Lost From Civilization
Written: Jan 31 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantastic, relatively isolated beaches
Cons: No nightlife and very few restaurants
The Bottom Line: If you don't mind some of the "roughing it" aspects of the island, the beautiful and relatively isolated beaches will keep you coming back for more.
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| hoheeyi's Full Review: Culebra |
About halfway between the main island of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands lies the beautiful 7-mile long island of Culebra. Culebra's proximity to the U.S. Virgin Islands partly explains the exquisite beaches on this island (i.e., the beaches are similar in quality to those found in the USVI). While all of the beaches are fabulous and never very crowded, you definitely need a car to get to the better, less populated beaches (where it is very possible to have your own private beach for hours at a time). You can even snorkel right off some of the beaches.
Several hints to make your visit more enjoyable:
(1) When choosing lodging, access to a kitchen is highly recommended. I love eating out, but you can pretty much count the number of restaurants on this island on one hand and these restaurants fall into two basic categories: pizza/Chinese or slightly "nicer" but overpriced eateries. The pizza is okay, but it's the same pizza you have back home. The Chinese restaurant (there's only one) is horrible - it's like experimental fusion cuisine "Puerto Rican/Chinese". Not pretty. The "nicer" places are way overpriced (prices are comparable to New York City). And what's the story with salmon (flown in from up north) being on every menu in Puerto Rico? Don't you people live on an island surrounded by the ocean and its many offerings?
(2) As mentioned above, rent a car when on the island. It's worth it. The publicos (public vans) are cheap and reasonably reliable if you just want to go to the main beach, but otherwise, they have a very limited range.
(3) Bring insect repellent for the nights. Given the relative lack of people on the island, some of these bugs haven't eaten in a really long time. (BTW: As lovely as viewing a sunset on the beach can be, dusk is the beginning of the "all-you-can-eat buffet" for the insects and you're the buffet if you're not wearing any protection.)
(4) Bring a book or a game. Because when the sun goes down, there's really nothing to do. Okay, one or two small bars, but that gets old really fast.
Finally, if you like to be pampered and spoiled on your vacations, go to the U.S. Virgin Islands instead. There are no resorts, hotels or spas on this island. The island does not yet have a waste treatment system so you cannot flush toilet paper down the toilet. We always had extra plastic bags next to the toilet for the used toilet paper. That part was no fun. There are some definite "roughing it" aspects to Culebra.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Couples
Best Time to Travel Here: Dec - Feb
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Epinions.com ID:
hoheeyi
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 0 members
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