Puerto Rico!! Part 2--Culebra

On day 3 we made our way to Culebra, one of the "Spanish Virgin Islands" off the East Coast of Puerto Rico.


Not sure that getting there was half the fun as it involved a rental car pickup to Fajardo (50 miles or so) seeing a few sights on the way, returning the rental car in Fajardo, getting a ride in the rental car company van to the ferry terminal, then taking the ferry to Culebra (there is no public transportation to Fajardo). The crossing was rough, especially since the captain was in a great hurry, making the trip in 65 minutes instead of the 90 it is supposed to take--fare $2.25 each way, $1 if you are 60.



Our hotel for the 3 day stay was Mamacitas which was a short walk from the ferry terminal in Dewey, the only town on the island. A "5" star hotel it is not; in fact I would give it a "1" despite the fact that it was the most expensive hotel room we had ever paid for out of our own pockets. This is not to say it did not have its charms, mainly that it is located in town on this beautiful paradise of an island. And, it did have a fridge, microwave, and a DVD player. But, it also had one not so comfortable double bed and a shower with water heated on the spot.













You will not find luxury or cheap accommodations on Culebra (unless you camp at Flamenco beach) and it's either time consuming (by ferry) or expensive (by plane) to get there. But Culebra has become one of our all time favorite vacation spots. It's very laid back, friendly, safe, and did I mention the beaches and snorkeling?


We arrived late in the afternoon, got settled in, picked up a few provisions, and got a pizza at Heathers--a bit undercooked so a little disappointing. In the morning, we managed to find a van to take us to Flamenco beach for $2 per person. From the Flamenco beach parking lot, we followed the trail to what we thought was Carlos Rosario beach but was actually Tamarindo beach. The snorkeling was fantastic and very close to shore. Fish were not as plentiful, but the coral was very vibrant and healthy. We saw lot of the usual fish--French Angelfish, trumpet fish, squirrelfish, parrotfish, grunts, sergeant major, snapper, etc.














Later that day, we walked to Melones beach, a kilometer or so from Dewey. Mary Anne looked around and declared it worth a return trip the next day.


More underwater photos from Tamarindo Beach: