Isla de Vieques Warnings and Dangers

When driving on Vieques please be aware of the animals that seem to come out of nowhere !! There are lots of wild horses roaming the island and many of the streets are not well lit at night...so....horse + darkness + driving = potential for disaster !! Stay alert and watch out for these beautiful creatures !!

Do not go wandering off into areas clearly marked prohibited. The US military occupied the island for a number of years and is embarking on a major cleanup of military waste, unexploded ordnances and the like, which should take the next decade at least.

Although we never saw them, we all experienced minor jellyfish stings. I think that it was due to loose tentacles floating in the water but it still hurt !! Remember the old fashioned remedy for stings - urine !!

We had been warned not to leave our backpacks or other valuables unattended in a vehicle or on the beaches while swimming (often deserted). At one off-road beach, we returned to our car to find someone lurking around it who then ran off into the bushes. Fortunately, we had nothing of value in the car. Use good common sense and keep a close eye on your belongings.

Before I scare anyone, I should say that everyone on this island was incredibly nice and friendly, but there is a lot of poverty and unemployment. Hence, there is a lot of petty theft. A good chunk of the petty theft occurs on the beaches, so don't leave anything valuable in the car or unattended on the beach. It's best to roll down your car windows when at the beach, because they have been known to break the windows. Rather than dealing with the hassle of a broken rental window, leave all windows rolled down and things like the glove compartment open, so they can see that nothing is in the car. and just leave the valuables at the hotel when going to the beach.

We never had any problems when we were there, but we received this warning from everyone, from the hotel staff, the local magazine, the car rental place, etc., so I thought I'd spread the advice!

Be careful when driving, especially at night. The island is full of wild horses and cattle, and they graze pretty close to the road at times. A woman we met at the island told us of one especially aggressive bull that blocked the road once and tried to ram itself against any car that tried to pass!!!

But if you're careful driving you'll be fine!

It's true! I couldn't believe it, but it's understandable. If you're going to rent a house for a week or know someone to stay with, be prepared to plug your shower or sink into an outlet if you want "hot" water. Again, the temperature of the tap water is 72 and that was enough at most times. However, it you want it a little bit warmer, it must be plugged in:) Ohhhh, I never failed to see the humor in this. We'd get up in the morning, Steph would make some wonderful PR coffee and then unplug her coffee pot to plug in the shower.

AND, if there are multiple people needing showers or if you want to take a long shower (more than 10 minutes) be warned you'll probably trip the breaker.

There IS a good thing about this though...well 2, actually. First, the shower water gets warmer as time passes, not colder. Second, her electric bill is usually $11.00 or so.

...to rock out with your cock out. Here, it could mean roosters since they are EVERYWHERE. Don't expect to sleep here at first--the roosters get up at 3am and do whatever horrible noise it is they do (I've learned to do quite a fine impression, if I do say so myself) I hate these things. You'll see them in people's yards...an average of 5 or so...at the cock fights in Isabel Segunda (I didn't attend this event, sorry) and even pecking at your outside wall. I was going to put together a recording of the "best sounds of Vieques" which would definitely include the rooster, blaring spanish music and people hammering, all before 7am.