Comments of viewing Trip to Caracola April 08
Article Date : Friday,
April 11, 2008
Trip to see Caracola from 3rd to 6th April 08
It took a full day to travel to Margarita Island. We
went through Paris onto Caracus and then on to Margarita . I think this
is the long way there and that one can fly direct from Madrid
and Lisbon so we should check these flights as well. Allow a full day
to travel from Ireland or the UK no matter which way you go because
it’s a long haul flight. The flight there and back was very pleasant
and the service on Air France was really great.
Arrival and Departure
Your passport needs to be valid for 6 or more months. If you
are travelling with children do not forget to bring an identification
card with the child’s photograph. Upon your arrival you will fill in a
tourist card which serves as your tourist visa. Do not lose this copy
because you will have to hand it to the customs officer upon departure.
You might also have to pay an exit tax of approximately $20 if your
airline has not included this fee when you purchased your ticket. We
found the taxes at entry and exit very confusing and we were charged
going in and out as well.
Money
The Venezuelan currency is the Bolivar. The best
tip is to bring US$ in traveller checks or cash. Credit cards are
broadly accepted but it has some huge disadvantages. With the foreign
exchange laws you pay about 10 percent more if you use it! At the
moment you will get approximately 2500 Bolivares for $1 and about 2700
for 1 Euro. We got over 3000 Bolivares to the Dollar through local
contacts.
We stayed in the Hilton Hotel which is comfortable but a little tired.
It’s a beachfront development. On the first day we travelled to see the
plot. I tool lots of Photos which you can all see on our web site.
Its an 80,000 m2 plot and is one of the most impressive I have seen.
It’s close to the Hilton Hotel plot and it will be one of the only
developments being built on the beach in this area.
The development will be top end and high spec. It will have a
better finish than most apartments on the Island.
Main Tourist attraction in Venezuela
At the Venezuelan mainland we find the most famous tourist
attraction, Angel Falls Venezuela, which is the world’s highest
waterfall with its 978 m! This means more than 16 times the height of
the Niagara Falls!
Language is Spanish
The language is Spanish and may people speak
English.
The people are very friendly and the service in restaurants was
excellent.
After seeing the plot we travelled to see the new lighthouse
where we took some more photos of the many birds and the de salanation
plants close by. We then went to a really great
restaurant right on the beach. Food is quite cheap there. A nice meal
can cost as little as €10. I ate Lobster and that’s all it cost.
There is an abundance of fruits on the Island and everything is
organic.
Cost of Living
The cost of living is a fraction of what it is in Europe. An
important activity on the Island is fishing and there is an abundance
of fish incl all kinds of shell fish like crabs, shrimp, Lobster,
mullet fish, and so fourth. There is a concern among fishermen that the
arrival of the cruise ships into Porlamar may disperse the fish and
this is probably true. The economy of the Island of Margarita has much
improved in recent years with tourism growing year on year.
In the year of 2003 Isla Margarita had clear and sunny weather 340 of
these days! This means 93.2 % of the days with 6 hours of sun or more!
The daytimes temperatures is on the average of 30ºC (86ºF) and the
nights is never below 20ºC (68ºF). Even in the summer months when the
temperature may reach 99F (36C) the cooling breezes keep the climate
very liveable.
A major advantage is that Isla de Margarita is out of the hurricane
belt making it a year-round destination. Another advantage is that Isla
Margarita don´t have a rainy season where it ceaselessly rains for
days.
The tourists have been travelling to Margarita Island the
latest 30 years and they are met by white beaches with shadow from the
coconut palms and a pleasant easterly wind.
Time difference
Venezuela is in the summer time 6 hours ahead
and in the winter 5 hours ahead of middle European time. It
is one hour behind Miami-time in winter but same time in summer.
Playa El Agua
On our second day we visited Playa El Agua is the
most popular of all Margarita Island beaches. This beach is the
island’s longest, widest, busiest and most serviced beach. We also
passed the Islands only golf course on the way and took some pictures
of the hotel. The beach is 4 km long and about 30 m wide with clear
water all year long. Here, you will find all type of conveniences.
Bungee jump, ultra light plane rides, music concerts and many sport
activities.
But the most common beach activities are to walk along the water’s
edge, to eat fresh sea food, to drink cocktails and as a matter of
course tan in the sun.
As a break from beach activities I recommend you
take the chance and explore any of five the national parks. The most
famous is Lagoon La Restinga which is a lagoon with mangrove swamps and
colourful flamingos. Lagoon La Restinga is Margaritas prime tourist
attraction. We visited this lagoon while there and enjoyed a
boat trip.
The younger agents ( all under 40) visited the nightclubs and said they
were great fun and of a high standard. There was one on the beach which
really impressed them. The one in town was a bit boring and very
similar to what one would find in the UK or Ireland.
All the coastline is lovely and the Island is not
overdeveloped and hopefully will not become so.
Shopping on Island
The shopping in Margarita Island offers interesting shopping
opportunities. Isla de Margarita is a duty-free port. Both Venezuelans
and travellers like to take advantage of this. The goods are declared
exempt from tax and this makes the prices about 15-20% lower than on
the Venezuelan mainland.
Transport
The taxis are extremely cheap and reliable and you
can easily rent a taxi a whole day. This is because the price of petrol
is extremely low, about $0.05/litre! The cheap petrol price also
affects the domestic flights. This could be of great interest if you
would like to take a shorter trip Venezuela, perhaps visit Los Roques
or Angel Falls.
There are some really good snorkeling and scuba diving on and around
Isla de Margarita. But the island has many dive places and the
variations are huge.
The two most popular snorkeling and dive places close to Margarita are
Los Frailes and Isla Cubagua. A snorkel trip cost an average between
$40 and $60 per person for a full day with lunch. The scuba tours cost
between $50 and $80 for a whole day trip.
Overall I can see that this Island has a lot to offer and is an
emerging tourist location. It has natural beauty, lovely people and all
year round good climate and this is the ingredient for future wealth
creation on the Island . I could see no poverty there. The housing
stock looks like it could do with upgrading and this will
happen in time. There is a shortage of hotels on the Island and the
occupancy levels are very high.
I believe the Caracola development will be a great success and will set
the standard for the whole Island.
The Guaranteed rent of 7% for 10 years backed by fidelity
bond with rent increasing to 8.25% for last 5 years if resort
occupancy reaches 75% in year 5 also gives purchasers that added
security.
Mortgages for non nationals are still difficult to get for property on
Margarita Island and the developer is negotiating an 80% LTV mortgage
with a Spanish Bank for these properties to be available on completion.
Local mortgages are available but with high interest rates.
When compared with other new properties launched on the
market these are probably one of the best I have seen so far this year.
Noreen Hynes Managing
Director
Aquarius Properties
(c)
Copyright Noreen Hynes 2008