Playa Grande

Vieques


This long, narrow strip of golden sand has wave-tossed water that drops off very quickly, so it's not the best choice for kids or poor swimmers. If you head west on Rte 996 from Esperanza to Rte 201, you’ll eventually come to a dead end where you can park and hit the sand.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Vieques attractions

1. Sugar Mill Ruins

0.79 MILES

Abandoned in 1942 after the US Navy took possession of the island, this 19th-century sugar mill now lies in ruins; overtaken by the forest, just some…

2. Playa Negra

1.44 MILES

Bored of all that powdery, blindingly white sand? This beach lives up to its name with dark, sparkly sand derived from offshore volcanic rocks. This…

4. Cayo Afuera

2.6 MILES

This uninhabited pinprick of land lies a few hundred feet across the bay from Playa Esperanza. Part of the Mosquito Bay Reserve, many intrepid locals swim…

5. Playa Esperanza

2.62 MILES

This slender beach runs the length of Esperanza. Its advantages are its spectacular views and the fact it's within shouting distance of the town’s hopping…

6. Cayo de Tierra

2.99 MILES

A teardrop of land between the malecón and Sun Bay reached by a slender sandspit (or by wading, if storms have washed it out), Cayo de Tierra has a few…

7. Sun Bay

3.44 MILES

Part of Puerto Rico's national park system, this half-moon-shaped bay, less than a half-mile east of Esperanza, is the island’s balneario (public beach),…

8. Starfish Beach

3.93 MILES

On the northern side of Laguna Kiani is the best beach on Vieques for children and people learning to snorkel, with calm, shallow waters. Since Hurricane…