Culebra’s a paradise, so warm and so cool. FREE flight to San Juan, taxi, ferry, thank you, JetBlue! I love Jetblue flights, even more when available and free, and you can love them too, learning from me, Travel Cutie.

Yes, Culebra was a dream! No skyscrapers, no hotel chains, no big old buses, no tired trains. Just a peaceful, little beauty of an island with some of the best scuba diving in the Caribbean, (crystal clear waters from a lack of runoff springs, and untouched reefs thanks to decades of a now defunct military presence, which included bomb testing on the island, which, thankfully, prevented development). Every silver cloud has a lining, I guess, and Culebra also has one of the most beautiful beaches in the world- Playa Flamenco, this, according to many a famous travel magazine and a variety of websites, too. We’d have to agree; besides being picture perfect postcard pretty, the water actually feels velvety soft, and caresses you as you swim. A real treat, as is the superb snorkeling for those who prefer checking out the reefs, turtles and little fishies in the deep blue sea, that way.

Also noteworthy are the lodging choices on the island. We stayed at the highly recommended, very comfortable and well-located Palmetto Guesthouse. (You can see my review on tripadvisor.com. Find the link on my Reviews are like news post.)

Even better are the excellent dining choices on Culebra, of which there are plenty. Most memorable and unique was Barbara Rosa’s. The chef cooks in her home and serves you the plated meal out a window on the porch, where you pick it up from her hands, walk over to the veranda, sit yourself down at a shaded wicker table and chairs, open the bottle of wine that you brought yourself (no corkage fee here), and enjoy your delicious fresh seafood, steak or whichever other daily delectable specials are on the menu that day.

How do you get to Culebra? We flew for free, direct non-stop, round-trip continental U.S. to San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Jetblue, for only 24,000 miles.. (From the SJU airport we took a taxi to Fajardo with John’s Taxi Service- email: johnspublico@yahoo.com, then caught the hour-long ferry to Culebra. John kindly got us the ferry tickets in advance). The card we had used for the bonus to receive these miles was a co-branded American Express. For reasons unbeknownst to us (but rather beneficial to us!) some months later Amex and jetBlue ended their partnership, and soon after, jetBlue hooked up with Barclays Bank for a new credit card and another bonus miles promotion. We went for that one, too, and are still sitting on about 40,000 miles in our True Blue frequent flyer accounts, wondering what terrific free trip awaits us on them…because as with the previous miles earned, these miles have no expiration date- like money in the bank…

Yes, indeed, jetBlue excels at customer service, and not only when it comes to protecting your banked miles. One other example from my personal experience is their sensitive and considerate attention to problems that arise if you have a loved one whose sickness causes you to cancel your flight. Their professional courtesy and kindness left me speechless. On yet another occasion, the problem of missing miles was researched and remedied in an expedited fashion by a few more golden employees. I love their attitude; they deserve my altitude.

Go, jetBlue! And you should, too. Here’s the link to their current best credit card deal (which, alas, sports a $99 annual fee, but, given that the value of your tickets-to Puerto Rico, or elsewhere) could easily top $1,000 per person, it’s still very much worth it. Barclay True Blue Bonus credit card

Sincerely,

Your Travel Cutie