Moving to Vieques? (house, safe area, buy)

[AmyMelinda]

I am a fmale in my mid 20's moving to Vieques for a job i found through my school. Can anyone give me any extra information on the area. Whats the best way to get there plane all the way or plane and then ferry?

Is this a safe area?
I speak decent Spanish ( i was to be a spanish minor in college, but havent spoken it regularly in several years) will this be a problem?
What are the biggest adjustments i will need to get used to?
Things to see/do?
Places to eat?
Minimum wage?
Cell phone towers in the area?
Internet providers?
Banks?
Laudromats?


Basically any information you can give me!! Thanks

[AmyMelinda]

Someone? Anyone?

[Sunscape]

Wait until tonight, when most ppl get to City Data. There might be someone who can help you.

[gemstone1]

My comments are based on 3 months on the big Island:

Banks: No stateside banks in PR that I know of.
Cell Phone: Verizon and AT&T have it covered very well.....I assume V is covered as well.
Internet providers: Bring your air card for Verizon and/or AT&T....we had 3 bars with Verizon.
What are the biggest adjustments i will need to get used to: High prices of grocery staples and impatient/aggressive drivers, who ignore all rules of the road and have never driven any other way...so it has become normal/accepted behavior.
Is this a safe area?: This will certainly depend on the areas you frequent, but that are several threads here talking about safety on Vieques.

Google

Regards
Gemstone1

[AmyMelinda]

Originally Posted by gemstone1

My comments are based on 3 months on the big Island:

Banks: No stateside banks in PR that I know of.
Cell Phone: Verizon and AT&T have it covered very well.....I assume V is covered as well.
Internet providers: Bring your air card for Verizon and/or AT&T....we had 3 bars with Verizon.
What are the biggest adjustments i will need to get used to: High prices of grocery staples and impatient/aggressive drivers, who ignore all rules of the road and have never driven any other way...so it has become normal/accepted behavior.
Is this a safe area?: This will certainly depend on the areas you frequent, but that are several threads here talking about safety on Vieques.

Google

Regards
Gemstone1

THANKS!
So you think it would be best to use verizon for my internet service? and my cell phone service?

[gemstone1]

Coverage Locator - Verizon Wireless

Looks like Verizon has the island of V covered pretty well. Verizon service is handled by "Claro" in PR, but you will see no difference is service.

[AmyMelinda]

Has anyone ever lived there or frequented Vieques? Anything more you can tell me?

[PR Engineer]

I have lived in Puerto Rico (San Juan Metro) for 30 years and I've been in Vieques several times. On one of my trips to Vieques I stayed a whole week for business.


Even though I'm not the more experienced in Vieques, I can share this with you:

-Safety: Vieques is far more safe than the main island. When you read anywhere about Puerto Rico's horrible crime, you can't think Vieques in the same way. Vieques is very small and almost everyone knows each other. Everyone in the island knows who the drug dealer is, they know the policemen by name and family and it is generally very safe. That doesn't mean you can leave a convertible car with the top down and your cell phone for everyone to see, and expect it will be there when you come back... but it is generally safe.

Language: You won't have a problem. Many people speak english or at least try to. Remember Vieques was under the Navy rule until 5 or 6 years ago. People are used to americans far more than in the main island.

Adjustments: I don't know where you are coming from, but I can tell you your biggest adjustment will be the lay back atmosphere. Vieques is very small and frankly there isn't much to do. Many inhabitants just wonder around all day and go to sleep at 9:00pm. Finding things to do and to keep yourself busy will be your main goal over there. Once you do all the "tourist" stuff (kayaking in the flourescent bay, visiting the most beautiful beaches in the world, etc..) you might find yourself island hoping to find new things.

Places to eat: There are many. In the south part of the island you would find small restaurants geared towards the tourists, the north everything is more local (including resturants).

Minimum wage: Same as in the states, the federal minimum $7.25/hr.

Cell Phone/Internet: You shouldn't have a problem with either. AT&T, Verizon (Claro as it is known here), Sprint, T Mobil all have service in PR and I never had a problem with my iPhone (At&T) in Vieques.

Banking: Again, no problems. Most ATMs carry the international LOGOS on the back of your card and you can take money out of any ATM. Beware of banking charges. Some banks can charge up to $4.00 for cash advancement on non-local bank accounts when withdrawing from an ATM. US Bank checks usually take up to 5-7 days to clear in your local bank account if you decide to open one.

Laundromats: Don't know, but there has to be one in Vieques or you will have access to a washer/dryer wherever you decide to live.

Let me finish telling you this, Vieques is beautiful. I have never seen beaches so beutiful (maybe Flamenco in neighboring Culebra island). People are easy going and you will have a blast as long as you see it as an adventure. If I had the money I would buy a beach house over there and spend every weekend in absolute tranquility and peace.

One last advice: On your first trip, take an airplane to get there. It is far more expensive than the Ferry ($50 air vs $3.00 Ferry) but until you find out the "little" details on the Ferry schedules you are better off traveling by air. The Ferry is a mess right now. People from Vieques are on the news every week complainting about the bad service (what the heck is $3.00 and run by the government). It is very sad but true.

My two cents (or more like two dollars ..... Haahahaha)

[Evan702]

Originally Posted by AmyMelinda

THANKS!
So you think it would be best to use verizon for my internet service? and my cell phone service?

Originally Posted by gemstone1

Coverage Locator - Verizon Wireless

Looks like Verizon has the island of V covered pretty well. Verizon service is handled by "Claro" in PR, but you will see no difference is service.

Actually there is a difference. If you go to the data coverage tab on Verizon's map, you'll notice that the data speeds are limited to 1x on Verizon roaming (Claro)-meaning no 3G! At&t would probably be a better choice.

[AmyMelinda]

PR ENGINEER- thank you sooo much. VERY helpful. Im hoping to have a local friend help me navigate the ferry situation so hopefully that wont be a problem but i will look into a flight as well.