Trade Winds Bar & Restaurant, Guest House & Gift Shop

Stayed a couple nights and had dinner at the restaurant. The rooms are older and basic, but clean and quiet and dark at night for a great night’s sleep after being in the sun all day. The restaurant was fantastic with a view of the ocean and excellent food made fresh. We had a chicken served over a Spanish chickpea stew that was outstanding. The banana cheesecake was brilliant.

Our bartender and his brother free dive for the fresh Caribbean lobsters! I was so impressed with the story, that we each ordered one. Hands down, the best lobster we have ever had! Great view, great restaurant, great service and amazing drinks. Everything was perfect!

Pros: ~More economic pricing compared to other establishments. ~ Water was cool and perfect for the Vieques climate. Provided a comfy bed. Cons: *The room is ridiculously hot. Wish they had a fan with better power. *The same key used to open the big blue door is the same exact key for room four. That was a big safety concern because to access the other rooms in the same area, they also had the same key. *The soundings is very noisy. I suspected that was from the kitchen staff and whoever else was staying there. If you are a light sleeper, then choose somewhere else.

Robert, Mike, and Samantha were fantastic during our wedding reception at this beautiful restaurant/bar-hotel. Robert helped with coordination for months leading up to the wedding and the day of. His charming, chill personality was the best. Shout out to the chef and bar tenders for the delicious food and cocktails. Thank you for being part of our special day!

We made a last minute reservation and arrived around 7:30pm at the hotel! Our room was simple but nice! The beds are comfy and the best part is that there is a nice balcony where you can enjoy the waterfront view! Also they have French press coffee which you can make yourself in your room.

We had a wonderful experience at Trade Winds during our time in Esperanza. Absolute tip top service from our bartender, Boise, he made us bomb drinks with fresh juice and lots of love put into them. This is your go to spot in Esperanza for a nice cocktail. We also really enjoyed the Cuban sandwich, my partner and I both agreed hands down best Cuban we have EVER had! Pop in here for a great cocktail, yummy food and great travel tips from an absolute gem on the island, Boise. Thanks for making our trip even cooler!

A local recommended this place as the restaurant to visit in Esperanza. The view is spectacular--right on the ocean. Food was good and staff was friendly without being intrusive. The salmon was done perfectly. A bit of a crisp on the outside and flaked interior. Perfect. A star was lost because they put the music at a level where the nearby table of 6 elderly Bostonians decided they needed to shout over the music in order to have a conversation. So I got to listen to both too-loud music and too-loud East Coast diners. That said, the music was generally good. A few bad hip hop selections but the reggae was welcome and lent something.

Great spot, right across from the water. Food at restaurant was good. Unintentionally arrived on vegan night and tried it anyways and was pleasantly surprised. Mostly american/gringo staff. Rooms were nothing too exciting, but comfortable and clean and functional enough for our stay, where we spent all the time outside of the rooms exploring the island. They were out of the way enough from the road and the restaurant to have some privacy and decent quiet, although noise from the road sometimes cuts through everywhere.

There are no pictures from La Nasa. And that's because it's completely dark. Yep, you can barely see inside this indoors/outdoors club. While Lazy Jacks down the way plays basketball games and pumps US music, La Nasa is much more autentico. Locals gather here and they play classic Puerto Rican party jams. We grabbed some drinks (they have the seemingly ubiquitous Don Q Pina Coladas) and watched people dance some version of the salsa. The atmosphere felt a lot more like what we were looking for -- right on the beach, Spanish speaking only, something that's been around for locals forever. Beware the rickety stairs on the way down to the beach. We almost had serious injury there due to the one spinning step. And I'd skip the $1jello shots just on principle. We really enjoyed the juxtaposition of the really American focused bar down the way and this OG spot. Drop in here, grab a bev, enjoy the dark water and the big sky at night.

The old-school Caribbean vibe is thick as algae at La Nasa. Esperanza itself is only one busy street with 7 or 8 restaurants on it, and La Nasa is the bar at the end that's pumping out PR's favorite party tunes from their covered dance floor that looks over the sea. The local beer, Medalla, is $1.50. Or you can be brave and try one of the many tropical drinks listed on the board behind the bar. We got the "Biobay" for $6 each, and to me it tasted like $12 worth of booze (or at least that's was a super-boozy mix drink can cost in Chicago). We promptly spent our savings on the horse roulette game that everyone was playing. With a limit of two dollars per bet, your money won't run away too fast, and you might as well play because this is, quite literally, the only game in town. We were there a little early in the evening and saw a lot of people dancing the merengue. I'm guessing the dance floor only picks up as the night goes on. My friend commented that the glorious part of the establishment was that it felt more like a family place than a bar - old and young age groups were represented on the floor and on the tables out front. For me, this was definitely a highlight of my trip to Puerto Rico, and I plan to come back with my boyfriend soon to get on that dance floor.

We weren't here at night - staying on the other side of the Island but had lunch one day. The food was as authentic as we have found on the Island. Drinks were generously poured. As previously noted, even at lunch it had a great mix of locals, tourists, singles and families. Don't be put off by the exterior, the daily lunch specials and the view are worth a little shabbiness!

Locals hang out. Pain killer $5 medalla $1.50 loud Latin music and salsa on the weekends