perfect week in Vieques

Evamer is a wonderful place to relax. The large studios (6 or so) are filled with the sound of the ocean hitting the north shore of Vieques- peaceful sleeping (in an incredibly comfortable bed), occasionally broken through in the morning by a crowing rooster in the yard next door. Our room, Mira Coco, was on the second floor of a two unit building. The big French doors open onto a narrow wrap-around balcony overlooking the secluded walking beach below and the pool to the right. The balcony, with its table and chairs, was perfect for morning coffee, afternoon cocktails and evening card playing.

The other units were occupied, but we didn't really hear the other guests at all, or even see them much. If you like to interact with others, there's probably the opportunity to gather around the pool or grill and chat. But we were trying to decompress in privacy, and Evamer was perfect for that.

Our room (Mira Coco) was clean, bright and well kept. There were multiple ceiling fans and screened windows and doors. There wasn't any need for AC with the wonderful breezes coming through the screens.

Evamer provides beach chairs, beach towels and a cooler. These are all necessities since you'll probably spend much of every day on the beach. The cooler is also helpful because the fridge is a small under-the-counter type (not room for a lot of food and beer). That was fine for us since the colmado, gas station and grocery store are two blocks away to stock up on ice and cold beer. The 2-minute drive to the store lets you see the chickens, chicks, cats, horses and dogs that live in the neighborhood. We had favorite local animals after our first day.

The kitchenettes are fine for cooking small meals and there is a grill outside by the pool. The pool is clean and pretty, but we didn't use it much after long days at the beach.

I'd recommend the accommodations at Evamer to anyone who wants a low-key hide away at a decent price (around $1,200/week high season).

The Evamer staff is present when you need them, easily approachable, but never over bearing. The manager, Marc, can help you with any necessary arrangements, from the biobay and snorkeling to restaurants and give you the inside scoop on local info. He oriented us to the island, marking a map with all of the beaches and details on how to get around. All this in the first 15 minutes!

Marc picked us up/dropped us off at the airport (5 minutes away). He arranged for our rental car, which was great-cars are in short supply.

He also helped us pick which biobay tour we'd like best and hooked us up with Captain Bill for a great snorkeling trip. We took the Island Adventures' boat for the biobay--you can swim and if it's not naturally dark enough they'll take you under the pontoon boat to really see the bioluminescence in total darkness.

We were disappointed by Media Luna. The building is beautiful and we loved sitting on the tiny balcony overlooking the street, but the food and service were unexceptional.

The prices were moderate to expensive (3 small/medium plates + $30 bottle of wine + 20 percent tip= $105) for poorly executed and unsubstantial food. We wanted to like the place--really--but it just didn't work. And as restaurant professionals, we give people the benefit of the doubt. It wasn't a busy night.

Media Luna does offer an OK wine selection at moderate prices, but the bottle of Albarino was the only upside of our meal.

If you want atmosphere and aren't really into an eating/dining experience, then Media Luna is fine. But they bill themselves as a gourmet destination and don't really follow through on that.