Vieques

Beaches are the reason to come. The sea is warm enough to swim all year, around 26°C in winter and 29°C by late summer, and the island has dozens of beaches, many of them empty. On the south coast, Sun Bay is a long crescent of sand with shade and calm water near Esperanza, and Media Luna next door is shallow and sheltered. Further east, inside the wildlife refuge, the beaches known locally as Caracas (Red Beach), Pata Prieta and La Chiva (Blue Beach) have clear water, reefs close to shore and very few people.

What the island lacks is any comfort along the sand. Most beaches have no lifeguards, cafés or sunbed hire, and some are reached by bumpy dirt tracks, so you bring your own water and shade. The north coast faces the Atlantic and can be rough in winter, while the Caribbean side is calmer. Esperanza is the obvious base for walking or cycling to the beach.

Eating out is simple and casual. Esperanza's seafront has open-air places serving fish tacos, mofongo and grilled catch of the day. In Isabel Segunda there are local diners and bakeries, and roadside kiosks sell fried snacks like alcapurrias and empanadillas. A few guesthouse kitchens cook more carefully with island produce. Rum drinks are everywhere.

The choice is small, though. Kitchens keep short hours, many close for days at a time out of season, and supplies come over by ferry, so menus can be thin. Self-caterers should stock up on the main island first.

The island has only a few sights. Above Isabel Segunda stands the Fortín Conde de Mirasol, a small 19th-century Spanish fort with a modest museum covering Taíno finds, the sugar era and the decades the island was used as a naval base and bombing range. That naval history is the most interesting part of the local story. The Punta Mulas and Puerto Ferro lighthouses, the ruins of sugar plantations and a huge, centuries-old ceiba tree near the west end round out what there is to see.

An afternoon covers it. People come for the coast, and history is something you notice along the way.

Evenings are low-key. In Esperanza, people drift between a few open-air bars on the seafront strip for rum punch and conversation, and Isabel Segunda has some local bars that fill up at weekends. There are no clubs, and most nights wind down early. Many visitors go out after dark only for a kayak tour of the bioluminescent bay. If you want a big night out, this is the wrong island.

The natural sight here is Mosquito Bay, a mangrove-ringed lagoon on the south coast near Esperanza that is one of the brightest bioluminescent bays anywhere. On a dark night every paddle stroke and every passing fish lights up blue-green around the kayak. Swimming in it is not allowed, and the glow is faint near the full moon, so plan the trip around the lunar calendar.

By day the outdoors is pleasant but modest. Much of both ends of the island is a national wildlife refuge of dry forest, salt ponds and lagoons, with dirt tracks for cycling and good birding. Semi-wild horses graze by the roads, and the reefs are good for easy snorkelling with turtles and rays. The hills are low and scrubby, Monte Pirata in the west being the highest, and there is nothing steep or wild to hike. Midday heat keeps most activity to the early morning and late afternoon.

Vieques is a place you stay put. The most rewarding outing is to the neighbouring island of Culebra, best known for Flamenco Beach. It is reached on chartered boat trips, since there is no simple direct ferry. Getting back to the main island means the ferry or a short flight, and old San Juan is a long day once you add the drive. Most visitors simply move between beaches on Vieques.

For a family that is happy with sand, snorkelling and horses, the island works well. Media Luna and Sun Bay have shallow, calm water that suits small children, and the horses wandering the roads are a hit. Older children usually remember the night kayak on the bioluminescent bay for years. Rented houses with kitchens are easy to find, and the pace is unhurried.

There is nothing built for children, though: no attractions, playgrounds of note or organised activities. Beaches have no lifeguards or shade, and medical services are limited, so serious care means a trip to the main island. The ferry crossing and the need for a car add effort with young children.

Getting there is the hard part. Ferries from Ceiba on the main island's east coast are cheap but known for sell-outs and schedule changes. Small planes from San Juan and Ceiba are quicker and more reliable. The island is only about 30km long, but there is no useful public transport, and the beaches inside the refuge are reached on rough dirt roads. You need a jeep or similar vehicle, and they should be booked well ahead because there are not many. Public cars, the local shared taxis, cover the main routes between the ferry and Esperanza. Driving is slow and relaxed, with horses on the road as the main hazard.

There is very little to buy. A few small galleries and craft shops in Esperanza and Isabel Segunda sell local art, jewellery and beachwear. Other than that, shopping means grocery stores, which have a limited and pricier range than on the main island.

Vieques is not cheap. Prices are at US levels, and everything arriving by ferry adds to the cost of groceries and meals. Jeep hire is a necessary and significant expense, and the better villas and boutique rooms are priced for winter visitors from the US mainland. You can keep costs down by staying in simple guesthouses in Esperanza, cooking for yourself and using the ferry rather than flying. The beaches themselves are free.

There is almost no performing arts scene. Sometimes a bar in Esperanza has a guitarist or a small band. The patron saint festivities in Isabel Segunda bring bomba, plena and salsa to the town square once a year. There is no theatre or concert hall, so for a real programme you have to go to San Juan.

What the island offers is quiet rather than treatments. There are no thermal baths or bathing traditions. A few guesthouses and small studios run yoga sessions and massages, and some villas have a pool. The restorative part is the pace: little traffic, no high-rise hotels, roosters instead of nightlife and long empty afternoons. That suits anyone who wants to switch off, but if you want a real spa, this is not the place.