New large 2bedrm house in Esperanza: CASITA ROSITA

Description from the owner

Great Location: Stay in the most accessible and charming neighborhood in Vieques--Esperanza. CASITA ROSITA offers lavish value, comfort and easy logisticsβ€”go carless if you want. CASITA ROSITA is a block from 4 beaches, 8 restaurants, 4 rental outfitters, boutiques, vendors & the Maleconβ€”our boardwalk where you can promenade, hear music or hit the culture/history museum. Bakery & market 4 doors away house. Our spacious 2 bedroom home was renovated in 2012 and has WIFI and air conditioning, as well as:

Light-filled large rooms, fully furnished indoor & out

Air conditioning, ceiling fans & an ocean view from the back yard

... Large roomy bathroom, plus outdoor shower & dressing room

Watch horses roam by from our front porch or grill on the big back deck

Full complement of beach & snorkeling equipment

Casita Rosita features king & queen bedrooms in a fully equipped home, complete kitchen, all linens, hammock under the shade of our towering mango tree, front porch to watch the sun rise. There’s a games table, desk, luggage racks, reading lights, outdoor furniture front & back. Kitchen includes a bar, microwave, filtered water spout, espresso and coffee makers, full complement of matching dishes, pans, etc. See our Pictures. Go to our dedicated website: www.ViequesRentalByOwner.com for lots of logistical info and insider advice.

The best bio bay in the world is on Vieques. Other recreation fun: rent kayaks, jet skis, sail, snorkel by boat. Snorkel from shore! Swim to the little island in Esperanza Bay. Baseball field, basketball court, playground around the corner.

Inexpensive eats right in the neighborhood of Casita Rosita:

Duffy’s – large mircobrew selection, only on the island, great nightlife

Belly Buttons – breakfast & lunch, but also special nights with chef’s: Wed: Paella, Thurs: Tacos

Lazy Jacks – a good drinking bar, brick oven pizza

La Nasa – fried Puerto Rican foods, locals eat here, great dancing out back over the water

Mucho Gusto – we like the conch salad and whole fish, Puerto Rican owned

Columbian Food Cart – Friday-Sunday, good/inexpensive vendor

Medium to Expensive Prices (in order) near Casita Rosita:

Tradewinds – specials are good value, view is lovely

Billi – love the whole snapper, try what was caught that day

El Quenepo – unique food, posh atmosphere, high end

Sports Rental Right in the neighborhood of Casita Rosita:

Blue Caribe Kayaks Snorkeling & fishing, snorkel rental, bio bay tours

Caribbean Fly Fishing Co. Saltwater fly fishing, deep sea/offshore fishing, beach charters in 28? Bertram

Fun Brothers Land & Sea Equipment Rental: scooters, jet skis, kayaks, snorkel gear, scooters, boat rentals & bio bay tours

Heaven Caribe Snorkel w/ local biologist

Maruader Sailing 34 ft/up to six guests, since 2003 licenced/insured

Vieques Paddleboarding: Stand on a surf board and paddle in Esperanza Bay, snorkeling, fitness.

Walk to Beaches:

From Casita Rosita you can walk past 3 house, turn at the coast road to the right and left to a short path driveway wide down hill to a lovely cove. Walk around the rocks to your right and get to a wide open coconut grove lined beach. Or walk to the Malecon down steps to the sea, or step to the sand all along Esperanza Bay, or walk the sand to the huge long beach of SunBay State Park.

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Refuge beaches are not to be missed, for the diversity of settings, beach entrances, most make you feel you own the place. See the island maps in the house and distributed everywhere.

Snorkeling from shore by Casita Rosita:

The beach just down from our house has good snorkeling that continues along the high cliff and a short ways the other direction. Snorkel also on the west side of the little island you can see from shoreβ€”it’s a 15 minutes swim out.

SunBay State Park:

Just around the corner from Casita Rosita at the edge of the Esperanza neighborhood, the SunBay State park can be walked to along the coast, or driven to. This is a very long beach with a view to an island and an isthmus. Easy beach entrance, park casually just across teh sandy road from where ever you want to set up. Access to bathrooms, snackbar. Swim area is roped off.

Other Refuge Beaches:

On the southwestern side of Vieques includes Playa Grande–great for walking and listening to a loud ocean; and Playa Negra–a reak walk in. On the northern side, there are many beaches. These are all on the Atlantic.

WILDLIFE: Four species of sea turtles live in the waters of Vieques and nest on its shores, sometimes you can see them when snorkeling. Birds and frogs sing in this tropical ecosystem. Egrets stand on the backs of horses. Vieques feels out of time. The main streets are newly paved and wild horses roam them & the beachesRead more

Additional Location Information

Esperanza is the most accessible neighborhood on the island of Vieques. Bakery and market four doors away. Four doors the other direction is the coastal road. A block away is the Malecon--our mainstreet with 8 restaurants, boutiques, nightlife, microbrews, beaches, incredible spots for watching the sun set. Bio bay tours, recreation rental all right here. Shop, hit the museum, right here. Promenade along the Caribbean Sea right here. Jump from the piers right here. Go horseback riding right here.

Park in front of our house. Great block, good neighbors who keep an eye on each other. Don't need a car to get around. Not everyone has to do the same thing.

Catch a shared taxi, called a public from the main drag or call one to pick you up.

How to Get to Puerto Rico-- How to get to Vieques:


FLY TO SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico:
You want to fly into Luis Munoz Marin International Airport (code SJU), the big international airport in San Juan, the capital of Puerto Rico. Low cost airlines that fly to San Juan, PR from the U.S. include AirTran (Southwest Airlines now owns them & their Rapid Rewards can be transfer to Air Tran) and Jet Blue.

GETTING TO VIEQUES FROM SAN JUAN:
Vieques is a small island 7 miles off the east coast of Puerto Rico. You will land at the San Juan international airport about an hour northwest along the coast from Vieques. To get to Vieques after you land in San Juan, you need to choose between a ferry from Farjado; OR a short small airplane ride from one of three airports: 1) International Airport in San Juan; 2) Isla Grande Airport in San Juan; and 3) Ceiba Airport, 10 minutes south from Farjado ferry dock.
Flights into Vieques run from 6:15 a.m . to 7:30 p.m. (depending on which airport) & out of Vieques’ only airport, 7 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. All these airplanes are 8-10 seaters. There are enough options to coordinate with your flight into San Juan, as long as you fly in time to connect to a flight or ferry. Book this leg of the trip in coordination with your main flight. If necessary, you can consider spending a night in the airport at the Best Western, or taking the opportunity to go into nearby historic & charming Old San Juan.

FLYING IN
It is less expensive to fly to Vieques from San Juan, if you switch from the international airport and take a $18 cab to the β€œIsla Grande” airportβ€”you’ll think you’re in a Humphrey Bogart movie when you get there. Taxi vans (called PUB-LEE-COS) at the San Juan International Airport, just outside of the baggage pick up area exit, can take you to this smaller airport (or anywhere on the big island). It’s the same airlines, and the same planes, just less airport taxes. Flying from β€œIsla Grande” airport can cost $ 40 less, each way.

FROM SAN JUAN INTERNATIONAL: To fly directly from San Juan international to Vieques, costs about $100 – 130 each way, depending on if you are buying one way or round trip, and which airlines you use. You can see the combined schedule of all the airlines in the Vieques Events (JUSTIN: internal LINK TO SCAN I have ATTACHed), but you must call the airlines, as times do change. Planes can fill up fast because they are small, so make your reservations immediately. Most regular flights are on Vieques Air Link**, Air Flamenco, Seaborne (only on Thurs. & Sun.) & Cape Air** (which offers a coupon book of 10 one-waysβ€”around $ 77 each) that can be used by multiple passengers, and either direction, expires in 1 year.) Rosita’s personal favorites = **.

FROM β€œISLA GRANDE” AIRPORT IN SAN JUAN: To fly to Vieques from the little Isla Grande Airport, costs about $ 75 – 100, each way, depending on if you are buying one-way or round trip, and which airlines. Regular flights from this airport are on Vieques Air Link & Air Flamenco. (Cape Air & Seaborne do not fly from this airport.) Take a $18 taxi van (called PUB-LEE-COS) to this airport from the international airport, outside the baggage area (15 + minute drive depending on traffic).

FROM CIEBA AIRPORT: Take a taxi van 1 hour/40 minutes south of San Juan International to the Ceiba airport (about 5 miles south of the Farjado ferry) and take a 10 minute flight for about $25 – 35 one way. Call airlines below, English spoken at all the toll free numbers.
β€’ Vieques Air Link Toll free reservations: 888-901-9247. Back up local office in a pinch: 787 -741- 8331/3266. Vieques airport: 787-741-8211 or -0508.
β€’ Cape Air Toll free reservations: 800-352-0714. Vieques airport: 787-741-7734.
β€’ Seaborne Airshuttle Toll free reservations: 1-866-359-8784.
β€’ Air Flamenco Toll free reservations: 877-535-2636. Local office: 787-724-1105 or 787-721-7332.
Printable Schedule

TAKE A FERRY
This is the cheapest route if you have the time & especially if you are a group. Taxi vans (called PUB-LEE-COS) at the San Juan International Airport, just outside of the baggage pick up area exit, can take you to the Ferry dock in Fajado (no more than 1.5 hours), for a set fee of $80β€”which can be shared by a group that presents itself togetherβ€”ask on your flight into San Juan if anyone wants to share a taxi van to Farjado (pronounced FAR-HAD-DO). There is usually a tourist aide who speaks English at a stand right there on the sidewalk and can show you the published rates.
Once in Farjado, the ferry is very inexpensive, $2 one-way or $4 round trip. The office to buy tickets is across the street and around the corner in a trailer with a metal canopy. The other direction across the street is a breakfast/lunch coffee shop/cafΓ©. There is a pizza joint inside the Farjado ferry station. The ferry ride can be 45 minutes or 1.5 hoursβ€”see the scheduleβ€”depending on which ferry you take. Note: Very occasionally, the ferries are delayed or full, or canceled for bad weather. The Fajado Inn is recommended in such rare instances. Note: the ferry ride can be very pretty standing outside (the new cargo ferries don’t allow one to stand outside, but do offer great seats & a group TV). Rough weather can cause the ferry to be choppy.
Both cargo & passenger ferries take passengers, but on the cargos there are substantially less passengers. Buy tickets only in person. The new cargo ferries don’t allow one to stand outside, but do offer great seats & a group TV, and go twice as fast. Rentals are not allowed on the ferry! Note: when the cargo ferry gets their fill of cars, they leave early, and if transporting gasoline, they will further limit passengersβ€”about once a week, one ferry. Farjado also has ferry’s to other destinations. There is an area on the left of the ferry dock station for passengers going to Cuelebra. Vieques passengers leave from the right side of the inside of the station. Vieques cargo ferries leave from outside the station across from where you bought the tickets. Vehicles load first, and then passengers. On all ferry’s the elderly and women with children are given preference. Here, a ferry is called (LA-LAN-CHA).

FERRY TO VIEQUES: Schedule MON. – FRI. Departs FARJADO:
4:00 a.m. cargo
6:30 a.m. cargo ++
9:30 a.m. passenger
10:30 a.m cargo ++
1:00 p.m. passenger
2:30 p.m. cargo ++
4:30 p.m. passenger & cargo ferries (cargo often leaves early around 4, as soon as it fills)
8:00 p.m. passenger (taxi not waiting for this ferryβ€”arrange pick up)

SAT. ONLY Departs FAJARDO:
9:30 a.m. passenger & cargo ferries
1:30 p.m. passenger & cargo ferries
5:30 p.m. passenger & cargo ferries

SUN. ONLY Departs FAJARDO:
11:00 a.m. passenger & cargo ferries
5:00 p.m. passenger & cargo ferries

Location Type Beach, Ocean, Tropical

Additional notes from owner

$ 80 cleaning fee added to rentals shorter than 5 days

What Past Guests Are Saying

Overall Rating

• Chicagotraveler
  Chicago

  Relaxing Vacation

  Left on 05/16/2013 for a stay in April 2013
  
  

  Everything was great! We absolutely loved Vieques and staying at Casita Rosita. It was nice to be walking distance to the restaurants at night and have a full kitchen to make breakfast and lunches during the day. Rosie is very organized; we found everything we needed at the house from towels to beach supplies to aloe. The house is very clean and comfortable, with a nice backyard. Hopefully we will be back again next year.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families, Rugged

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• madwalls
  Boston, Mass

  Great House - Great Location

  Left on 04/01/2013 for a stay in March 2013
  
  

  My husband and I love being in Esperanza, this was our third trip there and it was wonderful! We took our adult children with us for the first time and this house was a great place for all of us to relax and enjoy a week away from the cold winter weather. The house is ideally located near great beaches, restaurants and shops. The house really is fully equipped with everything you could possibly need. Next time I'll pack less! Its location gives you a great sense of the little town of Esperanza complete with chickens and horses wandering by. The outdoor shower is amazing, the back deck is a great place to have coffee and read a book. The local bakery is just around the corner and you can get there and back before your coffee is brewed. We also found the owner easy and very pleasant to deal with. We're already talking about when we can return we loved it so much!

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Families w children

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• Matt Myers
  Calais, VT

  Beautiful two bedroom with nice back deck in perfect location!

  Left on 03/21/2013 for a stay in February 2013
  
  

  Casita Rosita is a very sweet place to stay only 2 blocks from the ocean and the Malecon with shops, great restaurants and pubs. Comfortable living, excellent beds, well equipped kitchen, awesome outdoor shower, 5 minute walk to a beautiful beach we had to ourselves all week. All homes in Vieques are loud at night so bring ear plugs. Otherwise, bring family, friends and an eagerness to relax in comfort!

  

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families, Rugged

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• LEM253
  Falls Church, Virginia

  Terrific house, inside and out, in a great location

  Left on 03/14/2013 for a stay in January 2013
  
  

  This was our second visit to Vieques, and we really enjoy Esperanza. My husband and I loved every minute of our stay in Casa Rosita. The house is very well appointed and stocked with everything we could need. The front porch and back yard with fruit trees and hammock are great. And we spent lots of time watching the cat and kittens in the yard. It was so convenient to have a bakery and grocery store around the corner and be able to walk to all the restaurants and the beach. Rosie was also very helpful both before and during our stay. We would definitely stay here again.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Families w children

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• Cornelia and Thomas
  Oslo, Norway

  Thanks for a wonderful vacation!

  Left on 02/17/2013 for a stay in February 2013
  
  

  We just wanted to let you know how much we love and enjoy your place here in Vieques. Every morning a fresh mango falls down on our breakfast table so to speak, and we had the first ripe papaya from your garden. We love hanging out in the evening in your back yard, and it is so special to sit under a banana and mango tree to have breakfast. We found the great veggie /fruit marked you recommended and a lot of other places. The Island with all its friendly people and beautiful nature is truly heavenly. You must love it very much. We feel so grateful and priviligued that we are allowed to stay in your beautiful home.
  Cornelia and Thomas

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• Darius11954
  Montauk, New York

  Great place to relax and enjoy the island!

  Left on 11/02/2012 for a stay in October 2012
  
  

  We stayed at casita rosita at the end of October. We had a great time! The house was very clean and Rosie was great to deal with. Even when we contacted her last thing about a wifi password, she got right back to us. It made for a stress free vacation. The house is located right outside of town, so it was about a minute or two to walk to the malecon in Esperenza. Which is great if you want to go do karaoke at Lazy Jacks and then not drive! Close walk to the beaches as well. We walked to Navio one day and jumped off the cliff there! We highly recommend this place if your looking to stay somewhere in Vieques.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Friends, Groups, Families w children

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• owain
  Washington, DC

  Lovely home in the best location in Vieques - this place is perf

  Left on 10/03/2012 for a stay in August 2012
  
  

  We traveled all over the island during our week and realized how lucky we were to be at Casita Rosita, in Esperanza. This is where you want to be - very close to a great stretch of restaurants and shops and views and activities but just far enough away (a block and a half stroll) to be in a peaceful neighborhood when you are done for the night. The house and private yard are pleasant to hang out in. We loved the outdoor shower, the mangoes, gas grill, well equipped kitchen (and we cook), beach equipment, washer, Wifi, and lots of extras in this comfortable, tasteful home.

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  Would you recommend this vacation rental to a friend? Yes

  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families

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• roxi
  Gualala

  cute house, really fun place to go :)

  Left on 09/27/2012 for a stay in June 2012
  
  

  getting to the island in its self was an adventure (tiny plane!) and the twon we were staying in and that neighborhood were so cute. the house was clean and well decorated, and there was a really delicious little bakery just around the corner, haha i think i had way too many pasteries. esperanza was really pretty too, the house is just a block or two away, and i loved how close everything was to the beach. we had such a great time swimming at the beach just off the town and all over the island! would definitly recomend this place for a fun vacation :)

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• bd
  boston

  Quiet, convenient, clean house in Esperanza

  Left on 09/26/2012 for a stay in July 2012
  
  

  I was Rosie's first renter in Casita Rosita, and I stayed about three weeks. It's a nice two-bedroom home on a side street that is just a short walk to the Malecon and several of the beaches. The home is well kept, stocked with books, and features a nice kitchen that is fully equipped. There is an air conditioner and a washing machine. Rosie stocks a generous number of beach towels, sunscreen, bug repellent and other recreational amenities. The house is set up with internet connection that works reliably. Lovely mangoes drop reliably from the tree every day for breakfast. It was altogether a very nice experience.

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  Recommended for: Travelers, Romantic, Families, Rugged

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