As we wrapped up our time in Culebra, we made sure to visit the famous “Flamenco Beach” on the Northside of the island. Flamenco Beach is consistently rated amongst the top 5 beaches in the world. It’s easy to see why once we arrived. The water is a beautiful turquoise blue and the beach itself has sugary sand that one usually only sees in a magazine. Once you arrive at Flamenco Beach, you will encounter a line of concession stands with Puerto Rican favorites like Mofongo and Medallas. The beach has anywhere from 500-1000 visitors a day. Because it’s big and spread out, you don’t really notice.

Nick and I spent a lovely few hours at Flamenco Beach. We hung out on the sand and shared a snack, explored the two army tanks colored with graffiti, and I even showed off some of my Spanish ballet and Flamenco moves! Of course, we can’t forget Arthur. He was content hanging with us and racing with Nick. He always wins! After a few hours soaking up the sun, we decided to go have lunch at Zaco’s Tacos before turning in the Jeep.

It was time to cruise on. Our next stop was a quick hour-long motor to Culebrita. We made it just in time for lunch and then a dinghy ride to a nearby reef. Nick grabbed his spear gun and caught us dinner. Lionfish were on the menu! These are an invasive species to all of the Caribbean so it is encouraged to catch and eat as many as you can. It’s important to take care while cleaning them as they have poisonous spikes. However, they are super delicious. Nick usually makes Lionfish bites since the filets are on the small side. Mmmmmm!

That evening, we took a hike with a few friends to the tide pools. What a cool thing to see! The waves crash into the pool-like rock formations. It’s safe to swim in the clear water. It was almost like a hot tub minus the hot water. We made it back just in time for the sunset. What a perfect way to end the day.

We stayed one more night in another spot on Culebrita. We had the beach to ourselves and decided to go for a skinnydip. That’s rare, there is usually another boat or two in the vicinity. We also went for a snorkel and we were surrounded by beautiful reefs. When we got back to the boat, we noticed there were a ton of honey bees swarming the boat. I’m allergic to bees/wasps so it scared me. There were at least 50 on the boat at a time. I wouldn’t dare dream of harming a honey bee (a wasp is a different story) but one sting in the wrong place on my body could mean a lot of trouble. We figured out they were going after the fresh water that was on our snorkel gear. Poor bees! We put out a bucket of water for them which only brought more. Oops! But I felt bad.

As soon as we motored away for St. Thomas, the bees flew away. I sure hope they found another source of fresh water. :):)