December 2003

Happy Holidays from Vieques!

Things are getting a little busy here, lots of people are visiting Vieques. I heard through the grapevine that National Geographic listed us as the #2 travel destination in the Caribbean which is rather exciting. A few of the car rentals have purchased extra vehicles but it still may not be enough to get us through the winter. Another very important thing to remember is that there are over 4500 registered vehicles on the island and that does not include vehicles that are here from the main island. The gas stations are running out of fuel on the weekends so you want to make sure that you get rentals filled up as soon as you get here. We only have 3 gas stations and fuel usually arrives on Tuesdays. The gas stations have not been able to expand and add more tanks which is why they run out. So if you plan on exploring the island make sure that gas is available!

All the restaurants are open and doing a good business. The variety of food available is amazing, we have very talented Chefs on the island these days! It would be hard for me to say which are my favorites because I enjoy all of them for different reasons. One of the best values on the island is Posada Vistamar located on a side street in Esperanza. Mike McKinney has returned to Vieques and is helping Barry in the kitchen. They serve the best (and only) Italian food on the island and not only is the food delicious, the portions are plentiful, guarantee you will not leave hungry! The atmosphere is very casual and cozy but you will get an excellent meal. I always have a hard time deciding what to eat there because they have a very extensive menu. The talk of the island is Chez Shack, this comes by way of the many massage customers that I have worked on recently. When I ask which is their favorite restaurant this is the one that each has mentioned as possibly the best meal they had. Tony Casino is working really hard, and really long hours for Duffy but he feels great when his food is praised! I had the opportunity to eat there twice recently and each meal was fabulous! It is hard to decide what to order because everything sounds amazing. Another favorite of mine is Bayaonda located in the Monte Santo neighborhood. Wanda is very pregnant but is hoping that she can get through Christmas. Her food is very special and it is obvious when you taste it that she loves creating memorable dishes. Her menu offers a great selection of entrees but you will be tempted to try each and every appetizer! Okay I have to admit that thinking about her food made me stop writing and make a dinner reservation! I have just returned from another great meal. Wanda and Gustavo are expecting their first child so they will be closed for a few weeks but dates are uncertain. Although I have not been there recently Café Media Luna is still one of the most talked about restaurants on the island. I know that Monica has just changed the menu so I am anxious to go and try it. Everyone has said that the food has been terrific. Blue Macaw remains one of the hottest spots on the island, bar menu is great and very reasonable and dinner in the dining room is always a special event. The bar and restaurant are really lovely and worth a visit while in Vieques. Trade Winds still offers great food at very reasonable prices. David’s menu offers a little of everything and they seem to be famous for their Caribbean lobster! Other dinner spots include Island Steakhouse, good portions and good steaks, La Sirena, the upstairs deck is enchanting and they often have live music. For a more casual dinner try Banana’s or Amapola, both in Esperanza, these are both popular lunch spots. Some of the best lunch spots are in Esperanza, the above 2 as well as Tropical Baby (she may be adding dinner 2-3 nights a week soon), Tiki Hut and Trade Winds and these three also offer great breakfasts! La Sirena does a nice brunch on the weekends as well. If you are in Isabel Segunda for breakfast or lunch be sure to try Café Mamasonga’s, Ute has a nice menu, good food and if you order the Mamasonga sandwich be sure you are hungry or are sharing, it is huge and delicious. Also open is Coconuts, under new owners, good breakfast and lunch and soon dinner, they are expecting to get their liquor license very soon. I also love the lunch specials at El Patio and Shaunna’s, both local food at very good prices. And although it is off the beaten path I had a great Mexican meal at Tropico a few weeks ago, Morgan is a gem and with the new game room it really is quite lovely there. He is only open for dinner at this time but is thinking about lunch in the future. And if you want to feel like you are staying at a beautiful Caribbean resort stop by Wyndham Martineau Bay, I am hearing that the new menu and food are better than what was offered when they opened. This is truly a gorgeous place and worth stopping by even if just for a cocktail at sunset.

Well in November we got dumped on with rain, about 20 inches in a week or so, it may not have been quite that much but it was pretty close. The mosquitos have been horrific, however, it seems to be going back to a more normal amount. Because there is no West Nile here they do not spray for bugs. Most visitors have been keeping repellent very close by, though. Usually they are not a huge problem here but for several days there was no way to escape the mosquito, they were even chasing people in the ocean. Hopefully that is all behind us now.

If you are going to be in Vieques on December 6th be sure to visit the equestrian center in Santa Maria. We are expecting some really talented horses from the main island to be competing in the horse show that day. Also on hand will be El Director de Daguo, a champion Paso Fino that will be doing a special exhibition. I did not see him last year but I understand he is a magnificent animal and worth seeing. Attending horse shows here is like going to a party, they are well attended by the local residents. 

Elena from Golden Heron Kayaks shared a fun story about a Little Blue Heron. It seems that her assistant Abe found this really ill bird and gave it to Elena. Elena contacted DNR about the bird and US Fish and Wildlife, neither of which was equipped to nurse the bird back to health. So Elena set up a log in her guest room and did some research on rehabilitating the bird. She force fed him and kept him for 2 weeks at which point he was getting stronger. Knowing that this was not the best environment for the animal she was looking for someone else to take over the job. She was listening a radio station from San Juan that happened to have a vet on that day. She phoned in to talk about the bird and her needing to find a new rehab center for him. The vet offered to take the bird if she could get it to the main island. She had just about worked out getting the bird to him and called him with a delivery day. Well as it turns out someone else was listening too and phoned into the vet an offered to fly the bird from Vieques to the main island. Later that week the vet arrived in a private helicopter to collect the Little Blue Heron!! He has reported back to Elena that the bird is doing very well and he is going to insert a chip in him, release him in one of his favorite fishing spots so that he can keep tabs on him. Originally they were going to return the bird to Vieques but the vet decided he wanted to keep an eye on him instead. Not bad, a sick Viequense bird gets a free helicopter ride to be rehabilitated by a good vet! Stories like this are always great to hear and especially around the holidays.

Well because of all the recent interest in massage therapy lately I have decided to give up the restaurant business for the winter, or rather at least a regular schedule! Who knows, if this doesn’t work out you may see me catching a shift at a restaurant or 2 if they are short staffed one night! This week I had the extreme pleasure of meeting a wonderful couple from NYC, Usha and Bob. Usha is an amazing bodyworker herself and has really inspired me to rethink some of the techniques being used in bodywork. She has amazing hands and loves to pass on her knowledge to others. I think I was the one who really benefited from their visit to Vieques! We have had some great visitors to the island lately and it is always a pleasure to see Vieques through their eyes. 

No exact opening date for Chef Michael’s Food Space as of yet, construction is taking longer than expected. From what he is describing though this will be an amazing gourmet grocery and deli, I can hardly wait until he is open! Once Bravo (formerly Water’s Edge) opens it should be a real showplace. Bravo is one of the few places that is right on the ocean and most of the guest rooms will have a magnificent view of the water and the main island of PR. All the people involved in the project have been working tirelessly to create something very unique for Vieques. Michael, Mark and Christian are all very excited about the project and can’t wait for the construction to be done so they can have a grand opening celebration! 

Well that about covers the local news. Jim and I wish you all a very happy holiday season and I look forward to meeting some of you. Think Massage! Make sure that when you book your rooms or rental houses that you book your car at the same time, don’t wait until later. Also remember to make reservations at the restaurants, the island is getting very popular and Martineau Bay alone doubled the number of rooms available. Most of the restaurants have not expanded at the same pace so seating is limited at many of them. Reservations guarantee you a seat and better service! Enjoy your visit to Vieques.

Thanks for reading again, 

Judy

PS: If there is anything you would like to see in the newsletter or have any 
feedback please email Judy at whats_happenin@enchanted-isle.com. Thanks.

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