Second visit to Margarita Island, but not so nice as before. We weren’t expecting a five-star holiday, but we were not pleased overall. The hotel is becoming run-down, parts of it falling down and in disrepair, the grounds not kept up, the rooms old and not very clean. We stayed in the South Tower, and cannot speak for the conditions in the North Tower. The beds here were good to sleep in and the maid was in faithfully every day to make them up and straighten up. However the shower was not great, the showerhead was clogged, and the taps were very touchy so you might be having a warm shower one second and a cold or hot one the next. Okay for adults that know how to fix it, but could scald a child. Our toilet did not flush properly, and the tap at the sink kept falling apart. The air conditioner worked fine, albeit a bit noisy. Also our window would not close all the way, and a loud generator outside the hotel made it impossible to rest during the day if you needed to be your room for any length of time. This generator ran every day throughout the day, as power to the hotel was often turned off, and energy conserving measure by the government we were told. Wifi in the hotel, even in the rooms (and included with the price of the room) The hotel had 4 floors and the stairwell was not to be used except in case of emergency, so the elevators were the main method of getting up and down. Only 1 of the 3 elevators worked, which was enough except at the busy times of the day. The main buffet restaurant was clean, but the food selection was very limited, re-dos of the same food meal after meal, and many people came down with some kind of diarrhea and stomach upset. Very little service for coffee and the wine that was to be included with meals. Lots of staff, but not sure what they were all doing. The restaurant was never busy, so always lots of places to sit. We did however really enjoy the Italian al-a-carte. The pools were wonderful, lots of chairs and shade, lively areas, and quiet places too. The swim-up bar was a joke… Lots of bars at LagunaMar, not busy, but don’t expect fast service. The Lobby Bar was good, but also slow. Beach was okay, relatively clean, lots of chairs and shade areas. Waves a bit rough, so have fun, but be careful. Swimming is not an option. Went with Nolitours, Gaby, the rep is very helpful and knowledgeable about the island.
Overall, lots of heat and sun which is why we went, but I don’t think we will go back.
Room Number:
3331
Room Block:
South Tower 3rd floor
Arrival:
Smooth going on the way in, no problem at the airport, and fairly fast through the front desk. Found our own room without problem.
Rooms:
See review.. some issues to be sure, but had a good nights sleep every night.
Restaurants and Bars:
Need some help here. Buffet was sketchy.. same or similar food each day, despite theme nights and my husband was sick for 1 day and "off his feed" for the rest of the holiday and a couple of days at home. Slow service at meals despite lots of staff, and slow service at bars, though very friendly and not so busy that it really mattered anyway. Besides we had a whole week. I guess just watch what you eat.. as long as food isn’t your main concern, you should have a warm and sunny holiday.
Beach/Pools/Grounds: Awesome pools.. too bad the wave pool is closed (I suspect permanently, even though the website says "for repairs" .. which don’t seem to happen here) The pools were cleaned thoroughly each night and really made our holiday.
Beach was great, the water was rough enough that swimming wasn’t possible, but playing in the waves was great for big people, a little rough for those of us not so sure on our feet, and kids might get knocked around pretty good.
Activities on and off the Resort/Hotel: Not a fan of on-site activities, but visit the water-slide pool for sure. The activity pool was active all day long. I am sure that if this was your thing, then you would be thrilled, also activities at the beach, volleyball for sure.
Nolitours was our vacation supplier and the rep, Gaby was very sincere and knowledgable. Went to Coche Island (by myself as hubby was sick) and wasn’t thrilled, though is was an awesome beach for swimming and lots of water activities if you wanted to seek them and pay for them, also a free therapeutic mud bath (yuck) if you wished to participate. Gotta mention that we were refunded (at the last minute) hubby’s payment since he was too sick to go, Gaby was really awesome. Hubby booked a fishing tour through Reel-Man fishing and it was a disappointment. Jeep tour was supposed to be great, though we didn’t book, others said it was great. Took taxis to shopping.. very safe but watch your money exchange. Had a bit of a bad experience with this, but we had been warned.. heed the warnings, nobody’s fault but our own.
Other Comments: Interesting country, cleaner than last time we visited, but seems to be on a bit of a downward spiral, reminescent of Cuba? Except that Venuezula has lots of oil income and doesn’t need tourism dollars to drive it’s economy. (A story for another post) Not sorry we went but not what we were hoping for. We hoped for a 3-star holiday and got a 2-star.
(lagunamar ranked as 4-star?)