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First of all, when are where:
May 04, 2013: Our ceremonial wedding
will take place in the church "Iglesia del Cristo del Buen Viaje" in
the city of Pampatar. Then, we will go almost across the street from the church
to the place of the celebration, which is called "La Casa Boulton".
Now, some basic information about
Margarita Island:
Margarita Island (Isla de
Margarita) is the largest island of the state
of Nueva Esparta in Venezuela situated in the Caribbean Sea, off the
northeastern coast of the country. The state also contains two other smaller
islands: Coche and Cubagua. The capital city of Nueva Esparta is La Asuncion,
located in a river valley of the same name in Margarita Island. Primary
industries are tourism, fishing and construction. The population of the state
is about 440,000.
A bit of History:
In 1498, Christopher Columbus became the first European to
arrive at Margarita Island. The local natives, named Guaiqueries, received the
conquering Spaniards with open arms unaware that they later would become slaves
of their own wealth, since the coast of the island abounded in pearls. Pearls
represented almost a third of all New World tribute to the Spanish Crown.
Margarita Island had to be fortified against the increasing threat of pirate
attacks, and several of these fortifications remain today. In 1561, the island
was seized by Lope de Aguirre, a notoriously violent and rebellious
conquistador who held the islanders in a grip of terror until he returned to
the mainland in an attempt to take Panama from the Spanish crown. Around 1675
the island was captured by Red Legs Greaves, a pirate known for his humanity
and morality. He captured a fleet of Spanish ships off port, before turning the
guns on the forts which he stormed and claimed a large booty of pearls and
gold. However, true to his form, he didn't sack the town, or rape and torture
the Spaniards, he just took the money and ran.
In 1814, the islanders fought successfully for independence
from the Spanish after the collapse of the First Republic of Venezuela.
Margarita Island became the first, permanently free territory in Venezuela.
That same year, Luisa Cáceres de Arismendi was detained for over three years in
a dark dungeon where she was harassed and abused. The authorities were hoping
to put pressure on her husband Juan Bautista Arismendi, who was fighting for
independence. It was on Margarita Island that Simón Bolívar was confirmed as
Commander in Chief of the Venezuelan Republic in 1816. From there he started a
nine-year campaign to free Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia from
the Spanish Crown.
Geography:
Located in the Caribbean Sea between latitudes 10°52'N and
11°11'N and longitudes 63°48'W and 64°23'W, it belongs to the State of Nueva
Esparta which also comprises the islands of Coche and Cubagua. The island is
formed by two peninsulas joined by an isthmus. It covers an area of 1,020 km².
It splits into two sections linked by an 18-km (11-mi) spit of sand. It is 78
km long and its widest side measures roughly 20 km. The climate is very sunny
and dry with temperatures from 24 to 37°C. However, in certain periods of the
year, it can be rainy.
Most of the island's 420,000 residents live in the more
developed eastern part, especially in the city of Porlamar and adjoining city
of Pampatar. Others are found in the much smaller city of La Asunción, the
capital of the region or Juan Griego.
Touristic Map of Margarita Island:
How to get there:
Depends on where are you coming from, there are many
different ways to get there. In most cases, there are direct flights that will
take you from cities with big international airports straight to Caracas. For
example: Houston, Miami, Madrid, Mexico DF...those 3 all have direct flights to
Caracas. In other cases, you will have to stop over for a few hours...
For all those coming from Houston, we recommend you try to
get the ticket with miles...If you book it with enough time in advance, can be
as cheap as 40,000 miles round trip. When you see the prices, you will know
what we are talking about!
One important recommendation: the idea is not to scare you
but to prepare you so you and your significant other/ family can enjoy this
trip to its best so, please use locks to secure your luggage and, if possible,
wrap the bags in plastic (a lot of international airports have this service).
This will prevent unscrupulous people to open them and take some of your
valuable items...
Now, from Caracas to Margarita, there are several airlines
that you can choose from...The flight takes about 30 minutes and there are
enough of them during the day, depending on what time you international flight
arrives.
We recommend to our guests that try to go straight to
Margarita the same day you arrive, unless it is not possible do to the time
your international flight lands. Please allow enough time for your immigration
process and your luggage to come out... In Venezuela some things don't happen
as fast as in other countries :-). We would say, at least, 3 hours between
flights.
If you have to stay the night close by the Caracas airport
(the official name is Simon Bolivar International Airport), then we suggest
that you spend the night in the hotels adjacent to the airport and do not go to
Caracas, unless you are thinking on visiting the city. The transport logistics
and the traffic can be very complicated.
We will list for you below all the airlines you can use to
go from Caracas to Porlamar (Margarita Island's capital), however, we will
recommend you that you use our travel agent, Malie Loprete, who can happily
coordinate all the details for your trip, including flights, lodging, car rental,
transportation, tours to other Venezuelan touristic places, and so on.
To those interested in booking the trip by yourselves, this
is the list of the available airlines (in the order that we would recommend):
The contact information for the travel agent is:
Name: Malie Loprete
She speaks Spanish, English and French so, no languages barriers
here!
Company name: Viajes Tournesol
Telephone numbers:
Mobile: +58 412 354 2888
Office: +58 295 263 8703/ 58 295 264 7786
As we said before, if you need her to organize the whole
thing for you, she can do it and take care of all the details. She is very
helpful, has a good taste, and will really make you feel like you know her from
ages.
Where to stay:
Again, you can always use the travel agent for this, and it
is what we recommend. She will get special rates for the wedding, and the
sooner you book it, the better it will be in terms of price and availability.
There are several options, in all the different styles, which we will give you
a summary down below.
As the wedding will take place in the city of Pampatar, we
suggest to the guests that they try to stay in places close by: not just to
make easier the transportation logistics but, because this city is perfectly
located, with a lot of options of restaurants, shopping centers, bars, and
clubs within a short distance.
Lodging options in the Pampatar area:
These two are completely different concepts..one is the
typical hotel with comfortable facilities (Lidotel) and the other is a house
converted into a hotel (Posada) which is very cozy and pretty, ideal for those
a little more adventurous.
Other recommended options (outside of the Pampatar area):
For those interested in rental apartments, you can contact
Malie to her email address indicated above. We are sure that for families, that
is probably the best option.
What do to in Margarita Island:
Of course talking about Margarita, is taking about the beach.
There are very beautiful beaches along the coast, and they can be very
different from each other...You will find quiet ones, good for wind-surf and
kite-surf, surf, relax...and so on.
This is a list of the most popular ones:
Playa El
Agua
Playa Parguito
Playa
Manzanillo
Playa Puerto
Cruz
Playa
Guacuco
Bahia de
Pampatar
Punta Arenas
La Restinga
Playa El
Yaque
Here is a link
with some more detailed information about the different beaches of the area.
You can always ask us...We will be happy to give you our recommendations.
To eat:
A lot of very nice restaurants in the island...from the most
fashionable in the Pampatar area, to the simplest "chiringuitos" next
to the beach, with great fresh fish from the day...
Here a list of options/ suggestions divided by area:
Pampatar/
Los Robles (more urban/ fashionable style):
A Granel
Positano
Cine Citta
El Rancho de
Pablo II
Hard Rock
Cafe
Note: all the above are located inside the Sambil Mall
Paladar
Catabar
Guayoyo Cafe
Beach Bar
Alquimia
On the way to Playa El Agua (it is the way to all the
beaches on the north side; Parguito, Guacuco, etc.):
Biblos
El Caney
Trattoria Al
Porto
White Beach
Playa
Guacuco/ El Yaque/ La Restinga:
Amanecer
Casa Guacuco
Beach Bar
Ipanema Cafe
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