed.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
beachbum49
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Reviews written: 1
Trusted by: 0 members
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