We recently spent five nights at the Martineau Bay Resort on the beautiful island of Vieques in Puerto Rico. We found a great deal on Expedia for only $119.00 per night and after reading reviews on Tripadvisor and checking the hotel's website, we went ahead and booked it. We already had our airline tickets to San Juan and had planned to go to Tortola, since we were there in December and loved it, the hotel we wanted to stay at was already booked, we thought we would try Vieques. I am so glad we did. I had forgotten what an island without traffic lights was like, so we made a great choice. The resort was beautiful. It is going to close in August for renovations, and reopen as a W Hotel. This resort is only four years old, but i am glad we got to experience it before it changes. We had a very large" gardenview" room for the low rate, but i didn't see what garden they were talking about. We were against the bank in the last building. It didn't really bother me, because we were not in the room that much, there were too many beaches to go and many things to see. After we checked into the hotel, we asked for a cooler with ice, and it was quickly delivered. We had a small refrigerator, but it didn't seem to cool as much as it should. I loved the beach here at the hotel, there was always just one other couple there when i was there and umbrellas and chairs were provided free of charge as well as beach towels. The pool area was very nice and the beach bar seemed pretty good. I ordered a Mojito , but there was not mint leaves and therefore, no Mojito... Oh well, i will try somewhere else. (i later found a Mojito at the Inn On The Horizon and the best Mojito i have had anywhere, and a great view to go along with it). I found out later that vegetables were delivered on Tuesdays and soon sold out, so once you are out, no more til the next week. They say nobody grows anything on the island , that it is all brought over from San Juan area.
We checked in and went straight to the room via golf cart with our luggage, since we arranged for pickup for our jeep rental for the next day, since we knew we would be too tired to go out after the all day travel getting to San Juan. Our flights originated from Jacksonville through Atlanta on Delta of course. Martineau Jeep rental picked up Mike to go and pick up transportation for the remainder of our stay. We would use them again. They also took us to the airport when we returned the jeep after our brief five night stay. My, time flies when your having fun. Back to the room,,, It was very very large and large bath with and oversized tub, but never used, because i loved the oversized shower they had. The only complaint we had was the handle on the sliding door was barely hanging on and when we opened it, it fell off. We tried to fix it ourselves, but it looked like it may new parts, so i heard the someone out near our breezeway and it was the maid, I asked her to look at our door and she said she would bring someone to fix it and returned with a very young man and he looked at it and picked up the screws in the floor and just stuck them back in the door. He said something (couldn't understand spanish much, so i thought maybe when he left he was going to get parts to fix it, but after one hour , i called the front desk and told them about the young man and told them i didn't want to leave without getting it fixed since we were on the ground floor and all the at the end of the resort. I just wasn't comfortable going to sleep with a faulty door..... They said they would send someone... They sent the cream of the crop. His name was Enrique, very mature man who knew what he was doing. He worked on it and seen it was going to need a new handle all together. He said he would return soon and he was right. He had such a warm personality, i was talking to him about his family and found out he was from the island originally and he was really hot, and i insisted he have some cold bottled water from our ice in the cooler... He was so thankful and asked our names, and we had found a genuinely friendly person. I told him how i loved mangos and was amazed at how they grow all over the islands. The next morning i was up early and headed out to the beach with my IPOD , ready to listen to my island music, hey , it helps you get in the mood , afterall, what is an island vacation without the island music,,,( because i had to escape the tourist town i live in, where traffic is unbearable in the summer), and if you have visited the Gatlinburg area in the Smoky Mtns. , you can understand why i loved the laid back style, Don't get me wrong, I love my beautiful mountains but being born and raised there, i have seen many changes in my 48 yrs. and I live for the trips to the Caribbean. It helps me make it through our busy summer months. Anyway ,back to Enrique, while i was walking to the beach , he was driving his golf cart and seen me, waved at me and called me by name, He had brought me a wonderful smelling pineapple he picked from his house and some mangos from his tree, He had remembered i told him i loved mangos. I was just thinking how there aren't many people left that sincerely care about total strangers. Yes, Martineau Bay , you truly have a treasure working at your resort. I highly recommend this resort.. Now for a few restaurants we found on the island ,,,, all were great. When we arrived , we had taken the ferry from San Juan, and decided we should have booked the air from San Juan, but more about that later..... we took a taxi to the hotel, but was hungry, so we asked for a good place to eat on the way to the resort, and he recommended Richards Cafe. He dropped us off and It was great and reasonable. He said to have the cashier call when we were finished and he would pick us up and take us to the hotel. Sure enough, he was there promptly. We had our luggage with us, but we only had one piece each, so it wasn't a problem. ...Now for the restaurant experiences for the rest of the week...... Tradewinds for Caribbean Lobster, caught fresh that day, out of this world. and what a deal, with salad, vegetables and key lime pie,,,, it was only around 60.00 for two. We found a great pizza place family owned,,,, It was delicious.... Had to stop and have another one one night to take back to the hotel for a snack and saved some for lunch the next day. This and most of the other restaurants are in the Esperanza area. As we were at the airport waiting for our flight, someone said that Belly Buttons , also in Esperanza was great for breakfast. They had the banana pancakes and the owner actually pick those sweet small bananas ,called apple bananas from their yard and fixed the pancakes with those, best they had ever tasted. Darn, another reason we have to go back. We found the Medallia Beer from Puerto Rico was reasonable and good. We found a little beachside bar in Esperanza, (the town with all the beachbars, nightlife, and some of the great restaurants). We ordered two beers and it was just $2.50 for two beers. The lady was so friendly and it was around 9:30PM and I asked how she was doing and she said,,,"Good, but i am tired tonight, I have been here since 11 am this morning". I handed her a five dollar tip for our 2.50 tab and she was so appreciative. We were told of a little roadside stand where they make fresh Conch Salad everyday and sell it til they run out. It is just down from the Green Store. Downtown there is Roy's Coffee Shop and they have a limited menu for lunch,, I had the Chicken salad Wrap and Mike had the large soft taco... Both were delicious. As we were leaving, we noticed the building for Vieques Airlink and decided to check on a flight for our return, instead of the ferry. To catch a flight to get there in time for our departure back to Atlanta, they had a flight leaving for Grande Isle Airport, ten minutes to the San Juan International, and it was only $42.00 per person. That was the cab fare we paid just from San Juan to the town of Fijardo to catch the ferry. Besides,, the views from the plane was absolutely breathtaking. It was about 25 minutes to landing. We will know next time to take the Veiques Airlink roundtrip. One of the highlights was the bio tour. It was so beautiful seeing all the different constellations and the Southern Cross brought tears to your eyes.... so beautiful. The guide was great. We didn't do the kayaks, we took the boat, and i got in the water and what a neat experience. It looked like diamonds all over you when you lifted your arms and legs out of the water. Lie on your back and look up at the stars.... you could stay forever. Word of advice, take bug repellent, we had read about that about a month before we went and had forgotten, so Mike's legs had little red bites all over his legs the next day... it was dark and he wrapped the beach towel around his legs, he said something kept biting his legs. He stayed on the boat and didn't get in the water. But i never got bit one time, and i was on the boat the whole time, except just when i was in the water for about 15 minutes. Make sure you explore some of the other beautiful beaches. You will need a jeep to get to some of them because of the dirt roads and potholes, but it is worth it.. I took one photo of a horse on the beach and it was just beautiful. I went to one area and seen the rock glass that i had read about in a book. Someone on the island told me where to find it. That was like a treasure hunt. Gas on the island is by liters and it was about 85 cents a liter. During peak times, i hear that they run out of gas sometimes by the weekend and it is not available til the next week, so keep plenty of gas in your vehicle. We didn't have that problem, but it was off season, so that was nice. There aren't a lot of shopping for souvenirs and t shirts on this island, but that wasn't important to me this time, usually i am always shopping for souvenirs to bring back for everyone, but not this time... This was a pure vacation........No stress,,,,,,,and did i mention , no traffic lights....... and best of all the friendliness of the people. If you happen to stay at this resort , tell Enrique that Tana and Mike said hello and thanks for his kindness..........I miss that place...

We were in the Martineau Bay Resort for a four-day weekend in June. The good news is that the ocean views and snorkeling are breathtaking. The bad news is that the staff is so bad it will take your breath away. First, our room was booked incorrectly and we were told upon arrival that the original room we reserved would actually cost more money - or we could accept lesser accomodations. Simple requests for things like a "do not disturb" sign for our room were simply ignored. At one point, we were so frustrated that we called the front desk to complain and when we told the desk clerk we didn't think we'd ever return because the service was so bad she actually laughed at us. Meals in the restaurant were slow to arrive and far overpriced for the low quality of the food. The pool has a swim-up bar that is fun to sit at but be prepared to be ignored by the bartender and to watch her roll her eyes when she finally acknowledges you. Other patrons we met had similar experiences with the staff. We wonder how the place manages to stay open.... by the way, we heard it's closing in August.

We went over Memorial Day weekend - and i have to say I was expecting to feel compromised (sp?) after reading the reviews. I thought the service was terrific, the setting was beautiful, and the peace and quiet was just what we wanted. The restaurant was pretty great - paso fino - it's a sleeper I think. There were alot of families but it seemed low - key what a relief not to have spring break crowds or people feeling hassled!! Vieques is worth seeing before it gets discovered - don't overdevelop it!! Of course that is a decade away anyhow. I got stung also by a jellyfish in the bio bay, and eaten by the tourist mosquitoes, but that is a story to tell one's friends anyhow, not a vacation ruiner. I remember the playa caracas especially as being all one could hope for, and the kind staff at the hotel were what I take back with me. I actually got a little relaxed here!!

My husband and I are in our late 20’s/early 30’s and just returned from spending five nights at Martineau Bay. As the last reviewer said, the ferry is NOT WORTH IT. I strongly suggest flying. Not only is it a beautiful, short, and inexpensive flight, the ferry is nothing but a tourist trap and you’ll waste hours of your vacation standing in a looong line in the heat. Upon arrival at the Vieques airport, Martineau Car Rental picked us up no more than 10 minutes after we called them. We had our new Grand Cherokee in less than 20 minutes and were on our way. We had no problems with the car other than...don’t get the key wet, the car won’t start. The hotel is right
across the street from the car rental.

Regarding the hotel, it is very nice. The grounds are lovely, as are the common areas, lobby, and buildings that contain the rooms. Everything was very clean, including our room. We arrived very early (around 11:00 am) and were told they would call our cell phones when the room was ready. They offered to hold the luggage and gave us information on the grounds and the island to bide our time. They offered a guest room to change and the showers at the spa. When we arrived back a few hours later, they provided us with an upgraded ocean view room that was absolutely beautiful. The room had a great soaking tub (no brown water as previously suggested), a minifrig, and
a huge bathroom with walk-in shower. The linens and furniture choices
were very nice. Our balcony overlooked the pool and the ocean. Our room was quiet, although the louvered doors did allow a good bit of light in the morning. Our phone did not work for a few days, but they explained the technician had to come from the main island and it was not a big deal. We had cell phone coverage on the island and at the hotel, except for the remote beaches. Note: the sun rose around 4:30-5:00 am here and set around 6:00 PM. We were not used to being so close to the Equator!

I wanted to make special mention of Carmiann (sp?) at the front desk.
Throughout the week every single person at the hotel was extremely friendly, but she really went out of her way to help us make reservations and navigate the island.

The pool and spa are very nice. Beach towels are plentiful and free. Both the pool and beaches were virtually empty, even on a holiday weekend. There is a swim up bar, but it is Expensive! ($8.00 a drink or more and $4.00 for a 10oz beer). We chose to buy a small cooler at the local grocery and keep drinks in our room or on the beach, or to go out. In my opinion, if the hotel just dropped their prices slightly, they would have made considerably more money from our stay. The restaurant and pool grill have good food. They are also very expensive. Hamburgers are $17, chips and guacamole $8, etc. The main restaurant was open for breakfast (approx $17.00 a person) and dinner ($30 pp and up). There is a small bar outside the restaurant/
lobby area. The bartender, Elijah, is excellent. Drinks are again expensive, but it is convenient. Isabel is only a few minutes drive from Martineau, but the nightlife there is non-existent, so you’ll have to drive the 20 minutes to Esperanza if you want to go out at night. We liked Duffy’s and Bananas in Esperanza for casual dinner and drinks. There are a couple of gas stations and convenient stores just down the street from the hotel.

The roads are narrow and driving is a challenge. People seem to stop,
park, turn, etc anywhere they want. By the end of the week I felt like I could handle anything!

Lastly, the beaches at Martineau are nicer than they appear on the website. They are not as nice as Blue, Red, and Playuela beaches. However, the proximity to drinks, food, and our room made it our beach of choice for most of the week. We spent 2-3 days exploring the island, then rented snorkel gear at Black Beard Sports in Isabel and spent the next three days at Martineau enjoying their beaches and the great snorkeling. There is also a great beach right beside Martineau Bay with good snorkeling.

We did take the ferry when we left Vieques (my husband doesn’t like flying) and it was very slow, pouring rain, and pretty much miserable. Fly!! It’s a $23 flight to Fajardo, $79 to San Juan.

Perhaps this review is a mute point, as the hotel will close at the beg. of August and will become the W Vieques.