Isla Margarita

[thebutcher]

Hi, we are leaving on a southern cruise and isla margarita is one stop. does anyone have suggestions for this isle. thanks, marc

[cherylandtk]

There is more information on the ports of call threads under Caribbean- other

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=123457

[sunprincess]

Isla Margarita is a short port of call.

 

When we were there we walked to the beach nearby. There are many vendors lining the walkway.

[ladylynne]

I was there last fall. I was at first disappointed when I looked out our balcony and saw nothing but a warehouse. The town was like 20minutes away. We ended up getting off the ship just to check out the vendors. This ended up being the BEST shopping trip I had! Most of the items were locally made and had cheaper prices then what had seen at the other ports. I really enjoyed getting off the ship to shop. The beach was so-so but it was still nice to soak up the sun and enjoy the water. I give Isle Margarita a 2 thumbs up.:D

[mik]

We were there in April and we had about four hours there. There was just enough time to wander around the small market which runs along the waterfront or walk to the beach where you could rent a variety of "water toys" such as jetskis, paddleboats,etc. There was a small restaurant/bar facing the beach; I noticed that they were open and actually serving drinks early in the morning. We could have used a little more time there to relax.

[Starbright]

We were at Isla Margarita last September. We really enjoyed the market. I bought some lovely pink pearls for a very cheap price!

 

The beach looked nice. We didn't go because we'd been told it was "smelly". However our friends spent the morning on the beach and said it was fine. The water is very shallow and warm.

[britsbest]

The above sums it up. I heard that the local taxi drivers do not speak a deal of English so I would not consider a trip using them, which is what we do at most places (except Jamaica).

Just hop off the ship and at least you can say that you have been to South America!!

[RichardK]

I'm hoping things on the island have improved??

 

In 1990 I spent a year there one week!!

[Coolmama_1]

I totally agree with ladylynne. We actually had booked an early excursion and got back to the straw market area around 10:30. We spent the rest of the time there and stimulated the local economy!:D Next time we both agreed that we would stay at the pier and enjoy the local band, vendors and beverages!

[cynbar]

We were there on the Golden Princess last April and we enjoyed this stop, only wished it were longer!! We also had heard that the beach was smelly or dirty, but we didn't find that to be true -- it was actually a nice beach, calm and shallow so you could walk way out. There were venders renting lounges for a small amount, I can't recall exactly how much but we thought it was reasonable. We went to the beach for a couple hours and then shopped at the straw market, all local venders and the quality seemed better than you find at a lot of places. They had a good selection of local pearls made into necklaces and bracelets, not top quality of course but reasonably priced and they made nice souvenirs or gifts for people back home.There was a lively bar at the straw market, also -- a little early for us but not for a lot of people! All in all, we liked it. The ship is a lovely sight, also , rising up above the beach. Here's a link to our webshots, I think the pictures from 4/28 should be of the beach at Isla Margarita: http://community.webshots.com/user/cynbar101

[mmsoko]

I read a post after we arrived home about the straw market in Isla Margarita...it indicated that the crafts they sell there are all native to the Isla. I saw lots of things...pearl jewelry, crafts & such, and just wasn't sure enough about the products to buy. Now I wish I'd purchased more of their crafts.

There is a booth that sells aloe...very reasonably...purchased that and it worked well. I needed aloe at that point on the cruise. She also had a massage booth at the straw market..considered that but didn't do it...much less $ than ship's spa.

Lots of the shop owners seem to speak a little English...

 

There is also a small commercial building at the pier. There is a small (about 6' x 8') Murano Glass outlet in that building. Again I hadn't researched well enough to know they were an excellent value. It's very crowded and I was discouraged...wish I'd been better prepared.

[susiesnow]

Cynbar: Thanks for your photos of the cruise - many beautiful, and enlightening.

[Tarheelbelle]

It looks like they have shortened the stop there since we were there in 2003 on the Sun Princess. I believe that Princess arranges these Venezuela stops [Caracas; Isla Margarita] to take advantage of refueling at lower costs.

When we were there we took a boat tour of a lagoon; the rest of the tour went to a garden/maze area and lastly to La Aldea pearl shops.

The little shops near the ship were really nice and inexpensive.

[thebutcher]

thank you everyone for your insight on isle margarita. we really appreciated you taking the time to post. chaio, marc

[anniversary cruiser]

We took a princess tour to a beautiful beach, we had lunch at the hotel, use of their swimming pool, all very nice but it was a long coach journey and we had very little time at the beach and we were bothered alot! by beach venders, we heard how nice the beach was near to the ship and wished we had gone there and saved our money.