Culebra Blog | Culebra, Puerto Rico

Where can I swim for exercise on Culebra Island?

(The following is an answer to a reader question, and the continuation of two recent posts Running on Culebra and Biking on Culebra.)

There are no public pools on the island of Culebra, but if you’re like me and enjoy swimming for exercise, then this post should help a little bit.

On Culebra, of course, you are surrounded by water with many amazing beaches, however, trying to find a calm place to swim for exercise can sometimes be tricky during the winter. One of my favorite spots to swim from November to March is Tamarindo beach.

Typically Tamarindo is well protected from the north swells, and the predominant wind direction (NNE) this time of year does not affect conditions too adversely.

.32 Mile Swim (.16 each way) – Short Swim

When you arrive at Tamarindo beach if you start at the corner of the concrete structure shown below -

Walk into the water (Luis Pena will be directly across from you) and swim to the left following the coast line.

The green dot on the map below denotes the starting point and the red dot denotes the turning spot.

If you are not all that comfortable swimming for distance in the ocean, with this route you can get a nice little .32 mile swim (with the confidence of always being able to touch bottom) if you go all the way to the tree (shown below) and back to the starting point. Note, I usually try to keep a rock or two balanced on the trunk for easy identification.

.62 Mile – Long Swim

If you are looking for a bit more distance and have done the initial .16miles, you can swim from the turn tree (shown above) all the way down to the other end of Tamarindo. The green dot denotes the starting point and the red dot is the end, which is back at the initial concrete structure.

When you get down towards the other end of Tamarindo you want to sight for the ‘topless’ tree (see below) and when you are directly across from it you will turn and head back.

Should you happen to find yourself on Culebra Isalnd during the summer months, Flamenco beach makes a fabulous swimming venue and you can easily sneak in a full mile if you start at the second life guard tower and follow the coast down to the mullecito (.5 miles) and back again.

If you have any questions about swimming, biking, or running on Culebra get in touch with us here at the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Share This

Are you looking for a daily dose of pictures from around Culebra Island? Well, you’re in luck because Culebra Daily Photo has recently launched and we will be posting a new Culebra picture every day.

If you find yourself suffering in the cold and snowy weather up north, or if you  just want a visual escape, please take a look at Culebra Daily Photo.

Share This

The travel section of the Boston Globe prominently featured Culebra (and the Palmetto Guesthouse) on its front page story today, “Seeking Sun & Savings.”

Author Patricia Borns writes:

“For heat on the cheap, we scoured the warm zone for destinations with great packages, or lodging options under $130 a night, and recent round-trip airfares from Boston under $450. Then we applied our rating system: high scores for barefoot simplicity, debits for resort crowds. And the winners are . . .”

You can read the full article here: Seeking Sun & Savings

If you want to escape the cold northeast and checkout Culebra’s fine beaches like Flamenco, Brava, and Zoni then give us a call at the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Share This

Matt D. recently stayed with us at the Palmetto Guesthouse and he took some amazing photos around Culebra:

Culebrita Island Shorebreak

Culebrita Island Cactus

Culebra Island Iguana Eating Lunch

Playa Tortuga on Culebrita Island

If you would like to come to Culebra Island and take your own photos, give us a call at the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Share This

Bob M. and his wife recently stayed with us at the Palmetto Guesthouse and took these fabulous photos of Zoni Beach.

Zoni Beach — looking west.

Zoni Beach — looking east.

Zoni Beach — beautiful water!

Bob — enjoying a BLT lunch after Zoni Beach.

Share This

If you are suffering through all of the terrible weather around the northeast lately, here’s some recent Culebra Island video that I took. Enjoy…

Flamenco Beach Video:

Morning Mangroves Video:

Want to escape the cold and gloomy weather? Give us a call at the Palmetto Guesthouse!

Share This

Continuing on from our most recent post “Biking on Culebra Island” I thought that I would put up some quick information for folks who might like to go running/jogging while here on island.

Even though Culebra is only 7×3 miles we have some fantastic running routes. One of my favorites is a six mile loop that runs through town and then  heads out east along the coast road by the Culebra cememtary and back again.

If you start at the four way intersection near the Culebra Island airport and Carlos Jeep rental and run to town and go past Mamacitas restaurant, over the hill past Butiki and then cruise on the coast road (and back again) it’s exactly six miles.

I did the run today at a fairly easy 9.30 minute pace and burned 711 calories.

If you would like to come to Culebra Island for some sun and fun, or if you’re looking for a warm weather training destination, give us a call at the Palmetto Guesthouse and we can help get you sorted.

Share This

This time of year we find many folks coming to Culebra Island from the northeast United States to escape the cold. One of the more common questions we get is, “Can you bike around Culebra?” (Culebra bike rental information.)

And the answer is a definitive YES! Some want to bike for exercise, and others just want a simple mode of transportation.

There are any number of bike routes on Culebra and this morning I took a bike ride with my Garmin 305 and mapped a couple of the routes:

1.  My first ride was to the top of  Zoni Beach. I started at the four way intersection (at Carlos Jeep Rental) and headed east. According to my Garmin the ride is 9.43 miles, it took me 50 minutes (round trip) and I burned 645 calories.

And half-way through the ride you get to enjoy this view over to Culebrita Island and St. Thomas in the USVI.

2. My second ride again started at the four way intersection and this time I went through town and then headed to Flamenco Beach. For the less motivated visitor, this is an easier option.

Although there is one pretty good hill half way through the ride.  According to my trusty Garmin 305 the ride is 5.13 miles, it took me 27 minutes, and I burned an additional 335 calories.

Of course, there is a killer view at the half-way point!

Want to get away to a warm weather destination for your training? If you have further questions about biking (or running and swimming) on Culebra Island, please get in touch with us at the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Share This

If you are planning a trip to our island the first question many people ask is, “What is there to do in Culebra?” Here are ten suggestions to help get your Culebra tour planning started:

1. Rent a car and drive around the island exploring: Culebra Car Rental
2. Go diving and “explore beyond the shore”: Diving on Culebra
3. You could do NOTHING and just unwind: Unwinding on Culebra
4. Hike to Brava Beach: Brava Beach Hiking
5. Take a water taxi to Culebrita Island: Culebrita
6. Have a cold beer and catch a sunset at Melones Beach: Melones Sunset
7. Walk 20 minutes to Carlos Rosario Beach and go snorkeling: Snorkeling Culebra
8. Spend a day at one of the top ten beaches in the world: Flamenco Beach
9. Hike to the amazing Resaca Beach: Resaca Beach
10. Eat at some of our fine restaurants: Culebra Restaurants

Here’s ten answers to the ever pressing question, “What to do in Culebra?”

If you have further inquiries, or would like to stay at a great small Culebra hotel, then give us a call at the Palmetto Guesthouse.

Share This

You can get to Culebra by ferry and by airplane. It really is not that difficult, although, there seems to be a lot of conflicting information out there…

Culebra Ferry

Although there is a phone number to make reservations (787) 863-0705), it can be very difficult (nearly impossible) to reach someone in the Fajardo office.

The ferry operates daily (weekends and holidays as well) and the full schedule can be found here:  Culebra Ferry

The cost is $4.50 r/t per person to/from Culebra and please note – there is NO ferry between Culebra and Vieques.

The ferry leaves from Fajardo, located on the eastern part of Puerto Rico. To get to Fajardo from San Juan you can rent a car and drive and then park it in a secure lot (on the right before the ferry terminal-$5.00/day). It is NOT usually permitted to bring a rental on the ferry for insurance purposes. Moreover, it is NOT recommended as priority on the cargo ferry is given to commercial vehicles and then residents.

The ferries can be VERY full (i.e. sold out) during holiday periods, April, and in the summer months with additional travelers from Puerto Rico. The Palmetto Guesthouse can purchase tickets and mail them (for a slight fee) for guests who make reservations in advance. Most other months, the ferries are not full, but being at the dock in Fajardo at least one hour prior to the scheduled departure is recommended.

Culebra Airlines

The fastest, most convenient way to get to Culebra is to fly from the smaller regional airport in San Juan, called Isla Grande. It is about a 15 minute taxi ride from the main international airport and should cost about $15.00 + $1.00/bag.

From there you fly via Flamenco Air (787-721-7332 or 787-724-1818) or Vieques Airlink (888-901-9247) to Culebra. The price is $105 per person round trip and the flight takes ½ hr. ADVANCE RESERVATIONS are always recommended and you will likely have to try several times to reach a reservation agent. Don’t bother with email or leaving a message. You must speak to a person to make a booking.

There are scheduled flights daily with Flamenco Air and Vieques Airlink to/from Culebra/San Juan and Culebra/Ceiba (on the eastern end of the island near Fajardo) as well as charter services available and “on-demand” for routes/times outside of the normal schedules.

This information was orginally posted on our Palmetto Guesthouse “Frequently Asked Questions” page. If you would like to make a reservation or have further questions, please feel free to contact us: Palmetto Guesthouse Contact.

Share This