Have you heard about Vieques, Puerto Rico, or as many Puerto Ricans know this island, Isla Nina, Little Girl Island? It’s a small island located 8-miles east of the main island of Puerto Rico. It is commercially accessible by water ferry leaving from Ceiba. Fly there from San Juan International airport or the smaller local airport of Isla Grande. English and Spanish are both widely spoken on Vieques.
Do you ever dream of being in a tropical paradise but worry it’s too expensive and you don’t have enough vacation time to go? There is a hidden oasis within reach that will give you that paradise-feeling without costing a bunch. Your dreams will come true when you visit Peanut Island, situated about 125 miles east of Arcadia, Florida. It’s one of those hidden gems you absolutely need to go see to believe!
Yellow illuminated the view, from both the fruit and the sunshine, immediately transporting me to a “happy place.”
On this hidden gem of an island, 26 miles long and six miles wide, two Danish forts still point cannons toward the sea to thwart enemy attack, the spicy aroma of West Indian dishes tantalizes the taste buds, and fresh mangos and coconuts can be bought from local farmers’ trucks parked along narrow, mahogany-shaded roads. They’ll be happy to open your coconut with the swift slice of a sharp machete and offer a straw to draw out the sweet water, while the constant trade wind breeze provides relief from 85 degree heat. Unpack your clothes into the antique armoire of a European-style hotel, trade travel shoes for flip-flops, and allow the serenity of clear Caribbean water to wash your stress away. Then dress for dinner in one of many world class restaurants offering freshly-caught seafood and local Crucian dishes such as succulent kallaloo
