What to do, where to stay, where to eat
Written: Dec 06 '99
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Product Rating:
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Pros: beaches, nature, unspoiled, easy to get to
Cons: no fancy hotels, casinos, similar excitement
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| eliades's Full Review: Culebra |
We recently spent a week on Culebra, a relatively undiscovered Caribbean island, although it's right under the area's busiest air route, between San Juan and St. Thomas. Culebra is easy and inexpensive to get to as far as Caribbean destinations go. Many airlines offer special fares into San Juan, particularly in the off season. From San Juan, there are two ways to get to Culebra: either fly on Isla Nena Airlines (20 minutes, $90 RT, 1-800-263-6213), or take a cab to Fajardo (abt. 1 hr., abt. $60) and take a ferry from there to Culebra (1-1/2 hr, $2.25 per person). Once on Culebra, most places to stay are a short walk or cab ride away. We flew in and the airline attendant called a cab from the airport. The driver charged us $4 ($5 incl. tip) to take us to Culebra Island Villas, on Ensenada Bay about 3/4 mile south of town. On the way we stopped at the bakery, adjacent to the airport, for a loaf of hot bread fresh out of the oven, and at Superette Mayra, a mini-market in town with a basic selection of groceries.
We picked Culebra Island Villas because of its location and price. The site is hard to beat - on a hillside directly adjacent to the water with unbelievable views of the bay and the Caribbean right from our front deck. And the price was right - in off-season, a one-week rental of a 1-BR apartment with full-sized refrigerator and stove cost the two of us $550, which comes to less than $40 per person per day. The owner told me that a group of six could rent a 3-bedroom villa in peak season for $995 a week, which is less than $25 per person per day. In the Caribbean! So, the value for the money is good. The apartment was not luxurious, but it contained all the amenities we really needed, even a corkscrew to open a bottle of Chilean wine that we purchased in the small liquor store by the ferry dock, a blender for pina coladas, and a full-sized oven in case we wanted to cook a turkey (which we didn't). At first, we were a bit apprehensive because the apartment was not air-conditioned, but the ceiling fan in the bedroom and the trade winds blowing constantly on the deck and through the screened windows kept us very comfortable. Our unit was not far uphill from the road, but you have to climb some steps to get to some of the other ones. The higher up you go, the more steps, but also the better the view. The steps were the biggest drawback we could see, but only for couch potatoes. If you are physically fit, ask for villas 2C, 4C, 5C or 8C - they have the best views. The decks on all these houses are as large as the houses themselves, which is great because you don't go to the Caribbean to spend your time inside buildings. Right in front of our apartment was a snorkeling beach ringed by mangroves and teeming with brightly-colored fish. There are even better snorkeling sites around Culebra, but this was the most convenient - just steps from our front door. We used the "publico" or mini-bus to go to Flamenco Beach, one of the top beaches in the Caribbean that looks like a postcard picture of what a tropical beach should be. Blue-green water, white coral sand, palm trees, the whole bit. We walked into town (a pleasant 10-minute walk along the waterfront) and caught the publico from there (fare to Flamenco Beach $2). There are two places to stay right on Flamenco Beach, and they are certainly convenient if you're a beach bum, even though they cost a little more. One of them, the Flamenco Resort, has a nice beachfront tiki bar. However, they have two drawbacks: they are much farther from town than the place we stayed, and they are located in the lee of some hills so they get little or no breeze. Also, there are sandflies around, particularly in the evening.
We also checked out some other places. Tamarindo Estates is on the way to Flamenco Beach. It is certainly the most private on Culebra because you have to drive for almost a mile on a narrow dirt road to get to it. It, too, has a nice tiki bar (with outrageously beautiful sunsets) and a pool. But this area doesn't seem to get the full tradewinds either, and we had to keep spraying with Off at the bar. A nice place to visit but .... Another place to stay is the Club Seabourne, on the south side of the island, past Culebra Island Villas. A little pricey but nice rooms, a bar, pool, even a restaurant. The same drawbacks as the other two: distance from town, lack of a breeze, mosquitoes in the evening (it's not far from a mangrove marsh). There are several places to stay in Culebra's small town called Dewey. Mamacita's is one, Posada Hamaca is another, and there are a few more. All are less expensive than the out-of-town accommodations. But you get what you pay for - town noise, congestion (relatively speaking), no view, etc. Finally, there are some really luxurious villas for rent that would compete favorably with the best of St. Barts or St. John. The key drawback of these (besides the price) is location. As far as we could tell, none are on the beach and most are on the east side of the island, a 15-30 minute drive over rough roads (although the main road is being repaired).
Culebra has several beautiful beaches besides Flamenco. On the lee side are Soldier's Point and Tamarind Beach. Both are narrow, calm, and excellent for snorkeling. Be careful not to sit under the poisonous manchineel trees on Soldier's Point Beach. East of Flamenco, there is Resaca Beach (Resaca means "undertow"). This beach is open to the Atlantic and has great surfing waves. However, it is hard to get to - you have to drive to the radio tower (a steep uphill road) and then hike down an equally steep, rocky path. Not for the out of shape or faint of heart. The next beach over, Brava Beach, is only slightly easier to get to. It, too, involves a drive to the end of the road followed by a downhill hike. Like Resaca, Brava Beach has nice surfing waves. Culebra's last big beach is Zoni, on the eastern shore facing St. Thomas. This one is easy to get to because the road goes right to it. Endangered sea turtles come ashore to nest on all three of these beaches in the spring, and you can volunteer with the wildlife service on Culebra to do some turtle-watching during those months.
There are several restaurants on Culebra. You can get inexpensive native food (chicken, pork chops, fish, rice and beans, fried plantain, etc.) at El Caobo or Happy Landing, near the airport. For good Caribbean/American food, there is Mamacita's in town and the Dinghy Dock by the bridge just outside of town. Club Seabourne's restaurant is the fanciest and priciest, but we did not eat there so we can't honestly rate their food.
Overall, Culebra is a lot of fun if you like beaches, snorkeling, hiking, nature, or just plain relaxing, and if you want a place that is both easy to get to and off the beaten path. We loved it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
eliades
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Reviews written: 1
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