My love affair for Vieques began

by Violet Ackas
(Vieques, Puerto Rico)

My running commentary to friends whenever the rigors of life would try to weigh me down has always been "one day I'm going to sell off everything I own...buy a bunch of bathing suits, move to a tropical island and sell bananas to the tourist". Well I didn't literally sell all, I've still maintained my house in Bedford New York, a beautiful northern Westchester town know for its beautiful homes and horse farms. I did buy some new bathing suits but my idea of banana selling comes with a guest house, a newly constructed cafe and a fitness and spinning center.

My time in corporate America had me relocating every two years as a sales and marketing professional for such fortune 500 companies as IBM, Corning Inc, and most recently Sara Lee. But it was my time with Corning as the Marketing manager for Latin America and the Caribbean that got me sold on someday moving to a tropical island. The journey has been long but well worth it. Each vacation was not simply time to lay on the sand and relax but an opportunity to meet with Realtors to see if "this was the island".

So when after reading an article that appeared in this past March New York times featuring Vieques, my first initial thought was "It can't really be that beautiful". So the next day I booked a flight to the island and immediately contacted a Realtor to schedule my tour of available properties. My love affair with the island began with my "puddle jumper" flight from San Juan to Vieques...where I got the opportunity to be the co-pilot on the flight. Then my visit to the bio-bay and my late night driving trips in a convertible Jeep... where I could see stars like never before, clinched the deal.

Enchanted Garden Inn As luck would have it, the first property I visited was the property I ended up buying. The property was formerly known as Mango Tango due to its abundance of mango tress...22 in all. However, the name didn't quite speak to what attracted me most to the property, which was its many small gardens and flowering plants. I've since renamed it The Enchanted Garden and have decided to bring together under one space my three passions in life ...sleeping, eating and exercising. So at the Enchanted Garden, you will find the Inn, Cafe Violeta and Utopia Fitness and Spinning club.

Its now going on seven months since I've relocated and in that time I've lived through; a gas strike, ferry strike, total blackout, no water, (oh did I mention that this was within my first two weeks) and tropical storm Jeanne. With each of these experiences I've counted it as part of the adventure of living in the tropics.

I spend my days as busy as when I was managing multi-million dollar accounts...but with one difference...this time around I'm doing it for me and in one of the most beautiful places on the planet.

The Enchanted Garden
"For Your Mind, Body & Soul "
HC-01, Box 9509
Vieques, PR 00765
House: (787) 741-2805
Cell: (917) 836-5829