My wife and I took a quick trip from New York to Vieques in May and stayed in the Hix House.

In past trips to the Caribbean we had stayed mainly in very nice resorts like Caneel Bay in USVI, but this time we were looking for something less expensive, but still not like a big overblown resort.

Hix Island House was just as described. It was peaceful, interesting, very in-tune with nature, etc. Within the first minutes of arrival we saw geekos and hummingbirds from our "window" (which is nothing like a real window!) We really enjoyed it despite its minimalist, very casual approach.

Vieques too was fun and interesting. Great beaches with virtually no one else on them. Wild horses everywhere. Pretty decent restaurants (we ate twice at the Chez Shack and highly recommend the walk from the Hix House on a starry evening.) We enjoyed the Bio Bay -- it was a little touristy (as far as anything can be touristy in Vieques) but a fascinating natural wonder that we're unlikely to experience anywhere else.

With the right expecations, Hix is a wonderful experience. Highly recommended!!! If you have the wrong idea of what it is, however, you might be sadly disappointed.

Hix Island House, Vieques: My wife and I have just returned from what we consider our best vacation – ever. Not enough superlatives to describe Hix Island House and Vieques. The accommodation was perfect for the ultimate getaway. No television, no noise, no windows even - just beautiful and tranquil surroundings and a chance to get away from the maddening crowd. Rat race behind us we could enjoy the architecture of the Hix complex (it’s stunning in an understated way) and the natural landscaping surrounding it from vantage points such as the private patio of our loft, a roof deck, the low-chlorine pool and even a hammock slung between trees in a quiet paddock on the grounds. You feel very much at peace and in a state of permanent relaxation whilst there. We spent a few days just lounging around, enjoying the fresh coffee, bread, and fruit and such that Hix supply to the lofts each day, cooking, reading, napping and simply trying to take in all of the flowers and accompanying wildlife that our loft (Adobe) was nestled within. The open-air shower with a panorama of flowers, trees and fauna was a joy each morning as was waking up with the shutters and doors open to sunrise. We slept under the mosquito nets provided and had no problem whatsoever with bug nuisance… The resident host of small (and cute) Geckos etc. saw to that I think! When we did need anything the staff couldn’t have been more helpful & friendly – If you go, I recommend going to the owners’ cocktail party – they have a house on the complex with (if possible) even more breathtaking views… J Crew shot a catalogue at Hix I think – I can see why. As for the rest of the island – unspoiled, laid back and fun. Hire a Jeep (4 wheeler necessary) and explore. 2/3 of the island is a nature reserve and that which is open to ‘explorers’ will by way of unmade roads and fun in a Jeep take you to secluded/deserted beaches – On the way out to ‘Green Beach’ we enjoyed two undisturbed days on a small beach (complete with cabana) and not a person in sight. Bio-Bay on a dark night is well worth it (the water glows when agitated) and snorkeling is also good. We enjoyed Chez Shack (a shack come gourmet restaurant) in the middle of the island as well as tapas and sunset at BBH. I could go on – but most of all – it is a complete get away from work-a-day life. We’ll go back to Hix and enjoy Vieques again. I recommend staying at Hix and getting back to nature, flying from San Juan by charter flight to Vieques rather than trying the ferry and definitely hiring a car… Oh and don’t worry about the hire cars – their ‘Check Engine Lights’ are all, and always, on… Stay at Hix Island House - have a great time!!!

Hix House is in a beautiful, quiet, remote location. The architecture was unique, especially for this part of the world, so no room is the same. The pool is beautiful and refreshing. As other reviews have pointed out, you cannot be afraid of nature to stay here. Our room had basically barn doors that stayed open all day, whether we were there or not. Obviously, this meant we had some visitors along the way - small lizards, bugs, spiders, even a cat that quickly ran away - but we loved it and were not afraid of any of this stuff. There is a mosquito net but we didn't need it this time of year. It is quite dark at night as the property and rooms are not well-lit. Frankly, it creeped me out a little at night with how dark, quiet and remote it is, but i live in LA so maybe it's just me. You will likely need a flashlight though - we needed it to find our car!

We also loved having a kitchen and being able to cook. Every day we had fresh baked bread, juice, fruit, eggs, milk and coffee. It was all tasty and wonderful. The staff was very helpful.

We did yoga one day and it was a good, albeit easy class, somehow we had thought it was free from the Hix website. In fact, it was $15/class which lasted about 1.5-2.0 hours.

You will absolutely need a rental car. Nothing is nearby and getting to our parking place proved a little treacherous, as we had one of the many junky island rental cars with bald wheels.

My husband and I stayed for 4 nights, in the beginning of March (a few weeks ago). We had a wonderful time!

I'll admit that after reading some reviews, I was really concerned about bugs, lizards, etc, but I was really comfortable there. We saw very few bugs, and only a few very tiny lizards. The lizards stayed over near the patio and the entryway, and never came near the bed or closet areas, so they really were not a problem.

The Hix Island House is very clean and extremely peaceful. There are no TVs, clocks, radios or internet access within the rooms, which is exactly what we wanted!

The staff was very friendly and helpful. The women who worked at the front desk were both great - they gave us directions, recommendations, and helped us by booking a trip to the bio bay.

The landscaping around the hotel grounds is gorgeous. We were on the ground level and had flowering bushes surrounding our patio. The hotel is inland, so the view of the ocean was extremely limited, but we still thought we had beautiful scenery.

Staying here was a fabulous experience! Sleeping in the fresh air, with the sounds of the birds and the wind, was great! We woke one morning to rain, and loved it - the sound and smell of the rain was a great way to wake up!

I would suggest buying groceries and planning to eat in the room for several of your meals (there's a full kitchen). There is only one restaurant that is very nearby, but it was closed when we tried to go there (which was around 5:00 on a weeknight, so they must have irregular hours). The hotel is about a 10-minute drive from the nearest town, which isn't a bad drive but it did become a little tedious when we had to make the drive multiple times each day.

One more suggestion is to try to arrive before 5:00 pm. We arrived after dark. We had been told that the office would be closed. As promised, there was an envelope waiting for us, with our name on it, with the key to the room and directions for getting from the office to the room (the office is in a separate building from the 3 buildings that house the rooms). Being completely unfamiliar with the area, we were a little confused by the directions. We did make it to our room (after starting out in the wrong direction, plus I was nervous, thinking I was going to run into a lizard as I was walking around the side of the building to our room), so the directions were correct, but it would have been easier to find our way during the day.

I would definitely stay here again!