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Travel To Culebra
By Eliza Bicknell of Lotus Petal Yoga
Just this past week I had the wonderful experience of visiting the tiny island of Culebra, a tropical paradise that’s neither too far from home nor too costly for a family vacation and therefore highly recommended. Here is a little bit about the place: Culebra is an enchanting Spanish Virgin Island located approximately 17 miles east of Puerto Rico and 12 miles west of St. Thomas. The island is around 15 miles in size and home to approximately 3,000 local residents in the capital city of Dewey. Culebra boasts an intricate shoreline with cliffs, sandy coral shores and mangrove forests; it also has numerous cays that surround it. The island of Culebra is arid with no fresh water streams and therefore no surface run off. Due to this fact, the ocean visibility is among the best in the world, making for some awesome snorkeling and SCUBA diving. Culebra has many beautiful beaches, many of which are protected and therefore nearly have very small waves. Flamenco Beach, where we had the pleasure of staying, being the most popular, is rated one of the worlds best. Flamenco Beach has a mile and a half white and soft sands, crystal clear blue waters and warm sunny skies year round. Flamenco Beach is a bay as well as a beach with a fairly complete reef protecting the spectacular beach from erosion. It is located at the northwest end of the island out past the airport. There are few palms for shade as well as sea grape trees under which you can cool off and have a bite to eat. There are also grills in many of these sites and showers and bathrooms throughout the off-beach areas to rinse out the salt. Flamenco Beach even has a small restaurant and a few food kiosks, if you forgot your lunch or beverage. Zoni Beach is another magnificent beach we had the pleasure of visiting on our trip to Culebra. Like Flamenco beach, it has fairly gentle waves and a beach that goes on and on. Views are spectacular and there are fewer crowds. The area is more primitive, there are no services, no food and not much shade. Other beaches on the island include Malena, Mosquito, Punta Soldado, Sardinas, and Culebrita.
Snorkeling around Culebra is a popular pastime for tourists and locals alike. Coral reefs around Culebra are considered some of the most spectacular of the entire Caribbean region. Hard and soft corals abound in the shallows and magnificent reefs encircle the island. Tropical fish and other sea life flourish. There are many places to stay on Cluebra from small inns and guesthouses to larger Inns and hotels. House and condominium rentals abound. Most accommodations are on or near the water and the owners are very helpful and courteous. It's always good to book reservations before you go, because even though this island is sleepy and may be the Caribbean's Best Kept Secret, it still fills it rooms. (This past week – last week in March – was spring break and the island was crowded, all rooms full) Camping on the island is also an option as is camping right on the beach.
Culebra Beach Villas, a complex located directly at Flamenco Beach, is ideal for relaxing and enjoying the tranquil beauty of the Island of Culebra. This is where we stayed while in Culebra and this is where I would recommend staying. Let’s face it, you come to Culebra for the magnificent beach and the Culebra Beach Villas set you up right by the sea. The rooms are all condos and therefore all different in nature. Many, such as the one we were in are quite small, but provide the basic essentials. All have outdoor grills for cooking up lunch or dinner. The staff is friendly and the location certainly can’t be beat. Other than beachcombing, snorkeling and SCUBA diving, Culebra offers incredible sea kayaking adventures. The island of Culebrita, located east of Culebra, is one of the most beautiful cays and an excellent adventure by sea kayak. The island can also be accessed by a local water taxi. On the island there are six beaches, including Tortuga (on the north side) one of the most beautiful in the Caribbean. At the northeast corner of Tortuga beach is a spot known as "the baths". The views from the short hike up to the old lighthouse (reportedly one of the oldest in the Caribbean) are among the finest in the Caribbean. Birdwatching is another popular activity on Culebra. The Culebra National Wildlife Refuge was established in 1909 as a wildlife preserve is an excellent spot for this. The refuge supports a variety of breeding seabirds including Laughing Gulls, Bridled Terns, Brown Noddies, Roseate Terns, White-tailed, and Red-billed Tropicbirds and three species of Boobies. More than 50,000 seabirds find their way to this tiny dot in the ocean every year to breed and nurture their young. The refuge is also habitat for the endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles and the Culebra giant anole. Culebra is not known for its night life though there are a few enjoyable restaurants and bars that are frequented in the evening times. So now that you know about this amazing hidden gem of the sea, here is how to get there: To get to Culebra, fly into Puerto Rico. From there you have 2 options, fly into Culebra from Isla Grande Airport (note, this is not the same airport as the San Juan Int'l Airport international airport) you flew into) or take the local ferry. Flights run by Isla Nena Air Service and Vieques Air Link airlines cost around $60 per person and may be more economical depending on the size of your group. To get to Culebra by ferry, you must first take a taxi from the San Juan Int'l Airport international airport to Fajardo where the ferry departs. The ferry will only cost you $2.25- $3.50 per person but the cab ride to get to the free will cost you around $80. For information about Ferry Schedules contact the Puerto Rico Ports Authority at (787) 863-0705, (787) 863-0852 or (787) 742-3161. For information about Air Travel Schedules contact Isla Nena Air Services, Inc., Vieques Air Link, Air Culebra (Charter) at (787) 268-6951, or Flamenco Airways Inc. (Charter) at (787) 723-8110 or (787) 725-7707.
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Contributor's Note
As the winter was so long and so cold, this was a well needed vacation, 5 days of relaxing and soaking in the sun and sea. This beach was one of the most spectacular I have ever seen,truly a paradise and I plan to return some day.
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Explore Jellyfish Lake, Palau
Beautiful Flamenco Beach, taken from the beach villas
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I longed to go to Culebra last winter when we had the coldest weather I can remember. We had a better winter this year but hope some day to join you at Culebra.
We've visited a number of islands in the Caribbean Eliza, but never Culebra.
Thank you for sharing this detailed information.
Glad you had a great vacation.
Best wishes.
Frederick
Thanks Eliza. Sounds like paradise. Nice picture!
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