Margarita, Venezuela
Located just off the Venezuelan coast in the Caribbean Sea, this colourful vibrant island offers traditional colonial Spanish buildings, excellent beaches, great shopping, lively nightlife and a variety of restaurants, all the ingredients for the perfect holiday destination.
Playa El Agua
Playa El Agua is the most popular beach on the island, stretching for around 3 km the beach is backed by palm trees and a wide selection of shops and restaurants. Just a five minute drive away is the quieter beach of Playa Manzillo, also a fishing village the beach here is well serviced with loungers and umbrellas to hire, toilets, and a small selection of restaurants to choose from.
Just along from Playa El Agua is Playa Parguito, with good waves this is a popular choice with surfers and surfboards are readily available to hire on the beach.
Playa El Yaque is only 3 km from the airport and has the ideal conditions for kitesurfing and windsurfing. This beach hosts the annual Wild Wind Regatta seeing windsurfers from all over the world compete.
Playa Punta Arenas is on the Macanao peninsula and is the most western beach on Isla Margarita, if you're looking for something quiet this is the place to go. Split into two parts both offer a choice of restaurants and have lounging equipment to hire.
Things to do
As with most Caribbean islands the main attraction on Margarita is its white-sandy beaches, and with around 50 to choose from getting that perfect spot shouldn't be to hard to find.
Some of the islands best sight-seeing spots include the La Restinga National Park, consisting of a 10,700-hectare park with a zone of mangroves, marshland, sandbar and coral-sand beaches, making a natural land bridge between the two islands of Margarita; visit the islands castles and forts, built to defend the island against pirate attacks during the colonisation period, the most important one is the Castillo San Carlos de Borromeo which can be found in Pampatar; also the small neighbouring islands, Coche and Cubagua are popular day trips from Margarita.
Sporting activities on the island include golf, horse back riding and a wide range of watersports, from jet-skiing to scuba-diving.
Out and about
Porlamar is the islands largest city; this is the main commercial centre and has many shops and good restaurants, it also has two city beaches.
Pampatar is home to a number of colonial buildings many of which have been converted into restaurants, bars and clubs. The area also features several large shopping malls.
La Asuncion is the island's capital, a small city which boasts a number of colonial buildings including a fort and a cathedral.
Venezuela Resorts
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