SCDC Travels: Island Dreaming: 48 Hours in Culebra, Puerto Rico

On a sunny January Sunday, the Dutchman and I hopped on a Vieques Air Link flight to Culebra, a tiny island off the east coast of Puerto Rico. We took in the view of the beaches lining the northern part of the mainland and 45 minutes later, we landed in a tiny airstrip in Culebra. As the plane descended, we took in the idyllic view of Flamenco Beach, considered one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. We rented a Jeep upon arrival and checked in to Rosa’s Guesthouse. Rosa’s is owned by Marcos and Richard who a few year years ago, decided to leave the Chicago cold in order to open their lovely guesthouse in Culebra. Culebra, unlike its older sister, Vieques is very simple and stripped from luxury. There is no W Hotel or any other fancy hotels. Just simple guesthouses where people can focus on what makes this island so special: the beaches. After checking in, we immediately headed to Flamenco. The sky was blue, the sand fine, and blue waves crashing into this amazing beach. It was everything we imagined and more. We also enjoyed the fact January is “Puerto Rican winter”, which means the beach was not crowded as it is in the summers. After working up an appetite, we went to the “chinchorros” (little food shacks) to snack on crab empanadas, washed down with Medalla (local beer).All photos above by: Adventures Of The Repatriate and Dutchman

The next morning with went on a snorkeling trip with Richard, one of the owners of Rosa’s. He took us to Tamarindo beach where we went looking for sea turtles. The water was calm and clear. As we swam further into the ocean, we started seeing these amazing animals, swimming peacefully and munching on sea grass. After our morning adventure, we headed to discover the other beaches of the island (this is where the jeep comes in handy). We ended up at Zoni beach, a more secluded and difficult beach to reach on the island. This was another beautiful sight. The water was a little rough for swimming but it was great just to be there next to the ocean, listening to waves, just the Dutchman and I. We continued to discover other small beaches such as Playa Larga. All of them had a special, unaltered vibe to them. Our last night in Culebra we had dinner at Susie’s which was lovely. We had Chillo Frito (whole fried fish) with Yuca mash. The open air dinner was a great way to end such a nice stay. The following day, we woke up early to take advantage of Flamenco one last time. We got some breakfast sandwiches at the local bakery, Pandeli and sat at Flamenco one last time before catching our flight home, wishing we could stay a few more days.
Photo Credit: Rosa’s Guesthouse
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