Isla Margarita

[Aloha_Jackie]

we will be in margarita in January and are unsure whether to book an excursion from the ship or stay near the pier? Is the beach close to the pier and how is the swimming can you walk to the beach from the ship? Please help!

 

you actually need to read this thread - so many questions will be answered

[Aloha_Jackie]

We just returned from our cruise and one of our ports was Isla Margarita. We had arranged a private tour...unfortunately it poured rain while we were there, but we still managed to have a nice tour and get an overview of the island and still have time to shop at the pier when we returned!

 

We had a nice and inexpensive lunch at the beach (indoors due to the rain). We would have been able to see more if the weather had cooperated, but we are very glad we took the tour and got to see a lot of the island. We had a young couple as our tour guides...they only take four people, but provide an excellent tour at a good price...only $25 p/p for a 6 hour tour. Lunch was on our own, but it came to only $10 p/p with tip and was quite good.

 

This was the first time we were there and we always like to get a good overview of places we haven't been to before, so it worked out very well in spite of the weather.

 

Liz

did you go to La Restinga? What types of things did you see and were your guides English speaking? Did you happen upon them on this board or where did you get the contact information?

 

What a great price! How lovely that you were able to do so much in spite of the rain. We cant wait to get there - wont be long now, about a week

[shakespeare]

Our guides were an American couple who moved to Margarita 6 years ago. They took us through the big city...Polamar and then up to the mountains. We went through some small fishing villages and also stopped at a great souvenir place. We stopped at a fort and also a castle and a few other scenic spots. The beach we went to was Playa el Agua. They were going to take us to a place where we could take a boat through the mangroves but the rain ruled that out. There is a flea market right by the beach...but they were all closed up due to the rain. Marcella and Steve are a super nice couple. They helped us figure out prices and stayed with us at all times. They have good knowledge of the island and were very accomodating to whatever we wanted to do. You could tell they really felt bad that we weren't seeing everything on a sunny day. I found them through a website while doing research and I had also seen them mentioned on these boards with good things said about them. I can send you Marcella's email if you'd like. They have an SUV, so they can only take 4 people per tour. They really seem to enjoy showing people the island and were very friendly.

 

Liz

[houch]

Just got back from Sun Princess 11/28 cruise. At Isla Margarita we did the beach and vendors right by where the ship docks. Others who went to town for shopping were tired and hot and thirsty on return. It was a 45 min ride each way and they couldn't find a place to sit and have a drink while they were there, at least that is what they said. Wished they would have stayed by the ship. The beach there was beautiful with calm waters almost as warm as a bath. Beautiful sand and no rocks or seaweed. A perfect beach day. Some had talked of a sewage smell around there but I didn't notice it. \

Carol

[Aloha_Jackie]

thanks Carol - we plan to do the same - hang out and shop and maybe hit the beach between a few cocktails and jsut relax after the port intensity of the Sea Princess voyage we are about to take - by then - we really will need a break

[Aloha_Jackie]

thanks to you too Liz - we really wont have time for a tour like that. would love to return another time and see a few things - La Restinga for one and the mangrove and seahorses etc

 

when we get there and see what it is like we will be able to determine if we want to go back and do all those things

 

I appreciate you telling us your experience and how great it was - despite the rain

 

love it! thanks again!

[houch]

thanks Carol - we plan to do the same - hang out and shop and maybe hit the beach between a few cocktails and jsut relax after the port intensity of the Sea Princess voyage we are about to take - by then - we really will need a break

 

You won't regret it. Was just looking at the pics and wish I was back there since we are having a snowstorm here now. That beach was one of the nicest I've been to and not very crowded. Enjoy!

Carol

[steveweese]

Can you send me the email address of the couple that took you to me? I have some friends that want to go there in Jan.

 

Cold here !!!!!!!!

 

Merry Christmas

Steve

 

Email to steveweese................@aol.com

[SqueakyDust]

We're recently back and visited Isla Margarita, where is just poured with rain too!

In the end we did a tour through the ship, which tendered us ashore.

 

We had nice comfy coaches which took us to La Asunction Tropical Park - we got soaked to the skin! It was quite a large group and initially we never heard what was being said about the flora & fauna. We then came to a small covered area where there were snakes in boxes and we got to hold one. This my husband, I and our daughter did, but our son chickened out! Hubby and son then let a green bird walk on them (not sure what type, smaller than a parrot though) and we could taste fresh local fruits. Not really long enough at this part as it was very busy, what with a HAL ship being in port too.

Then we went off to a small shopping area. here we bought a pair of pearl ear-rings for our daugher as she'd lost a earring int he sea at Grenada. they only cost USD$10! I also got a necklace from one of the other shops - a couple back fromt eh pearl bit. It wasn't long enough and the guy added an extension on whilst I waited at no extra cost! There were restrooms here too. Again too short a stime to do some serious shopping ;)

Back on the coach and off to La Restinga.

None of the guides speak English except to say "Pelican" "Starfish" etc, but they zoomed along in this vast mangrove swamp pointing out everything. It was a lovely ride, even though it rained (you get wet from water spray anyway) and very interesting.

When we got back to shore it was left to a young boy to hold the boat whilst we got off. He let go just as I stepped off and I was stuck half on/off - it was hilarious! In the end I'd to crawl off on my hands and knees!

Back on the coach and off to an Aquarium on the West of the Island. Kids enjoyed the touch pool and would have liked more time to look around properly.

 

Back to the port and plenty time for shopping at the kiosks.

Hubby bought a disgusting Piranha - I'm waiting for it to rot and smell my house out. Anyone else bought one and what is the outcome of this thing?!

He also bought sunglasses and I bought a malformed pearl with ornate silver work around it and a green shell (both pendants) from a lovely stall holder.

Kids bought local Chocolate - mid dark was the nicest and collected fallen 'pearls' etc off the ground which was embarrasing!

 

A lovely little port and an very interesting day. The rain didn't really dampen our spirits either. I did however get bitten alive - so remember your bug spray!

[Robrph]

Okay, somewhere way back in this thread I mentioned our stop in Isle Margarita on the Galaxy two years ago. The place was a real dump and I described it that way. WELL, we just returned from a stop there last week on the Golden Princess and I couldn't believe the change in the place. We only stayed around the pier, but the shopping there was terrific- nothing very fancy, but my wife bought a cute coverup, some pearl jewelry and we got lots of souveniers. The "straw market" has quadrupled in size- what used to be a half-dozen stands now runs the length of the dock from the ship to the beach. It rained as the ship was docking, but by the time we made our way off the ship, it had stopped and we enjoyed the atmosphere of the place. The Murano art glass store is still there and we purchased another beautiful fish for our collection. I spoke in length with one of the sellers- he had been there for two years- right about the time we last visited. He said they had gotten so many complaints about the place that the government finally cleaned things up- got rid of the emaciated dogs lying all around and really made a nice looking shopping area. We were really pleasantly surprised. After trashing the place in this thread earlier, I wanted to set things straight.

 

Rob

[domfriar]

Hi Klouised

 

We were just at the port in IM on Wednesday and saw a man with some great hand oil paintings on canvas. We went into Porlamar and came back and he was gone because he had sold everything.

 

How can we contact this gentleman?

[klouised]

Hi Klouised

 

We were just at the port in IM on Wednesday and saw a man with some great hand oil paintings on canvas. We went into Porlamar and came back and he was gone because he had sold everything.

 

How can we contact this gentleman?

Well, there are several guys/couples who sell oil paintings. Maybe if you can describe what he painted, and where abouts his booth was, then I can better help you. That would give me a better idea, and I can hunt him down. Also, if you remember, describe the guy as best as you can. Was he short/tall? Did he speak english?

[calliecat]

but my wife bought a cute coverup, some pearl jewelry and we got lots of souveniers.

 

Rob

 

Rob,

We're there in January. Can you elaborate on "lots of souveniers"? I may need to cut my spending on the other islands if there are some more unique items here. I also want to go to the Murano shop. I'd love to get on of the fish as well. I've been checking out a couple Murano glass web sites just to get an idea of what prices run so I'll have an idea when I go in there.

Thanks, Calliecat (also an rph)

[hollym]

Just back from the 12/10 run on Constellation and of all the ports we found MI to be the least appealing. The emaciated dogs are still in residence on the dock, most of them females who have obviously just given birth to litters. People can be so stupid. We saw several people lean over to try to pet or feed these dogs who are obviously not domesticated animals and even one couple who allowed their toddler to try to give the dogs bread to eat. Duh, do you think these dogs have had their rabies shots?:eek:

 

We'd booked the Coche Island tour which happened to be the last tour to leave the dock at 9 AM. When we saw the small number of people gathered for the tour we knew we were in trouble. Within minutes we were told there were "mechanical problems" with the boat and we wouldn't be going. With our 2 PM ship's departure, there was no time to try to book something there at the dock independently. We walked to the beach nearby and yes, it smelled of sewage. Not a pristine spot and not a beach I would recommend, but different strokes for different folks. We went back to the ship and soothed our ruffled feathers with pina coladas by the pool. :mad:

 

I'm not sure why the cruise ships are going into this port unless it has something to do with cheap fuel to get back to San Juan. :p

[AliceS]

We visited Isla Margarita last year and enjoyed it. We went on a ship's tour to the beach. It was a long drive, but the beach was fun. We didn't have much time to shop when we returned. There was a long line to board the ship.

 

Kristina, You have us interested in the shopping area this time. Thanks so much for the information. I would enjoy seeing the beach there as well. Will you be there in March? I would be sure to look for you or your mother. My daughter really loves jewelry. I'll have to pick some up for her.

 

The animals are a sad sight on many of the islands. Even though the shelters don't believe in putting them down, it would be kind to spay and neuter them. That would help to solve that problem.

[AliceS]

We visited Isla Margarita last year and enjoyed it. We went on a ship's tour to the beach. It was a long drive, but the beach was fun. We didn't have much time to shop when we returned. There was a long line to board the ship.

 

Kristina, You have us interested in the shopping area this time. Thanks so much for the information. I would enjoy seeing the beach there as well. Will you be there in March? I would be sure to look for you or your mother. My daughter really loves jewelry. I'll have to pick some up for her.

 

The animals are a sad sight on many of the islands. Even though the shelters don't believe in putting them down, it would be kind to spay and neuter them. That would help to solve that problem.

[klouised]

We visited Isla Margarita last year and enjoyed it. We went on a ship's tour to the beach. It was a long drive, but the beach was fun. We didn't have much time to shop when we returned. There was a long line to board the ship.

 

Kristina, You have us interested in the shopping area this time. Thanks so much for the information. I would enjoy seeing the beach there as well. Will you be there in March? I would be sure to look for you or your mother. My daughter really loves jewelry. I'll have to pick some up for her.

 

The animals are a sad sight on many of the islands. Even though the shelters don't believe in putting them down, it would be kind to spay and neuter them. That would help to solve that problem.

Thanks Alice. I love giving out any information that I can. I'm going back to the States in Febuary for a short time, but my mother is going to take over with working the booth while I'm gone. There are many styles of jewelry that the vendors sell, so you'll have plenty to choose from. I agree with you concerning the animals. It's a sad thing.

[SqueakyDust]

Kristina, I wonder if you could help me.

Hubby bought a disgusting Piranah (sp) Fish on a plinth when we visited recently. Can you tell me if this thing is real, if it is hollow and/or if it is going to rot?!

 

Thanks

[klouised]

Kristina, I wonder if you could help me.

Hubby bought a disgusting Piranah (sp) Fish on a plinth when we visited recently. Can you tell me if this thing is real, if it is hollow and/or if it is going to rot?!

 

Thanks

Ha ha. I know what you are talking about. I don't like them either. Yes, it's real, I believe it's hollow and filled with something, and it won't rot. It's been preserved/dried/whatever, so it should be fine. Aren't those fish ugly?

[bakery]

I've got a question for klouised: we're thinking about going on the dolphin excursion, and I wonder if you have any inside information about it. Do you know if the dolphins are treated well? Is the tank big enough and the water clean? I've heard conflicting opinions.

 

Thanks!

[klouised]

I've got a question for klouised: we're thinking about going on the dolphin excursion, and I wonder if you have any inside information about it. Do you know if the dolphins are treated well? Is the tank big enough and the water clean? I've heard conflicting opinions.

 

Thanks!

I've never responded to any comments about the "Swimming With The Dolphins" excursion, because I've never personally taken the tour. I, too, hear conflicting comments. I have been to other similar dolphin tours on other islands, and I haven't found one yet that is up to U.S. standards. I cannot personally vouch for this one. I can tell you that the dolphin swimming area is inside an amusement park called "Diverland". It's not open all the time, just during "peak" seasons. It's a smaller park, with carnival type rides, but in a permanent area. The island just isn't big enough to financially support a larger amusement park, so I wouldn't be suprised if the dolphin area is a bit run down or not up to par like it should be. I personally think that their prices are high. That's why I haven't done it yet. I love dolphins, and I would hate to think that they are being mistreated in any way. I just don't know what people are basing their opinions on. I'm sorry I can't help any more than that.

[AliceS]

Kristina,

 

You won't be back from the states in March? What is your mother's name. I would love to look her up and visit your booth. We are on Sun Princess and will visit Isla Margarita on March 14th. Alice

[SqueakyDust]

Thanks Kristina for the info on the 'fish'.

I'm glad to hear you think it's hollow, I'd hate to think it's innards were all still there :eek:

 

If it doesn't move to this office soon, it may meet with an unfortunate accident whilst I'm dusting ;)

[darrencantwait]

Hi Kristina --

 

Everybody is saying I should ask you about excursions in Isla Margarita. I hesitated bothering you until now, because you seem to be very fair in that, if you haven't done something yourself, you tend to be very diplomatic and not give too strong of an opinion either way (which I completely respect).

 

However, I can't for the life of me fine any reviews of the excursions offered by Celebrity. Can you tell me anything about the White Sands of Coche, or the Cubagua sailing? Even if you know "general information" about either of these. We are not big shoppers and would like to get away from the ship a bit.

 

Any little bit will help. Thank you in advance for your time.

 

-- Darren

[Robrph]

Rob,

We're there in January. Can you elaborate on "lots of souveniers"? I may need to cut my spending on the other islands if there are some more unique items here. I also want to go to the Murano shop. I'd love to get on of the fish as well. I've been checking out a couple Murano glass web sites just to get an idea of what prices run so I'll have an idea when I go in there.

Thanks, Calliecat (also an rph)

 

Calliecat,

 

from the dock to the beach, there are about 40-50 stalls seling lots of island items, clothes, souveniers, etc. Several on our cruise admitted to spending the most money there, and we also visited St Thomas, Aruba, Grenada and St. Kitts. My wife got a very nice string of pink pearls- orig $25, but we talked them down to $10. As I mentioned previously she found a cute coverup there- something she couldn't find in the other islands we visited earlier. Also, lots of "local" items- hand-painted dolls, very interesting tealight candle burners. Look, none of this stuff is something you would find in "Tiffany's", but some good values for taking home as small gifts.

 

About the Murano store: it's located inside a small mall adjacent to the dock and the other stalls. The whole place is about 8x8ft, but STUFFED with Murano glass figures of all sizes and types. Lots of fish and clowns. We picked up a very nice fish for our collection- a queen angefish about 10 inches high and 8 inches long- $45 and the owner bubblewraps it very securely. Hope this helps.

 

Rob