TravelTalkOnline Forums Travel and Vacation Forums US VI and Puerto Rico Culebra, Belize, or St. John?

We are thinking of a trip in June or July. We've been to St. John, Jost van Dyke, and Virgin Gorda. This time we wanted to mix it up. Maybe Belize or Culebra. Trip will likely be 6 total days so shorter than the last few. Really wanted to go to Anegada, but I don't think the length of the trip will be worth all the traveling.

So, Belize (Ambergris or Caye Caulker), Culebra, or back to St. John?

when we landed in belize there were machine gun implacements with camo nets on the runway. my wife turned to me and said what have you gotten us into? that was in the 70's. great diving, more land based activities. promised we'd go back. never did. culebra was ok but need to say there was a heavy anti 'gringo' vibe.
i'm a diver and a boat guy. st john has it all and a run to anegada is doable.

In the early 70's the end of the runway in Haiti had a 50 caliber machine gun nest with a soldier at the ready.

I should have said we'd be land based. Next year we may do our 1st boat based vacay.

never noticed a anti gringo vibe on Culebra. Seems like an old hippy enclave to me.

Culebra was used as a bombing training site for for the Navy until president Nixon ended it in 1975.
There was a lot of animosity by the Independence party of PR and the local residents toward stateside Americans.
It hasn't been anti anything since the Navy left.

you sure that wasn't Viequez?

So should I scratch off Culebra then??? We like to get on island time and do a lot of nothing besides become beach bums for a week.

At the time it was on both islands.
After they stopped it on Culebra they continued the training on Vieques which ended in 2007.

In 1970, the U.S. Navy tried again to forcibly remove the entire population of Culebra. The year before, Culebra had been hit by directed missiles for 228 days out of the year and live-fire exercises took place for more than 100 days. Citizens of Culebra and Puerto Rico were angered by the constant training exercises and shelling which were both a direct and an indirect threat to human and environmental health. Occasional misfires resulted in major damage to the island and its people. Culebra was riddled with craters, unexploded bombs, and toxic waste from military activity.

Taken from: the Non Violent Action Database

http://nvdatabase.swarthmore.edu/content...sland-1970-1974

I haven't been to Belize so can't comment on that. I love St. John! Most of the island is protected because it is a National Park. Culebra is nice and I agree with other posters that it is more hippie than anti gringo. The anti gringo vibe probably comes from the Puerto Rican influences. They're not really anti, it's just a cultural difference in the way you treat tourists. Culebra is definitely different and unspoiled for the most part. Beautiful beaches. My favorite part of Culebra is Culebrita but you have to get there by boat. What about Grenada? It's actually easier to get there than people think.

St John - 6 days - hands down. The easiest to get to for 6 days.

Been to all three, St. John for sure. Easy to get to.
Belize can be difficult. We used to have to connect through Dallas-Fort Worth and that was a pain.
Have a great time.
irina

Both Culebra and Vieques were used by the military and they have an ongoing clean up on both island on land and in the sea.

Not really sure what you are looking for. I have been to St John and Belize a number of time. Both are English speaking places. St John has much better beaches and snorkeling from the beach. You need to take a boat to get to the reef at Belize but the snorkeling (or diving) is much better. Both are good places to chill out. Caye Caulker is much more laid back than Ambergris Caye or St John, but it is a very small island.
Belize offers excursions to Mayan ruins, and snorkeling with rays and sharks.

Flamenco is consistently rated by travel media to be in the top five beaches in the world. By my reckoning, it is the third best beach on Culebra.

Thanks everyone. We have decided on St. John. I appreciate all the help in this great forum!

Now, on to picking your accommodations and activities. Enjoy.

Cheers, RickG

so what is your #1 & #2 ?

Flamenco is consistently rated by travel media to be in the top five beaches in the world. By my reckoning, it is the third best beach on Culebra. [/quote]

[/quote]


Fortunately the SVI's were spared the brunt of Irma and will likely see more charter visitors while the VIs rebuild. I've managed to make four trips from CYOA to Culebra/Culebrita/Vieques in the past 10 months. For me the top beaches depend on the marine conditions. Some are untenable or at least unpleasant approaching from a boat depending on the sea state. Here are my favorites so far (with caveats):

#1 Bahia de la Chiva, Vieques (as long as winds are north of SSE). Anchored here for the solar eclipse. Absolutely gorgeous. Wonderful shallows near shore that heat up the water. Reminds me a bit of Oil Nut Bay and Pond Bay, VG.

#2 Bahia Tortugas, Culebrita (as long as no heavy N or NE swell. Even moderately strong Easterly winds can cause a strong swell in the bay). About as picturesque as it gets. We've observed 8 sea turtles simultaneously surfaced within a few hundred feet of the boat. 20 minute hike to the Spanish lighthouse built in the 1880's. Have their own "bubbly pools" at the north end of the beach.

#3 Flamenco Beach, Culebra (have only visited from the land side). Beautiful 1-1/4 mile crescent beach. Beautiful coloration on the reef. Several kiosks with inexpensive, but good local food. Drinks also reasonably priced.

#4 Unnamed beach on West Shore of Culebrita (below lighthouse). One mooring ball. Locals somehow managed to bring their boats through the coral heads right to the beach. Very good snorkeling.

#5 (Tie) Playa Tamarindo (if winds north of SE) & Playa Carlos Roasario (if no north swell) on Culebra.

#6 Sun Bay, Vieques (if winds north of SE). 1 mile crescent beach, but it's also the municipal beach for Vieques so not so deserted.

#7 West shore of Cayo Luis Pena (in settled conditions and no north swell). Two coves each with a mooring ball. Each beach is very narrow. Good snorkeling and excellent sundown views.

To Be Determined.
- We've yet to have calm enough conditions to explore some other north shore beaches on Culebra by boat, such as Zoni, Playa Brava, or Playa Resaca. They look interesting.

- We did a fly-by of Bahia Salina de la Sur, Vieques. A magnificent well-protected bay and beach, but still being cleared of ordinance. Did not risk anchoring or going ashore!

#1 is Zoni, #2 is Carlos Rosario Both selected for the views.
Zoni has beautiful sand, and overlooks several uninhabited cayos including the aforementioned Culebrita, Also St. Thomas, St. John and Jost.
Carlos Rosario, a prototypical Virgin Island shell beach, also overlooks a number of cayos and the main island of Puerto Rico. Best snorkeling on Culebra. For good measure, there is a nice blowhole in a natural jetty to the south.