What to Bring

You'll find yourself wearing shorts, T-shirts and sandals 99% of the time, day and night. You might want to take one pair of long pants and one long sleeved shirt just in case for evenings (and on the ferry you might get chilly if you sit out in the wind, even on a warm day). But other than that, there is absolutely no need for cold weather clothes.

There is not really any need for smart clothes, since there is nowhere to wear them. A clean pair of shorts and T-shirt will suffice for the most expensive restaurant on the island.

Don't bother bringing any fancy jewelry. There is nowhere to wear it. Also, while crime rates are low, why ask for trouble?

All towels and bed-linen are provided, including beach towels, and there is a washing machine. There are also various beach chairs, a hammock, and a couple of coolers (and they only cost a few dollars from the local store). So no need to bring any of those things. We even have a hairdryer! If you do want to bring portable electric appliances, electricity is standard US 110V supply. There is a ghetto blaster in the house with radio/cassette/CD. (We ask you not to take it to the beach though!)

There are a couple of pharmacies on the island. General medicines, toiletries, suntan lotion, and prescriptions are available if you need them. However, if you have an unusual or rare prescription you might want to bring your own, and you should also bear in mind that you may have to deal with a pharmacist who does not speak English.

You may want ear plugs! Vieques is a subtropical Caribbean Island. That means it is noisy at night. Tree frogs, insects, wind rustling the banana plant leaves, distant surf, rain showers, barking dogs and most of all, Roosters. There is no glass in the windows, and you will hear it all. Most folks get used to it very quickly, but if you are sensitive to noise, bring ear plugs. (You can also get them in the local pharmacy). Please note in particular: we have no control over the Roosters, most locals will laugh at you if you complain about them ... they simply are!

You can buy most mainstream foods, though the choice may be more limited than it is back home. There are several corner stores, a couple of supermarkets and even a health food store if you want one. So you don't need to bring anything with you food-wise unless you have unusual dietary needs. All water in the house itself is filtered and should be fine to drink.

The local brand of coffee is not bad, but not to everyone's taste - so if are particular about your favorite coffee bring your own beans. We do have a coffee grinder and coffee percolator at the house.

There is a good supply of holiday reading (thrillers etc.) in the Casa, along with an occasional piece of literature. Some local stores offer an informal lending library of used paperbacks. Various games (Chess, cards, scrabble) are at the house.

Your cell phone may work on the island - check with your provider. For checking coverage, the zip code here is 00765, and the local telephone area code is 1-787-741-XXXX. (We have a Sprint PCS phone that seems to work okay). If you do have a cell phone, it can be useful to have it if you are not going to hire a car because you can then phone for a Publico from the beach. There is a telephone in the house, all local calls are free, but we ask you to use a calling card for long distance. Most standard US calling cards should work in Puerto Rico which is in the North American Dialing code area. (If you don't have a calling card, try Sam's Club or Costco AT&T cards, very cheap - about 2.5 cents/minute for calls back to mainland USA.)

All in all, you don't need much on Vieques, and most of it is provided, so you might as well travel light. The baggage limits on the puddle jumper plane are stricter than they are on a big plane (check with airline for details). More to the point, traveling is just a whole lot more fun if you travel light.