We’ve traveled to Vieques twice – the first in 2014 when I literally first realized I was pregnant, and the second time almost exactly one year later with our three month-old in tow.

Vieques is a really special place. I like to think of it as the Caribbean for people who hate the Caribbean (due to its all-inclusive, overly-touristy vibe). It’s pretty rustic in just about every way. With most of its beaches within a national wildlife refuge, a car is required and you can’t stay on the beach, but that also means the beaches are building-free and not stacked with people. You can hit a different, exquisite, desolate beach every day and basically spend your entire vacation in the untouched paradise of your dreams. There are limited hotels and buildings, making it very house-rental based. It feels like it’s a secret getaway that has yet to be discovered. We can only hope it will stay that way.

Even though we had been to Vieques once, we were still intimidated with it being our first infant trip. From the logistics of traveling, to the risks of baby sunburn, chinkungunya (which was peaking at the time), naps on the beach, flight times, and other baby-related nuances, we had no idea what was in store. We planned for the worst – assuming she’d scream on the flights, hate the beach, and would generally leave us miserable and house-bound. Always a fan of setting expectations low.

Getting there involves a direct flight to San Juan and then a connection to Vieques. We’ve preferred to connect in Isla Grande airport (taking a cab from SJU) to save costs on flights, though it adds an extra logistic. We had a car rental at Maritza’s on the other side, and then drove to the W Hotel for one night before our amazing house rental kicked in.

This was the only time we tried one of the island hotels, and we’re glad we only stayed one night. The W’s piped-in techno music, ridiculously impractical room designs and $50 breakfasts immediately reminded us why we hate resorts on islands. We almost always prefer a house rental that’s self-catering, and we were obsessed with our spot. It allowed us to have a wide degree of freedom, experience the local culture through the grocery stores and towns, cook our meals, eat out in Isabel/Esperanza whenever we wanted to of course, and have a comfortable home base if we needed to stick around.

We invited my in-laws to join us on the trip and provide relief, support, confidence and of course good company. With them there, we could take breaks and swim in the ocean, go for beach walks, hit up the bioluminescent bay, and otherwise sleep in and get some time to ourselves. Still, with a baby around this time, we couldn’t snorkel with sea turtles or really kick back on the beach vacation-style. “A change of scenery” is what a friend called it. We were still in the routine of two-hour feedings during the day, frequent naps and basically all-hands-on baby care. But doing all that on a warm, sunny beach in the middle of New England’s winter was still quite a treat.

Thankfully, everyone (the baby) cooperated and we had an amazing trip. She seemed to agree with the beach, taking naps in her car seat (with a mosquito net) and/or on our laps, and even taking her first “swim” in the shallow water with us. The shady trees and BYO umbrella provided adequate sun coverage and we were able to spend pretty full days there. And everybody seems to sleep better near the beach, so we all benefited from that.

While it was an arguably slightly aggressive trip with a newborn, given the level of self-catering and DIY/haul-everything-in beach days, we wouldn’t have changed a thing. While friends and colleagues told us of their wonderful all-inclusive vacations with infants that allowed them to be seconds away from their hotel room at all times, order room service during meltdown-filled evenings and manage all naps in-room, deep down we knew that was not the kind of trip we wanted to take. All in all, it was far easier than we anticipated, and by the end we were only debating if we should have been even more aggressive in our adventuring! Luckily, there’s always next time.

HIGHLIGHTS: Taco truck “Sol Food” at the entrance to the national park (only open on certain days, get the carnitas every single day they are open); Buen Provecho in Isabel brings in a ton of specialty foods and makes gourmet sandwiches, great for beach picnics or to get quality meat; Favorite beaches: Garcia beach (requires a 10-minute trail walk through the mangrove forest), Navio beach (requires driving very slowly on a horribly, horribly potholed road), Blue beach (calm and shady for baby), Secret beach (same); Green beach is great for snorkeling but can be buggy and is otherwise not very picturesque; Bioluminescent (glow-in-the-dark) bay is a good evening adventure (sans baby), tour is required, we went with Abe’s; check out the Ceiba Tree; otherwise, all beach all the time.

HINDSIGHT: The island is rustic, and while we adore it that way, we’ve talked to people who didn’t quite know what they were in for. There are roosters, dogs, horses and sometimes raucous neighbors and, basically, it’s not a resort island. But the payoff is in the beaches. As far as transportation, always rent a car (Jeeps are the norm, and they are expensive but necessary), and don’t take the ferry over – we’ve only heard negative experiences. From San Juan, you can connect by Vieques Air Link flight in SJU or Isla Grande, and you’ll save money with the latter though it is an extra step. Rent beach gear (umbrellas, chairs, etc.) from Black Beard Sports in Isabel to avoid lugging everything with you.

DATES: January/February 2015 (same time of year 2014)

ITINERARY: Beach, every day.

ACCOMMODATIONS: Stayed at the W Vieques for a night, then a house rental in Barrio Monte Carmelo.