Balneario Sun Bay, Vieques /Dean
Vieques June-2008, By:Travel and Sports Staff
Vieques
Take a tour to one of the world's brightest bioluminescent bays.
First charted and mapped in 1527, Vieques derives its name from the Taíno Indian word Bieké, which means small land. During the time of the English occupation it was known as Crab Island. During the time of the pirates it was known as a hideout. The Spanish eventually threw out both the English and the pirates.
In order to keep Vieques, the Spanish started the construction of Fortín Conde Mirasol in 1845. Used as both a barracks and a jail, the fort was never fully realized. The main building is finished, but the exterior fortifications were never completed. Today, the fort does protect an important treasure: the Vieques Art and History Museum and the Vieques Archives. The fort is open to visitors and well worth a trip. The fort may be found in Isabel Segunda, the town and ferry dock in the north-central part of Vieques.
In the south-central portion of Vieques you find Esperanza. This is a comfortable, low-key beachfront area. In addition to the restaurants along the shoreline, the Fideicomiso de Conservación e Historia (Vieques Conservation and Historic Trust) is headquartered here and has a gallery and small pool exhibiting urchins, starfish and the like.
For a real treat, take your budding naturalists on one of the electric boat trips to the Bahía Puerto Mosquito (one of the world's brightest bioluminescent bays). These bioluminescent bays are hard to describe. You just have to go.
To the east of town is Balneario Sun Bay, one of the remarkable beaches available to visitors.
Lastly, there is a huge amount of available diving and it gets relatively little use. As a result, most of the water surrounding Vieques is untouched territory.
>How to go:
There is scheduled air and ferry service from Fajardo and Culebra. There is also scheduled air service from the LMM International Airport and charter service from the Isla Grande Airport (both in San Juan).
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