Hix Island House

Class: Comfort

Style: Cutting edge

Rooms: 13

For half a century Vieques’s status as a U.S. Navy holding meant that most of the island was off-limits to development, left in an unspoiled natural state (though the bombing ranges are perhaps another story). Now that the Navy is gone, Vieques is enjoying a rebirth as something of an eco-tourism destination. And it’s in the island’s central hills that you’ll find the Hix Island House, conceived by the Toronto-based architect John Hix as an energy-efficient and ecologically sound resort, the sort of place where clever design obviates the need for wasteful amenities like air conditioning, and where the severe minimalism of unpainted concrete replaces the floral prints and white wicker of the stereotypical Caribbean hotel. The Hix Island House in fact comprises four houses, each divided into a small handful of what are essentially loft apartments, complete with stocked kitchens. Guests sleep on mosquito-netted beds beneath ceiling fans, and a cooling breeze passes through the open windows (no glass or even screen to impede the flow). This is quite the opposite of the typical Puerto Rico hotel experience, in just about every way — in contrast with the garish and festive seaside resorts, Hix Island is tranquil and serene, almost spartan in terms of services and amenities. Rooms come with showers, but no baths, and phones and televisions are notably absent, to encourage guests to unlpug from the outside world. Diversions include an outdoor pool and a yoga center, to keep the muscles from atrophying, and not much else. Clearly the Hix Island House is not for everyone, but for a certain subset of Caribbean travelers, it doesn’t get any better than this.