. . . And What’s About to Happen to the Last One

Photo: Thomas Van Houtryve/AP

Pay attention: A Caribbean hideaway is about to be transformed. Two years after the U.S. military withdrew from Vieques, the unspoiled island near Puerto Rico is on the cusp of the kind of development that remodeled Turks and Caicos in five years. More than 300 rooms have popped up in converted guesthouses, business at established hotels has quadrupled, and tourist numbers have doubled in a year. W Hotels opens its first Caribbean property on Martineau Bay next fall. Add to endless casino rumors, a Hertz office, American Eagle’s inaugural San Juan–to–Vieques flight on December 16—and the pending approval of Sunbay, a $150 million ecotourism resort with a golf course and organic farm. So, if you want to see Vieques in its raw state—deserted beaches, roaming wild horses, the world’s most brilliant bioluminescent bay—go now.

. . . And What’s About to Happen to the Last One