Vieques Travel Guide
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W Vieques Is Hosting Its Own Gay & Lesbian Short Film Fest
There's been a few hotels this week that haven't been very accommodating to the GLBT crowd but down in Puerto Rico, it's a much warmer scene, in more ways than one.
That's because the W Retreat & Spa, Vieques is hosting its own short film festival from May 13–15. W Happenings Presents: Out On Film will feature screenings of award-winning gay and lesbian short flicks--and parties to go with them, natch.
The resort partnered with The Puerto Rico Film Foundation and CineFiesta, the Puerto Rico International Short Film Festival, on this latest artsy endeavor, emphasizing the laidback, creative vibe the island of Vieques seems so infused with.
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Stay at a W This Month, Earn A Free Night With Your Stay In Vieques
Nothing makes our hearts beat faster than the words “free stay”, so we were over the moon when a press release popped into our inbox today promising a free night at the sexy and, more importantly, sunny, W Vieques Retreat and Spa in Puerto Rico for anyone who stayed a night at any W hotel in North America during the month of February.
There must be a catch, right? Well, yes. But, if you’re traveling this month anyway, and also in the mood for a tropical vacation before the end of the year, it could still save you a lot of money.
Basically, as above, staying any one night at any W hotel in North America will qualify you for a free night (or two) at Vieques.
Here’s the catch, though – you need to book a three night stay at the W Vieques in order to qualify for that free night. So it becomes a buy three, get one free, deal. Stay three nights, and you stay a fourth free. Pay for six nights, and you stay eight (two free nights is the limit). And you need to book it by 15 March, for a stay before 31 October (to book, W will send you an email following your US stay – you just click the link).
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W Vieques Now Has An Artist In Residence Program
Hotels with great art collections is nothing new. (Although, we still love it, of course.) But we were intrigued to hear about the new art program launching at the W Retreat and Spa, Vieques this month: Artist in Residence.
Vieques has attracted artists for some time, what with its laidback vibe and gorgeous setting and all, so W has decided to play up to this reputation and invite artists to stay at the property throughout the year. (We know, right? Where did we put that easel again?)
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W Vieques Lights Up A Double Dose of Hotel BBQ
Last week we were salivating over Hotel Barbecues, and you know what? It's still hot, it's still summer, and barbecues are still on our minds. We're particularly entranced by the sound of the ones taking places at The W Retreat & Spa Vieques.
Down in Vieques the miX on the beach team just introduced the Fondita Del Lechòn, a weekly event blending Puerto Rican dishes with char-grilled BBQ goodness. Held every Wednesday, from 6:30 p.m.–9:30 p.m. on the W Café deck, it costs $25 per guest, with sangria, local beer and house wine all $5 each.
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We Want a Potato/Patata Chair from W Vieques
Man, we're dying to get down to The W Retreat & Spa Vieques. Not for the beach, or the spa, or the Alain Ducasse food—but for a chair. We've already lusted over the hanging chairs we've seen courtesy of the hotel's Twitter feed, but now we're obsessed with the big cozy chair known as the Potato/Patata. Seriously, doesn't it look like the perfect place for a nap?
The Potato/Patata chair, like almost every single thing at W Vieques, was designed by Patricia Urquiola. Since she worked with B&B Italia on this piece, we wondered if maybe we could just buy ourselves one and create our own little Vieques island life at home in NYC...
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W Vieques Wants You to Know It's 85 and Sunny (Oh and They're Opening Tomorrow)
We've been waiting a looooong time for this one to open but the day is (almost) finally here. The W Vieques Retreat and Spa in Puerto Rico will open tomorrow and an on-scene source sent us these gorgeous snaps of the pool and beach area. And our spy just had to let us know that the weather is currently 85 degrees and sunny.
Alain Ducasse's Mix on the Beach will also open tomorrow at the resort...er, retreat and don't forget, that your W experience starts at the Vieques Airport with the W Welcome Lounge where you are greeted by W staffers with cool refreshments. Once on the property, you can indulge in the Spa Chakra (no Bliss spa here), tennis, yoga on the sun terrace and a variety of land and sea "excursions" such as kayaking, scuba diving and eco-tours thorugh the Bioluminescent Bay.
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Rates Retreat at the W Vieques Retreat & Spa
With the opening just two weeks away on March 25, we can now report that the W Vieques Island Retreat and Spa has opening packages starting at $359 a night. Considering our disappointment that regular rates were $339 last time we checked, we're happy that the hotel—the first W retreat and spa in North America—has decided to give us a little more bang for our buck.
Not surprisingly for a property that calls its restaurant miX on the Beach and its rooms 'sand-sational', the opening package has a snazzy name too—it's the Surrender to Your Senses package. Here's what you get in return:
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La Hotel Bonita? W Vieques Island is Now Opening March 25
UPDATE 2.28.10: Alain Ducasse's miX on the Beach will also open on March 25. Woot.
We've been fretting over the opening date of the long-awaited W Vieques Island Retreat and Spa for quite some time. The last time we checked in, the hotel was set to open March 1 but an insider told us that reservations would not be accepted until sometime in May.
But yesterday we got encouraging news. The hotel (with 157 "sand-sational" rooms) is now opening March 25 with the added bonus that the miX on the Beach restaurant from superstar chef Alain Ducasse would be opening on April 1. (No foolin'!) Straight from the press release:
Executive Chef Dagan Lynn, a key member of ALAIN DUCASSE Entreprise who previously worked at the Michelin three-starred Alain Ducasse at The Essex House in New York, has collaborated with Chef Ducasse to develop the miX on the beach menu.
Infused with the exotic flavors and colors of Vieques Island, the cuisine features sun-drenched fruits and vegetables such as papaya, avocado, cashew fruit, tamarind, starfruit, guava, guanabana, yucca, yautia, pumpkin squash, pigeon peas, sweet peppers and flavorful olive oils. The result is an extraordinary culinary offering full of light and refreshing dishes, expertly prepared and creatively presented.
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Seriously, What's Going On With W Puerto Rico?
While most hotels have put the breaks on their expansion plans, W Hotels has picked up speed and plans on opening several new hotels worldwide in 2010 and later in cool locations like Austin, St. Petersburg (Russia), Mexico, Marrakech, Shanghai and more.
While the opening of the W Hollywood is only weeks away, we won't have to wait very long for the next W to open--the W Vieques Resort and Spa in Puerto Rico, which should open on March 1st.
We checked in with a W insider to see how the progress was going down here and whether it would actually open in March. After all, we've been waiting on this hotel for a few years now. Our tipster says:
Our latest is an opening of March 1st…but we’re not taking reservations until May 1st. The hotel is nearly complete… just waiting on furniture from Italy and all the necessary permits.
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Now, What's Going On with the W Vieques?
When we last reported on the W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island, it was to report on its “Talent Show” search to fill 250 jobs. The hotel was looking to open in mid-November, which is still the promise plastered across the Puerto Rican property’s Starwood site. (November 19, to be exact.) Scroll down a little, though, and you’ll notice this message: “Hotel Opens November 19. Taking Reservations April 1, 2010.”
Then when you click through to the “Hotel Offers” page, they tantalize us with mentions of Spa Chakra and Alain Ducasse cuisine, and then tell us the hotel is “now accepting reservations for arrivals January 1st, 2010 and beyond...” So, which is it? November, January, or April?
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Try Out for W Vieques's 'Talent Show'
The W Hotel is auditioning for another one of its talent shows. That's W-speak meaning that the company is interviewing people at its job fair. The prize for this particular talent show is a gig at the W Retreat & Spa, Vieques Island, which is set to open in mid-November.
Hotel Restaurants / Alain Ducasse / Hotel News / W Hotels / Hotel Openings / → All Tags
Alain Ducasse Will Head Up the Kitchen at W Vieques
W Vieques, slated to open up in November (November 19th, to be precise), is notable for a handful of reasons: it's the first W "Retreat & Spa" in the Caribbean. It sits on a 55 square-mile island. And now it boasts a celeb-ish chef.
Chef Alain Ducasse has been announced as the man with the plan: heading up the kitchen at the W, his first Caribbean location, he'll be doing his part to make miX on the beach (spelling left annoyingly lower-case) a destination in itself. Expect "Latino Caribbean flavors with an artful French twist" in the restaurant — which will complement an entire beverage & food program across the resort, created by Ducasse himself.
miX will also offer a selection of local produce from its own garden: papaya, avocado, cashew fruit, tamarind, starfruit, guava, and more — with ocean views to enjoy as you trade fun Ducasse facts (like this one: he is the only chef in the world to operate three signature restaurants each honored with three Michelin stars).
Check out more specs on the W Vieques here.
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