“I live in paradise,’’ says David Feliciano, a downsized corporate accountant from Cincinnati who landed a dream job as a chef at Mamacita’s, a popular restaurant on this island 17 miles east of Puerto Rico’s mainland. Culebra getaways revolve around Flamenco Beach, one of the world’s most stunning strands, where a campsite costs $20 a night. There are a half-dozen other beaches within biking distance of wherever you happen to be (the whole island is 7 miles by 3 miles). Boat or kayak trips take you to even more spectacularly empty beaches on Cayo Luis Peña and Culebrita, two nearby nature preserves.

Visitors would be challenged to overspend on Culebra, where the best meals are likely to be a $5 swordfish kebab from a street vendor or the serve-yourself fresh mahi with a cold Medalla (the local brew, bring your own) at Barbara Rosa’s. While shelter ranges from under $50 a night to over $3,000 a week for a palatial villa, Palmetto Guesthouse has what most sun-seekers want. A double room with charm, shared kitchen facilities, Internet access, and free airport or ferry pickup starts at $103.55 a night, including tax. Palmetto owners Terrie and Mark Hayward, formerly from Braintree, are generous with their local knowledge, which includes Terrie’s bike and running trails as she trains for April’s Boston Marathon.