Isla Culebra, Puerto Rico

Isla Culebra, known as "Snake Island" is a municipality of Puerto Rico, located approximately seventeen miles east of the main island and twelve miles west of St. Thomas, with a population around 1800 people, beautiful beaches, and a sleepy main town.

We catch a ride on the tender to town and wander several blocks to the ferry landing, where there are buses to Playa Flamenco (Flamenco Beach), rated the third most beautiful in the world by TripAdvisor in 2014.   The beach has shallow turquoise water, white sand, calm swimming areas, and diving sites, stretching for a mile along a horseshoe-shaped bay.

 Leaving San Juan in the evening and heading along the coast Puerto Rico

 Walking through town to the ferry pier (bus stop)

 Arriving at the beach 15 minutes later

We spend a few hours at the beach, walking the length of the beach on the white sand that feels so wonderful on our feet, exploring the abandoned Sherman tanks left by the US Army after training exercises just before WWII, and, of course, swimming and sitting in the sun.

Walking the beach

Checking out the abandoned tanks

And, as it gets toward noon and the crowd picks up (still not many people), we catch the shuttle back into town and find a spot for a fish and chips, beer, and a view.

 Lunch on the bay

What a great, relaxing day, setting a good precedent for the week!