Margartia Island, Venezuela?

[ddjwms]

We walked to the beach near the ship; the beach itself was clean and inviting, and the water was clear and shallow so that you could walk way out in it. But I saw what surely looked like soiled toilet paper in the water three different times. Made me a little hesitant about the purity of the water. I made sure I never put my face in the water and so far (a week+) have had no ill effects, and I didn't hear any warnings from the cruise people or others from the board, so maybe I'm just being overly paranoid. But Latin Americans do have a different view of sanitation than we do, and I would hate for a child to get sick when I could have shared my concerns.

 

I ignored my misgivings and enjoyed my day at the beach, but I do feel it right to share my concerns and let everyone make up their own minds...

[jrchief21]

Has anyone else had a negative expereince with this beach? The reviews on here have been mostly positive, but this one experience does concern me.

[mimigirl54]

We are on the empress for jan 16th of 2005, How was the cruise and waht did you do on the islands/ If you posted a reveiw let me know and i can read it there. we are in the aft room 8686. thanks so much my email is vlnovak@hotmail.com please post some pictures if you have any.

We're on the Empress in January '06. How did you like the cruise? Any suggestions?

[mwsrccl]

We just returned from an 11 day Empress of the Seas cruise that stopped in Margarita Island. We had pre-booked a tour with Marlene Lunar and I must say it was a great experience. Marlene really showed us the Island and introduced us to the people and culture. The tour lasted about al day and included a great lunch stop at El Pacifico Restaurant on Playa El Agua Beach (We had to pay for lunch) It was more than worth the $30.00 pp we paid. You can reach Marlene at coralservices@hotmail.com or call her at 0414-0414-7909982.

 

Also I saw nothing on the Island that made me scared to be there like previous posters had stated. There is a lot of stuff to see and do! If you stay on the boat at this port you are missing a great island.

[Runitsajellyfish]

We had a similar experience as ddjwms. We were there last September (re-routed due to Hurricane Ivan), and there were hardly any cabs in port, as they weren't expecting us. Due to that fact, we decided to just walk to the beach right next to the cruise ship. There was a very strong smell of raw sewage, and it appeared to be low tide. There was a lot of old tires, soda cups, and misc. trash in the water right where the ship docks. Once past the straw covered market area (good deals to be had here on local goods), we took a right turn toward the beach. They had several open-air huts where you could get a massage really cheap, right on the beach.....should've done that. The first beach area was crowded with cruise pax, so we ventured further through some swampy areas (covered with thousands of hermit crabs racing for there little holes in the sand). We found a half-decent area to lay down our beach towels and get some sun. The problem was the smell of sewer blew in at us with every gust of wind, which led me to believe it was the water! Like an idiot on a mission, I decided to go out into the water and test it out....NASTY! :eek: The smell was just so overbearing I had to get back out. Nowhere to shower off. My wife was comfortable on the beach so I decided to start combing around for some seashells. The first thing I found looked like a sponge, and as soon as I picked it up, a fowl stench came off of it like sewage and dead animal....NOT HAVING FUN NOW! I decided to get away from the beach and go chase lizards around on huge mounds of old seashells further into the swampy area. I finally caught one, and it looked like one of those wild African lizards you see on Animal Planet that puff out the sides of their head. Got some cool pictures, but accidentally drowned the camera in the water later that week in St. John (zip lock bags aren’t always waterproof). Two hours total, and we were done with this island. Advice: Get a cab, take a tour, go elsewhere.

[crisp1]

Isla Margarita is known for it's pearls. I come from one of the worst/ best east coast beach states... NJ- we've had raw sewage and medical waste wash up. Our beaches have been washed away by hurricanes. We've seen fish and fowl disappear and re-appear. we have learned from mistakes- and still make them. One thing I observed in my 5 hours in Isla Margarita- first: it is loaded with oysters( clean water a must). The tide moves quickly- most don't notice, with the water so shallow. It's location may have something to do with what washes up- there are no reefs to protect it. The debris I found was very similar to what I may encounter here in NJ. In the six months since the hurricane, the vendor area has been expanded and the quality is very good, there was no 'smell' at the beach. One must keep in mind that conditions change- day to day-seasonally, and economically. This is a port that has come a long way in one year. One that will soon become a 'highlight'

[kruisinkris]

We were there on the Dawn Princess last month (April "05).... the weather wasn't the best when we were there (a little overcast--not bad...but also a little windy.) :( The beach by the pier was so..so. It looked better father away than up close. It seemed like it was on a peninsula somehow. We thought the area facing away from the ship might be nicer And so we did try to explore it somewhat. The further we got from the ship, the worse it got. We wanted to not just sit @ the beach, but also play in the water. It's right by some mangroves, and actually seemed a little "swampy". We did wade in the water a bit & even though it was pretty shallow quite a ways out, the sand seemed to be mixed w/mud & there was a lot of seaweed. (ugly)It almost seemed like it was during a "low tide" time. I was not impressed. (bad)

 

However, as you entered the beach area there was one part of the beach that had lounge chairs set up ($10 us for 2 lounge chairs & "cabana") & right by it had an outdoor massage area ($30?) that I meant to try, but never got around to. That part wasn't bad...it actually was sandy...but the sand was a little gritty & there were ants. There were no vendors walking up & down the beach, so if all you wanted to do was lay in a beach chair w/a cool drink & look @ the ship it wouldn't have been too bad (except for the wind) There was also a bar between the shopping area & beach w/a nice band. People were dancing & having fun. (good)

 

The shopping, however was GREAT! There was a nice little shopping area, w/covered stalls that could be walked through to/from the ship. There was quite a few handicraft items for decent prices (ie, beautifully handpainted beach scenes on 4"x 6" mirrors for abt $5 ea--saw something similar in St Thomas for over $30.....cute little coin purses 2/$5..little handcrafted "puppet dolls" for $7..a fun "hat" place where you could watch the hats being made...& lots of jewelry places.) Black pearls and fake black pearls seemed to be very popular. I'm more interested in earrings (unique, inexpensive earrings). A building just as you enter the vendor area had the best earrings I found the whole cruise. I was able to get 8 pair of very unique earrings (compliments everytime I wear them) for $1 ea & necklaces to match 2 of them for $4 ea. If you're going back to the ship & cutting through the building, the jewelry counter is just to your left as you enter. There is a vendor selling postcards right next to it. (very good)

 

We had a couple of groups of friends we met on board who took the 4 wheel tours thru the cruise line & loved it. Said they got to see the island, do some shopping & stopped @ a fun beach w/waves to play in. (very good)

 

Another group of friends took the tour to the Dunes Beach Resort & had a great time. Talked w/another couple who took this exact same tour & hated it. (good & bad)

 

Next time we go I think we may take a ship's tour. (but I want to also have a little time for shopping @ the pier. :D

 

Just goes to prove each person is diffrent. Take each review w/a grain of salt & read as many as you can. Hope this helps someone. :)

[Runitsajellyfish]

Isla Margarita is known for it's pearls. I come from one of the worst/ best east coast beach states... NJ- we've had raw sewage and medical waste wash up. Our beaches have been washed away by hurricanes. We've seen fish and fowl disappear and re-appear. we have learned from mistakes- and still make them. One thing I observed in my 5 hours in Isla Margarita- first: it is loaded with oysters( clean water a must). The tide moves quickly- most don't notice, with the water so shallow. It's location may have something to do with what washes up- there are no reefs to protect it. The debris I found was very similar to what I may encounter here in NJ. In the six months since the hurricane, the vendor area has been expanded and the quality is very good, there was no 'smell' at the beach. One must keep in mind that conditions change- day to day-seasonally, and economically. This is a port that has come a long way in one year. One that will soon become a 'highlight'

 

Not growing up near a beach/coastal area, I wasn't aware of the continual eviromental changes that take place. Thank you for the clarification and explanation of the pollution situation, it makes perfect sense. That may have been the reason why our ship wasn't originally scheduled to dock there, the cruise lines probably monitor things of that nature and plan ports accordingly.

 

I have nothing but positive to say regarding everything but the beach (on that particular day). The local were some of the most humble and non-aggressive I've experienced out of 13 Caribbean islands I've been to. And the majority of the prices for goods were exceptional. We bought a hand-woven hat (made from palm branches) that got a lot of notoriety on the ship, (it had a big “fish” hanging from it). We even bought a case of bottled water at a fraction of what Princess wanted onboard the ship, and people were lined up to buy it! I don’t think we encountered any pushy sales people, and we felt good about leaving our money here.

 

This was the only island we’ve been to that some of the locals came to the dock and gave us a “formal send-off”; women dressed in colorful traditional dresses, waving banners in the air as we pulled out of port…almost to say “thank you for helping support our economy.” That was a nice touch I won’t forget.

 

-Jellyfish

[figmentdj]

has anybody taken either of these excursions or had shipmates that did? Any reviews?

[gizmo]

It sounds like this port sure has changed.

 

On my firt trip there was nothing except buses lined up for tours. A couple of people went over to that so called beach and said it was terrible that you couldn't really swim there. I believe it was somewhat swampy and nasty according to the couple of people I talked to. I stayed on the ship. There were no chairs, umbrellas, just nada. The pax I talked to who went into town gave it a thumbs down.

 

The second trip, I saw a handful of vendors with tables set up. I don't think there were any chairs or umbrellas on that beach. Some of the people that went over to the beach and waded around had to go see the Doc.

There were sea urchins or something like that, anyway, lots of people had their feet cut up. This trip I also stayed on the ship.

 

I always think of this port as a worthless stop and figured it must be super cheap to dock there since there are other much nicer islands in the area, like the ABC's.

[GSDsky]

This past January 4 of did the Dunes Resort via Princess.

The 4 of us would NOT repeat.

Place is beautiful mind you and the water was nice and scenery was even better but the 1 hour each way on a bus did not leave a whole bunch of time to enjoy. By the time we had lunch with the tour we had to board the bus back. We had a couple of beers, walked the water line which is long twice, had lunch and left. Not worth it...

Was upset getting off ship as the beach to the right had 3-seater sea-doo's for rent and that might have been a better option. Vendors are great at the pier and I am going back January 06 so will do the beach thing...

I do have picks off the dunes if needed... ;)

[klouised]

Black pearls and fake black pearls seemed to be very popular.

Sorry, I haven't returned for awhile. I found this site by accident, one day, and I didn't bookmark it. I want to make a comment about the "fake black pearls". This is a common misunderstanding. I don't mean it bad on the person, though. Those weren't black pearls. They are a stone that is called Hematite. It looks like a black pearl.

[klouised]

Also, the smell is still there some days. It's something that us vendors don't like, either. It comes from the salt flats back behind the beach. It's not anything from pollution, but rather a natural smell like natural gas or sulfur. Some days the breeze comes from a certain direction and hits just right. It rarely does that, though. The garbage is just from currents bringing it to the beach. The port is cleaned every day, so something like that is something that can't be helped. The people on the island are like anywhere else. Some are clean people, others are dirty. Their hygene is actually greater than most of us Americans. They take GREAT pride in making themselves look nice.

 

This year, they are really working to make this port even better. They have over 100 ships comming to visit. That is the most that we have ever had before. That's the upside. The downside is that they are charging us vendors more for rent of the booths, also the taxman has stepped in and is also charging us more taxes. They were low before, that is why our prices were able to be low. Now, I'm sure that everyone will be having to raise their prices. My family and I will have to. The prices will still be low, but I'm sure some who return will not be happy with the raised prices. We understand that, but it cannot be helped.

 

The hat vendors that handmade them were 3 booths down from us. They make these wonderful hats with fish, birds, or grasshoppers. My mother and I LOVE to say to the people, "Do you realize that grasshopper is the actual size of the ones we have here?" We love to see their eyes get real big. LOL. That's fun.

[OCruisers]

It sounds like this port sure has changed.

 

On my firt trip there was nothing except buses lined up for tours. A couple of people went over to that so called beach and said it was terrible that you couldn't really swim there.

 

gizmo .... Sounds as if we may have been there about the same time when this port first opened! :D

 

WOW! You are right! It has really changed and now has a good beach at the cruise pier along with fun bar .... all very clean!

 

The one thing that hasn't changed is how very nice the locals are and have always been to cruisers! Gosh, it's nice to be in a port and feel wanted for a change! :rolleyes:

 

Happy Sailing! OCruisers :)

[Runitsajellyfish]

Klouised,

Please tell the hat-maker I said "thank you!" He seemed genuinely nice, and priced his hats competitively. Let him know that he may want to put up a sign displaying his prices, and as people walk by headed to the beach they will remember how reasonably priced he is and will purchase on the way back to the ship. I wish I would have bought one of the angelfish he makes.

 

What type of items do you sell at your booth?

[klouised]

I'll let William know. This thing with Venezuelans and price tags is that they don't believe in them. LOL. The port managers have been really trying hard to get the vendors to realize that it's a good thing. A lot of them have started pricing their items, but put the price stickers on the bottom of the items. :rolleyes: It's starting to change, but it's slow going. It's the same way in the stores on the island. They don't price the items and it's all behind counters. Aarg! That's a pet peeve of mine. It's the difference between the 2 cultures. They want you to talk to them. They want to help you. It's all about service. They strongly believe in that.

 

My mother and I sell handmade jewelry. My mother designs and makes macrame jewelry. We're really uncomfortable with saying macrame, because that gives it a certain stereotype. It's macrame, because that's what we got permission to make and sell out there. It's going to change this year, though. It won't all be macrame. They have quartz, agates and shells hanging off them accented with crystals, pearls, and stones. People don't buy it for the macrame, but for them being so fancy. I make the matching earrings and bracelets. I also make crocheted clothing. They're all original designs. Our booth is under the awning. Our area is the only area with a porch. That might help you to know where we are at. The rest of them just have a small amount of roof hanging over the booths.

 

Kristina

[klouised]

Klouised, Do you know of a good english speaking tour guide besides Casa Trudel?

I'm sorry. I don't know of anyone else personally. I will say this. There is this tour group that take large amounts of people on these busses. I don't know the name of the tour, BUT their buses are open air and painted bright colors. Their buses are the only ones that are open air. They play loud music and REALLY get the people going. Every person that I talked to that went on that tour said it was the best. They said the ride there and back was funner than when they were stopped. LOL It was one big party. Everytime the buses are leaving and comming back the people are wooping and hollering like they are having a blast. If you want to go on a tour like that then when you get off the ship go around and look at all the buses. When you find it say, "I want to go on that one":D

Kristina

[excalwop]

I too have looked for a good private tour idea here and on the

net to no avail. If anyone finds anything let me know!

 

am using cass trudel activies this dec.21st email; obrien1@casatrudel.com

web site; www.casatrudel.com

they are very fast in replaying to your request. ours was return within four(4) hourson a sat. they give great info and agood map on the pickup point. they charge by the vehicle with a max of 4per.

paul& rosellen

[banditmag]

Has anyone done the Dessert and Shore Horseback Riding excursion on Isla Margarita? Any input would be appreciated. Thank you.

[wheals]

How far is this beach from the port? We will be tendering into the current port at El Guamacho in Dec, 2005.

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.

[houch]

WE will be there Dec.2 from 10-3:30. I have been looking at a Fiesta Party Bus tour across the Island. It is supposed to go to Playa Parguito beach for 2 hours there. Is this worth it? Do we see much of the Island on our way to the beach from the port? The beach and shops right by the pier sound pretty good to me and the price is right.

Carol

[klouised]

How far is this beach from the port? We will be tendering into the current port at El Guamacho in Dec, 2005.

It's about 45 minutes away on the other side of the island. It's a very pretty beach.

[55J5-5]

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.

 

When you did your trip to angel falls who did you book it with? How long was it? Costly? My DH would LOVE to go see it, but I dont think we are in port long enough. Any info would be great. Thanks

[0ldog]

Here are three tour sites, unfortunately they are booked already for our sailing.

 

http://www.margaritaislandvacation.info/Crusin_N_Style.htm

http://www.islamargarita.com/

http://www.casatrudel.com/crusin-n-style.htm

 

Hope you're luckier than I was.

 

WOOF,

John

[55J5-5]

John, thanks for the sites.

Now i feel like a fool...:confused: I see that you can rent places from the first and second site. From the third they will help shuttle you. I don't see any that take you to Angel falls.

 

Did you do the day trip to Angel falls while you were on a cruise? I am not even sure we have enough time to attempt it, but the falls do look great. And I know DH would love to see them.

Sarah