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Margartia Island, Venezuela?

kely53

By kely53,
in Caribbean - Other

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crisp1

crisp1

Posted
Posted

Hi Kely, If you do a search here and on the Princess board for isla margarita you'll find different opinions for this island. I'll be on a cruise in April with a short stop there, I'm looking forward to it. Here's a link to a thread with a review of the lagoon tour

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=96615&page=2

and some other possibilities

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=130089

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Zeno

Zeno

Posted
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I spent a week on Margarita some years ago. I liked the island. If you go on a cruise that stops there - take a tour that covers some of what the island has to offer (a couple of interesting historical sites - including the fortress where Venezuela's national heroine was held prisoner, great scenery - the views from the national park El Copey are stunning) If you get a chance try a Coco Frio - frozen coconut - delicious and refreshing.

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jku2

jku2

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Hi

 

We stopped at margarita this week with the Empress. I had heard good and bad things and was worried.

Well, it is all good.

 

While the dock is very far from any of the cities the roads are all highways so travel is quick.

We did the discover Margarita tour and saw 2 churches, fort, museum, fishing for sardines, major modern cities. Tablemates did another tour where you take 4x4's into the hills and visit a millionaires home that is open to you including using the pool. they said the tour was great and it was all you can drink all day.

 

Right at the pier is a very large straw market. Lots of pearl necklaces - though if you want a good one it is better to shop in town.

The beach here is great. The only people on it are from the ship.

You can get chairs for $5. The water is very very clear and you walk for a very long time in the water before it even hits waste deep.

 

Hope this helps!

jku2

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Coolmama_1

Coolmama_1

Posted
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We went on the Dolphin Encounter and it was fun, but next time we will stay at the beach and enjoy. THe Straw market was fun, and the bar near the beach was a hopping place. Had a band, people were dancing and everyone we talked to was enjoying themselves. Have a great time at this port. We want to go back again sometime.

 

 

Judy

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  • 2 weeks later...
berniem22

berniem22

Posted
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Stopped at this port last year and walked through the market where souvenirs were plentiful. There was a bar and outdoor restaurant just before you get to the beach where you can rent a beach lounge for $5. There was a local who had a few ATV's and we followed him around for about an hour for $20. A fun relaxing day.

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1cruiselvr

1cruiselvr

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We stopped there while on a cruise in 2003 but I don't remember a bar or market??? Different pier perhaps? Pax that went in the shallow water next to the pier got bit by water bugs and weren't happy about it. Wonder if it was just the time of year? Happy Sailing!

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WHITELINEN

WHITELINEN

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Did not do any tours on the island..... but greatly enjoyed the shopping/beach right next to the ship. The items were unique and the prices were a steal..... great place to stock up on gifts for the people back home.

Little beach bar cozy and the local people very accomodating, although some had trouble with English... this is where my teenage son's spanish classes came in handy. Don't listen to what Princess tells you about the beach there, they just want you to sign up for their tours..... We got bit by more bugs on their private island than we did here.

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cammie10

cammie10

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We had a great day on Isla Margarita. We rented a cab for $15.00 per person and went to La Restinga park where we took a boat for $5.00 per person for one hour. It cost us .50 cents to get into the park too. The taxi driver waited right there for us. It was beautiful in the park on the boat. We travelled through the Mangroves and the tour guide with his broken English showed us Starfish... red ones and real live sea horses. I had never seen them before. We also saw lots of oysters and beautiful birds and scenery. The cost was $20.00 per hour for one boat and we had 4 people in each boat so it worked out to $5.00 per person in the boat. Great trip. It was about 1/2 hour from the pier. At the pier there is a beautiful beach within walking distance. You can see it from the ship. There is also a straw market with some very unique gift ides. I picked up almost all of my gifts for back home here. I wished I could have seen more of the island but would I did see I really enjoyed.

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cruzermon

cruzermon

Posted
Posted
Any other "testemonials" about El Agua?

 

We've been to Isla Margarita 3 times, and twice to Playa El Agua, so we do like the place. Actually the first time there, we took an all day trip to fly by Angel Falls and spend the day in the park nearby. I don't know if your schedule allows that, but that trip was fantastic.

 

I believe others have described the beach, better than I could (never went in the water), but we went there to spend a relaxing afternoon. If I'm not mistaken the cab ride was $10 from the main city, and there are ample cabs at the beach, so you don't need the driver to hang around. We had no problem negotiating the location or fare even though we don't speak Spanish and the cabbies didn't speak English.

 

We just found one of the many "restaurants" that line the beach and plopped ourselves there for the PM having a very good, inexpensive seafood meal and numerous cervezas. As my wife was in the market for some of the pearl bracelets and necklaces that they sell there, the beach merchants swarmed all over us, but they went away when they saw she wasn't interested in what they offered. She ended up buying quite a few (these aren't top quality by any stretch of the imagination, mostly in the $10-25 range), but she had quite of few of them resized/restrung. One person in our party was buying them as gifts for her younger relatives.

 

I'm not sure I could spend a full day there, but it's certainly worth a leisurely afternoon, IMO.

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mmsoko

mmsoko

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We had short stop at Isle Marguerita. Left by noon.

 

The morning was very enjoyable, low key.

We shopped the straw huts, waded in the water (great area to do this) and had a drink at the outdoor bar(try the Tequila Sunrise).

The shop keepers were hospitable and non-aggressive.

 

Don't stay on the ship. All this was in easy walking distance of the pier.

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klouised

klouised

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I can tell you many great things about El Guamache Port in Margarita Island, Venezuela. My family and I are Americans who live on the island, and we also work at the port as venders. I can only say 2 negative things about the port. One is that it is far away from anywhere. Two, the tour guides are sometimes a bit pushy. I think it's that way with just about any port, though. The people are VERY friendly and gracious. Not everyone speeks English, but there are enough people around who do that can help. There is an open shopping area right at the port. There are 150 booths there that you can shop from. The port is strict on the venders. Only the original artists can sell their work, if it's not handmade, then the item has to be made in Venezuela. Most of the ships tell the tourists that there is nothing at the port, and you have to take a tour to see or buy anything. If you take a tour you have to pay for that tour, then you pay a higher price for the handmade items you buy. The places they take you to buy our items, and then mark the price up. If you want to go on a tour to see the island, do that, but if you want to shop or go to the beach, stay at the port. There is a nice beach at the port, that is shallow far out. The water is calm, and the price is free. There are 2 bars, 1 restraunt and 1 grill at the port. The pearl range in quality, but you can find good ones at the port. The prices are low, but that is because Margarita Island is the pearl of carribean. There are many tours you can take. I can personally recomend a private tour to you. This lady is my friend. She is American also, so she speaks good English. http://casatrudel.com/crusin-in-style.htm If you want to come see us, we are towards the end of the line of venders under a shady porch. I hope you enjoy our island and come back for many more visits.

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crisp1

crisp1

Posted
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Klouised, Thanks for the info- it's nice to have a 'local' to give us the details. I checked out casatrudel and your friend that does the island tours can only accomodate 4 people. Is there anyone you know that can handle a group of 7. Thanks

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GSDsky

GSDsky

Posted
Posted

If I am not mistaken I thought they came from Toronto.

I have contacted them as I did some DD prior to my cruise and thought I would meet up with them but not there long enough.

They respond quickly via e-mail and sound very honest and knowledgable about the island.

Great web site with more info than you would ever need.

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