Culebra

Yikes! Just came back from vacationing in Culebra. I was there for 3 days. It was the most chaotic vacation I’ve ever had…and I travel quite a lot!
I must admit though, I had made my share of mistakes:

first – don’t ever go taking the ferry on a long weekend. Take a plane. The boats are packed with Puerto Ricans who love to take stuff as if they are staying in the island for months….the ferry leaves late (latin-american style late, meaning – anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes late). Granted it’s a cheap ride by boat, but if time is of the essence, take a plane there…it’s sooo convenient! You will be there in 25 minutes if flying from San Juan..

Second – if you are staying the night or more, make sure that the hotel has a power generator. The worst thing that happened to us in our trip was that the island had no power for 2 days! Can you imagine? No power= No water. Apparently, there was a malfunction in the power line that is pulled from Vieques, and Culebra and Vieques were affected. The water pumps in most of the island work with electricity, so – no running water at all. AH! No power= no water = no food! Since most restaurants in Culebra work with power, and there was none; restaurants had to close. Except for the two that did have a generator and had the whole island waiting for food – And since there are no 24hour convenience stores where you can get something to eat in Culebra – I really mean no power= no food….You should not be surprised that electric power goes out – it happens and Culebrenses are used to it…this last memorial weekend though, must have been the longest they had been without power…

Third – Don’t have high expectation on anything in the island but the beaches. Downtown is quite rundown. The buses, taxis and roads, and most buildings are quite rundown… My boyfriend who has been in a few African countries says Culebra could be comparable to Africa!

Other than those three main things, Culebra has two beutiful beaches: Playa Flamenco and Zoni – they are both stunning. Flamenco gets a little crowded on the summer weekends with a lot of locals from Fajardo and other places around Puerto Rico… But Zoni is a lot emptier and equally beautiful. Tamarindo and Carlos Rosario beaches are mostly for snorkeling – great snorkeling..not that beautiful though as the other two I mentioned.

I am not certain whether I will be back to Culebra. I have seen beautiful beaches in Dominican Republic, in fact, the two I refer to in DR are nicer looking than Flamenco. Check out Playa Rincon and Playa Fronton in Las Galeras vicinity – 5 hours north of Santo DOmingo…those two beaches are jaw-dropping beautiful – And DR is also a lot cheaper than Culebra…!

But if you are looking for an all in one package, and by that I mean – showers- camp sites- snorkeling- beautiful scenary- calm waters-food; Then that beach is called Flamenco in Culebra.

GOod luck!

This is one of the most beautiful places I have been to in my entire life. White beaches with spraypainted tanks in the sand, amazingly clear water for fantastic snorkeling, isolated spots on the island for hikes and more snorkeling, and at night the ocean is illuminated by bio-reactive algae that glow green when you swim.

don’t drive. rent a bike. or a scooter.

I used to live in Puerto Rico from the time I was 5 till about 16/17. Needless to say, that country is my home. Culebra is definitely one of the places I took for granted (as most people do that are local to an area) when I lived there. Never been but as soon as I visit family next year, I will DEFINITELY make it out.

PR & Culebra = why Asterisk has been away from 43things for a week :)

I’m not a connoisseur, but I’ve been to nice beaches in Thailand and elsewhere in the Caribbean, and Culebra blew them all away.

The Lonely Planet guidebook made it sound like Culebra’s main beach, Playa Flamenco, is a crowded hellhole on weekends and holidays – and I’ve never thought that Lonely Planet=Antisocial Planet before, but there was plenty of space for everyone. Two food stands serving amazing grilled chicken and pork, all the amenities you could ask for, and the best sand I’ve ever seen in my life.

Finally, we ran into a retired professorial couple in the San Juan airport on the way home who spend a month every year in Culebra…gives you some idea of how ridiculously amazing it is.

You can get there cheaply on a ferry (just $2.25/person currently). Many of the tourist businesses are owned/operated/staffed by white North Americans-there’s a good-sized colony of gringos who are enjoying life off the beaten track here. The good thing is that so far there are no chain stores-no Starbucks, Walgreens, McDonalds, Burger King, Wendy’s (though there are plenty of these on the main island of Puerto Rico).

We loved Tamarindo Beach, which we accessed by hiking from Flamenco Beach over the hills through the Luis Peña Nature Preserve. We had this beach all to ourselves on a beautiful November afternoon, & the snorkeling was amazing!

This place is amazing. I’ve been there four times now, and every time I find a new definition of peace and tranquility. I’ve never seen a place with such amazingly clear water in my life. And the scuba diving’s not bad, too!

Unspoiled Caribbean is a bit rough around the edges, but it also has some of the best beaches in the world and not many people to muck it up.

crystal clear blue blue blue water with powderfine white sand and sun… NO pollution… remote.

I came here on my twenty second birthday, and swam at Flamingo Beach beneath a full moon. The most awe-inspiring experience with water EVER. Everyone should come here at least once in life… but I hope they don’t.