Friday, February 26, 2010

If Vacation Is All About Beaches, Isla Margarita Has Over 70 Unique Beaches You Will Not Want To Miss

Here are the top 5 beaches located near Caracola Beach and Spa Resort

1. Playa Caribe - This beach offers a quiet and relaxing atmosphere with quite a few good restaurants along the coastline, as well as some nice caves for exploring near the end of the beach. Facilities on this beach include food, drinks, toilets, sunshades, and sunning beds.

2. Playa El Agua– This beach is the most famous and popular beach on Isla Margarita. It’s populated with around 50 restaurants, kiosks and small beach bars, and the boulevard along the beach provides visitors with shops, restaurants, and internet cafes. This beach offers many activities including several water sports, micro plane rides, concerts, and nightlife. Despite all that is going on, this beach is still big enough to give you some space on your own.

3. Playa Parguito –Like Playa El Agua, this beach also has some waves, making it one of the best beaches for surfing on Isla Margarita. Jorge Hautmann (or Pakayola), runs a surf school here, and offers both surfboard rentals and surfing lessons to travelers. If you walk down to the ends of the beach you will find great lookout areas that give a nice overview of the area.

4. Playa El Yaque – This beach is one of the most famous places for kiting and wind surfing. Therefore, the beach is full of kiters and surfers all year around. Young people from all over the world gather here to surf, kite, or swim because of the shallow, warm water that extend several hundred meters from the shore. There are many hotels, including Caracola Beach and Spa Resort, and restaurants on this beach.

5. Playa Manzanillo- This beach is located near the northern tip of Isla Margarita, not far from Playa El Agua. It is a small beach but never very crowded. It offers quiet waters and is an ideal swimming location. This area also has several restaurants that will rent beach chairs and umbrellas, as well as serve food and drinks.

Thursday, February 18, 2010

You’ll Have a Rockin’ Good Time at Hard Rock Café Margarita

Sure, Isla Margarita boasts some of the world's most beautiful beaches, a warm tropical climate and is home to the remarkable Caracola Beach and Spa Resort, but did you also know that it houses the 5th Hard Rock Cafe to open in the Caribbean?

This 3,280-square-foot, two-story Hard Rock Cafe features an outstanding menu, collectible merchandise, and a world-renowned memorabilia collection. Some of the many pieces of memorabilia on display include items from contemporary stars, as well as items from rock legends, including a costume worn by KISS guitarist Paul Stanley and Carlos Santana’s guitar.

Hard Rock Café Margarita was also recently named Café of the Year in the Hard Rock International – Franchise Awards!

So if you are looking for something a little more familiar when visiting Isla Margarita, be sure to check out Hard Rock Cafe Margarita!

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Try Something New on Isla Margarita

Vacations are all about experiencing and trying new things, so during your visit to Caracola Beach and Spa Resort, on Isla Margarita, be sure to try something new, like a dish native to the island.

Many of the foods found on Isla Margarita are from a mixture of African, Native American, and European cuisines which have evolved throughout the centuries. Most of these foods also combine many Caribbean influences in flavors, techniques, and ingredients.

Be sure to try these common foods when visiting Isla Margarita:

Pabellon- stewed and shredded meat accompanied by rice, black beans, and banana

Hallaca- a mixture of beef, pork, chicken, capers, raisins, and olives wrapped in maize (cornmeal dough), bound with string within plantain leaves, and boiled or steamed afterwards

Arepas- a type of fried or baked corn pancake

Cachapa- a type of sweet corn pancake served with cheese

To enjoy many dishes native to the island, visit one of Isla Margarita’s top restaurants.

Tuesday, February 2, 2010

Be Sure to Visit Isla Margarita’s One and Only Golf Club

For the avid golfer visiting Caracola Beach and Spa Resort, on Isla Margarita, you will be happy to know that there is in fact, one golf course currently on the island, the Isla Margarita Golf Club.

The course features 18 holes and is a par 70 course. This course does not offer tee times, instead it works on a first come, first serve basis. However, there is usually no problem getting on this course except during busy national holidays like Christmas and Easter. During the low season months of April, May, June, October, and November you will most likely even have the course to yourself.

Course fees run anywhere from US$40 to US$80 depending on the time of year, but by paying in Bolivars you can reduce this cost and save yourself some money.

Caddies, pull carts, electric carts, and rental clubs are also available for your convenience.