My wife and I just returned from a thoroughly enjoyable week at the Vista Vacation Resort. My wife picked it out. Given its name, I expected a resort, which it is not, but it is still much more than a place to put your head. It is a new, friendly, low-end two-building condo complex that sits on the side of a small hill with a fine view of a lighthouse (El Faro), an island refuge (Desecheo) and the confluence of the North Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea. Ours was a one bedroom apartment (they have two-bedrooms and I think studios too) that had all the usual amenities of a small, urban condo including A/C, overhead fans, cable TV and a DVD player (furnishings and appliances were ala Kmart and Goodwill, but adequate). The best feature was the dining area which was a terrace overlooking the ocean. A stiff 10-minute uphill walk is a hugely popular bakery and convenience store. The same distance downhill is a lovely little park and the restored lighthouse. Within a 10-minute drive are two fairly nice beaches (nothing to rival Long Island's or Cancun's or Puerto Escondido's beaches though) plus lots of dime-sized spots of sand between the rough coral rocks that make up much of the shore. Surfing is the big thing there and surfing is the thing around which this area has developed. We were able to find two reasonably good restaurants with splendid ocean views plus lots of surfers' bars and eateries. The second nicest thing about Vista Vacation Resort, for me, was its non-resort-ness. There is no lobby or restaurant or coffee shop or gym or stables or tons of people. It is like home in the tropics with a view and a small dipping pool. We will go back next year if our time and their availability agree.

We stayed 3 nights here and had a fabulous time. Very quiet, friendly, beautiful views. The only problem was that we lost power the first night and for most of the second day. The resort is not equipped with a generator, so we had nothing. But we made the most of it, dealt with it, and had a blast. During the day we were out anyway, so it was just the night that was an inconvenience. It's a laid back type of a place, not your typical 5 star resort, with all the luxuries. You really get the feel of the culture/island here and beaches are nearby-approx. 5 minutes. In this part of the island, if you are looking for peace and quiet staying on the beach is not suggested. It gets very croweded with the young crowd coming for the surfs.

My boyfriend and I stayed here and it was extrememly clean and was perfect for what we picked it for: a place to lay our heads. Do not stay here if you will be hanging around the room and miniscule pool area. Stay here only for a bed at night and spend the rest of your time at two of three luxury resorts at their pool or at the nearby beaches. Check in was easy as we came in late and a key was left for us. The price is right too. Beautiful view of the lighthouse in town.

The place is pretty. Our good experience ended there. My wife had reserved this place for a weekend on the beach with two friends visiting us from the Northeast. She actually cancelled a reservation for a two-bedroom apt for this place. When we checked in, the manager said that usually the suite we had was for 2 people only. After we were settled in, the manager had tracked down the owner, who apparently told her that we had to leave, and they would refund our money. They would not listen to reason and let us stay the night . . . this very large suite had two rooms including a sleep sofa and an extra set of sheets!
I finally spoke with the owner who said that the manager could choose to let us stay; but this last-minute reversal of policy did not change the manager's mind. After all, the manager works for this person, and wants to keep her job. Anyway, at 4pm on a February Saturday, the pickings for another room are slim, and we did not end up at luxury accomodations. We made the best of the weekend, but the VISTA had nothing to do with it. What I can I say? Boycott this unreasonable establishment . . . it's not even on a swimming beach!