Answers to Questions about Isla Margarita, VenezuelaHow far is Playa El Agua / Playa Parguito from the Airport?It's about a 40 minute drive by taxi and costs about
BsF.100 to BsF.140. We have an airport pick-up service from 6 AM until 9 PM daily except Sundays until 4 PM to all Margarita Island hotels by an American lady named Marcella which costs US$40. She has a Ford Explorer . You can see full info at http://www.casatrudel.com/crusin-n-style.htm . If you would like to use this service we would need the airline, flight # and exact arrival time. Write us at isla.margarita@gmail.com What is the current Venezuelan exchange rate?The current exchange rate in Venezuela is about 4,30 Bolivars Fuerte to one US dollar. (September, 2010). This is an official exchange control rate that will apply to any credit card or ATM transactions or when you exchange cash or traveler's checks at a bank or exchange house. We strongly recommend that you bring US$ cash (the best) or traveler's checks (hard to change) as you will readily get up to 60% more for your dollars than the official rate. Do NOT plan on using credit or ATM cards during your visit to Margarita Island although you may need a credit card for the security deposit if you plan on renting a car. You should then pay the bill in Bolivars when you return it and get the original charge slip back. There was a scam going on at the Caracas airport where individuals will approach you and demand that you change all US$ into the local currency the Bolivar. This is NOT a law in Venezuela. Only change your money a little at a time as you can NOT change it back into US$.
What are things like on Margarita Island?Isla Margarita is peaceful and calm and always has been. The Margariteños love foreign tourists from all parts of the world and are very helpful and friendly. The news reports of any political demonstrations are from mainland Venezuela (mainly Caracas) and do not affect Margarita Island. The Caracas airport is far removed from downtown Caracas and travelers through there will experience no problems. Where can we find smaller independent hotels, Bed & Breakfasts, houses and apartments. Margarita Island's most popular beach areas are Playa El Agua & Playa Parguito. IslaMargarita.com has lots of smaller independent places to stay in these beach areas on our accommodations page. You can even find apartments in Porlamar & Pampatar. How do I get to Margarita Island?Depending on where you live the easiest way is to find
out if there are any direct charter flights and then book "AIR ONLY".
For example there are direct flights from Amsterdam, Germany, London, Toronto,
Montreal and from some US cities in the winter however these flights change frequently.
Check the travel ads in your local paper and see if anyone is advertising
Margarita Island as a destination. If they are, there is bound to be a charter
flight. The alternative is to book a regular flight to Caracas and then from there to Isla Margarita (Porlamar) on any of the many daily 35 minute shuttle flights. For international flights check out a site like Orbitz. For flights inside Venezuela check out: Laser -
(58) 212-2020100 -
http://www.laser.com.ve/laserweb_2008/ Venezolana (58) 501-836-396-5262 http://ravsa.com.ve/
Avior Airlines now have
direct flights every Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday from Miami to
Barcelona (Puerto La Cruz) with same day connections
to Margarita Island. Rules for the Caracas Airport.The average daily wage in Venezuela is about BsF.50 and US$5 is worth about BsF.30. This should give you some sort of guideline for paying baggage porters that swarm to assist you at the airport. If you are coming direct to Isla Margarita then you will have to go from the International Terminal where you arrive from outside Venezuela to the National Terminal to catch flights within the country. It is within walking distance. Simply exit the International terminal and turn left. It's about a 10 minute walk. If you have a lot of luggage than get a porter but keep the first information in mind. There is a free shuttle bus however we have heard that it's schedule is erratic probably because the porters are paying him to disappear. If any other travelers have any info we could add just e-mail the webmaster. How do I find out about the Ferry ( Conferry ) from Puerto La Cruz?They have web site at
http://extsw1conf.conferry.com/extranet/Default.aspx . Unfortunately it is only in Spanish however you should be able to figure
out times (horarios) and costs (tarifas). They still haven't got their on-line
reservation system up however if you go to "Telexpress" you can
reserve by phone. You can find out more detail in English about the schedules of the Margarita Island ferry by clicking here. If we have to stay overnight in Caracas where should we go?Below is a list of 5 hotels near (5-15
minutes) the Caracas airport. As we have not stayed in any of them we can not
recommend one over the other. When
you are at the International terminal go to the taxi counter and buy a ticket to
the location you want to go to. Do not be influenced by all the pirate taxis.
Most of
the hotels have a pick-up service or use a taxi that they have confidence in.
Just ask them if you make a reservation. TO PHONE ANY OF THESE HOTELS IN CARACAS PLEASE ADD YOUR LONG DISTANCE CODE AND THE VENEZUELA COUNTRY CODE OF 58. example - from North America: 011-58-212-xxx-xxx. Hotel La Parada
(see
comments) Hotel IL Prezzano Hotel Olé Caribe
(see
comments) Best Western Puerto Viejo Hotel Tanausu
(see comments) NOT RECOMMENDED! What's the weather like?The daytime temperatures at Playa El Agua / Playa
Parguito range from 26ºC (78ºF) in January to 31ºC (88ºF) in
September. Nighttime temperatures are about 4 to 5 degrees cooler. To see a
current satellite picture of what the weather is doing go to: http://www.weather.com/maps/maptype/satelliteworld/caribbeansatellite_large.html
. When is winter on Margarita Island?We are located 11ºN of the equator so we are in the Northern Hemisphere. Winter would be the same as New York or Amsterdam. Are casual clothes accepted everywhere?YES!!!! What is the electric current in Venezuela?We are the same here as North America - 110 volts. If you are coming with appliances from countries that use 220 volts you will need a converter. What do things cost?Most things on Margarita Island are reasonably priced because we are part of the larger country of Venezuela, unlike the other islands of the Caribbean. Margarita is also a "DUTY FREE ZONE" so some things with traditionally high taxes are very low priced. As an example a case of 36 Polar beers in returnable bottles costs US$8.50 and a 750 ml. bottle of Cacique rum costs $5.40. Together with a 2 liter bottle of Coke at under US$1.50 and a large bag of ice for $3.00 you could have a quite a party for $40. Other things like Edam or Gouda cheese from Holland is about $6.50 a kilo ($3.00 lb.) while ham is about also about $11.00 per kilo. A main course of fresh fish at one of the beach restaurants is between $10 & $15 per person while meat, chicken & pasta tends to be a less. There is also take-out of pizza, chicken, hamburgers, etc. Gasoline - 95 octane unleaded - US$0.027 per litre or US$0.10 per US gallon. What about Rental Cars? One of our site partners is Gringo Rent-A-Car. They also have a page on Margarita Island Driving Tips. What can we do at night?Around Playa El Agua there are a number of the beach restaurant / bars that have music & dancing at night. If you want to venture out to Porlamar, which is about a 30 minute drive, you can find CASINOS, DISCOS, MOVIE THEATRES and many additional RESTAURANTS & CLUBS. What about golf?Isla Margarita Golf Course is located
about 10 minutes by car from Playa El Agua / Playa Parguito at the Hesperia Isla
Margarita Hotel. Green fees are US$40 to $80 (depends on time of day & season) per round with such things as
golf carts, clubs and range balls available at an extra cost. It is open to the
public and no advance tee times are required. What else is there to do?There is a super new water park near Playa
Parguito / Playa El Agua called Parque El Agua full of toboggan rides and other
water related activities. Cost ranges under $20 per day with small children
at half price. How can I access my e-mails and Internet?There are Internet Cafes everywhere on the
Island these days. What is the Venezuelan Exit Tax?Our last available information (Feb., 2010) was that
leaving Venezuela from Caracas cost International departures from Margarita are about BsF.220 National flights from Maquetia Airport (Caracas) & Margarita have an airport tax of BsF.27,50. There is NO entry tax into Venezuela. A recent scam at the Caracas airport tried to get $30 per person from newly arrived foreigners INTO Venezuela. If approached just say no!! Thinking of moving to Isla Margarita? We have created a FAQ page with answers to many of your questions about living, retiring and working on Isla Margarita. If you are also looking for
accommodations while on
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