Hix Island House

Hix Island House is set on thirteen acres of tropical hillside on Vieques, an island off Puerto Rico's east coast reachable without a passport. Four concrete casas — Solaris, Redonda, Triangular, and Rectangular — hold the property's guest lofts, each built to catch the trade winds rather than block them. There is no air conditioning anywhere on site. Instead, large openings, outdoor showers, and private patios let the breeze move through, a design the architect owner calls Wabi Sabi: weathered concrete and wood left to age in place. Casa Solaris runs entirely off solar power, off the commercial grid. Lofts vary by casa and level. Solaris lofts on the top floor open onto 1,010 square feet of indoor-outdoor space with sea views; garden-floor suites reach 1,500 square feet across two bedrooms. Rectangular's top-floor lofts look east to the Caribbean and west to the hills from a private balcony. Grounds were cleared of overgrowth and replanted with banana, guava, mango, and native night-blooming jasmine, which scents the air after dark. You can hear whispering pines and birdsong from the Yoga and Pilates pavilion, also open-air. La Casona, at the property's high point, holds events for up to seventy and looks out over the island toward Bioluminescent Bay. Reception offers 24-hour Wi-Fi; the rest of the stay runs on solar time and sea breeze.