Living on, retiring to or working on the tropical island of
Isla Margarita or Margarita Island, Venezuela
Tropical Island Living!

If you are considering living on, retiring to or moving to the tropical island of Isla Margarita (Margarita Island), Venezuela and want information then this is the place. 

I have tried to be as realistic and straight forward as possible, 
however, remember that these are just my opinions 
after living on this tropical island of Isla Margarita for more than 20 years
and there may be others who would not agree with everything I say.
Living in the tropics can be either a relaxed way of life or it can drive you crazy with frustration that things are not the same as you are used to.

Because of the amount of information I have broken it down into 4 separate pages:

Page One (you are here):
Climate and Weather, Property Ownership, Exchange Controls,
Starting a Business and working on Margarita Island, Venezuela

Page Two:
Supermarket Food Prices, Utilities including phone, Internet,
Electricity & Water & Cellular phones.

Page Three:
Language, Banking, House help, Nannies, Gardeners, Security Guards,
Political Situation & Security

Page Four:
Schools, Doctors, Hospitals, Medical Insurance, Buying a Car and Insurance, Driving

Climate / Weather

Isla Margarita is blessed with one of the most fantastic climates in the world. We basically have a desert climate with long periods of little or no rain and low humidity. The daytime temperature only changes about 4ºC over the whole year. Daytime temperatures at Playa El Agua on the north coast range from a high of 31ºC (87ºF) in September to low of 26ºC (80ºF) in January. Nighttime temps are about 3ºC cooler. The temperatures on the south and west side of the Island (Juan Griego) can be a few degrees warmer as they receive a land wind while the north and east side gets the sea breeze.

In addition, Margarita Island is outside the hurricane zone with
most storms going north of us.
In the 21 years I have been here we were only brushed
once by the edge of a tropical storm (1992 - tropical storm Brett).
There are also no volcanoes and the risk of earthquake is very low.
There is no fog or hail and the rain, when it comes, seldom lasts very long. 
We receive, on average, more than 340 days a year of 6 hours of sun or more.

For more information on the weather of Margarita visit our weather page.

Property Ownership

There is no problem for foreigners to own property in Venezuela in general, or Isla Margarita in particular, however it is essential that you have an unbiased lawyer that is not connected to the seller. It is also helpful to hire a reliable person who can translate for you if you do not speak or read Spanish well. 
I do NOT recommend lawyers, real estate agents, translators
or types of properties or areas to buy in so please do not ask me.

Properties have a wide range of prices depending on the area that you choose. In the beach areas, like Playa El Agua, the prices will be considerably higher than in a village in the center of Margarita like Santa Ana. The cheaper the property the more chances are that it will be in an unsuitable area for foreigners.

I strongly recommend that anyone considering a permanent move to Margarita Island
first rent from 6 months to a year to see if living here is to your liking. 
It is MUCH easier to buy a property than to sell it and many foreigners do not adjust well to life here.
If you are thinking of a property solely for investment you REALLY need to do some research. There are a few companies actively promoting properties in the UK & Europe that may or may not be valid investments. BEFORE making any commitments do your homework.

If you are communicating with people who are telling you to hurry or "buy now while prices are low" or trying to create a sense of urgency then they are not being 100% straight with you.
Anyone who is aware of the potential long term consequences of the
current political situation would not be telling you this. The government has announced that exchange controls will be with us "for life" to prevent capital flight and new laws have been passed that will make unofficial currency exchange even more difficult and illegal. It is quite possible that once you put hard currency into this market you may not be able to easily convert it back. The government has also started taking over empty private land & apartments to turn over to farmers and for housing sites and there have been apartment invasions in Caracas & Margarita. Please investigate this before investing.

You will have a much better personal view point on this
if you just spend some time here renting for awhile and get a feel for things.

You must pay cash for properties. Interest rates at the banks for mortgages fluctuate greatly and can run as high as 35% per year or more. It sometimes may be possible to arrange an owner take-back mortgage however these can be tricky and you will need the help of a very good lawyer.
My experience is that most owners will not do it due to the poor court system here.

If you are being offered terms by companies selling properties here be sure that what you are signing is a proper mortgage and property deed. The only legal documents here in Venezuela are written in Bolivars / Bolivars Fuerte (which devalue rapidly) and not in dollars, Euros or pounds. If you are signing a loan agreement in foreign currencies and the sellers do not deliver on their promises you may have no legal recourses against them and the loan may not be a mortgage but a personal loan that you will be responsible for regardless of what happens here in Venezuela.

One such project, La Ensenada, here in Margarita Island appears to have been abandoned.
See some photos we took during March, 2009
at http://www.flickr.com/photos/tropical-island/sets/72157614612343122/

If you are interested in dealing directly with owners wishing to sell a good resource is the
"properties for sale" page on the IslaMagarita.com web site.
These properties are primarily located in the main tourist areas of Playa El Agua & Playa Parguito.
Also the classified ad section of the local newspaper .

If you need some time to find a rental place I can recommend my vacation property as an affordable & comfortable place to stay for a couple of weeks / months while you are looking around and getting oriented.

Margarita Tropical Villa Pool

Bed & breakfast in Playa El Agua. 10 rooms with king size beds, A/C, pool, fridges, DirecTV with HBO & CineMax, free Internet & breakfast From US$42 - See www.casatrudel.com for info!

Pool Side Room

Exchange Controls now in Effect

I have decided to add this section due to the questions we have been receiving. Please keep in mind that we must keep the information very general as the official law is that all transactions must be done through official sources at the official rate of BsF.4,30. That said, the reality is that there is a healthy secondary market to exchange US$ cash and traveler's checks.

The problem at the moment is that residents here on Margarita with no local income either have to have a good supply of cash or traveler's checks or be dependent on getting the official rate with their credit cards or ATM cards (a penalty of approximately 120% or more). Once you have lived here for awhile you may be able to establish the trust of people here who will accept a personal check on a US bank, make a bank transfer to a US bank or use PayPal and give you Bolivars in exchange. This will usually involve a waiting period for your check to clear before you get your Bolivars. This is not something I would recommend to a new arrival until you build up some trusting relationships with the business sector here so the only other reasonable solution is to have a supply of money on hand. You can NOT get US$ cash here with an ATM or credit card or by going into a local bank with Bolivars.

Do not expect that the exchange quoted in news articles will be what you receive
for your tourist dollars - think more in terms of about 120% more. (Jan. 10).

Starting a Business or Working

Many of you, no doubt, would like to find work on Margarita Island. This is a very difficult proposition. You first will need a work visa which is difficult to obtain in the present political climate. Once you do obtain a visa then you will find that salaries are MUCH lower than you would expect. Some 80% of the country works for the minimum wage of about US$190 per month at the unofficial rate and as a result even management and professional salaries are not much higher. A salary of BsF.2000 which is at the high end would only be about US$385 per month.

To obtain more information about visas, work permits and requirements to live in Venezuela in general, and Isla Margarita in particular, please visit or contact the nearest Venezuelan embassy or consulate in your own country. They are the only ones who have the latest info. Don't bother e-mailing them - they won't answer. Instead make a personal visit or, if this is not feasible, then a phone call.

For a list of Venezuelan Consulates & Embassies around the world see the list at the this site: 

The only way to make a reasonable level of income is by having your own business and the easiest way to do this is to buy one which already has all the necessary permits and licenses to operate. Dealing with the government on any level can be a very frustrating exercise and to start fresh can be a killer. Due to the current economic slow down and the devaluation there are many businesses for sale.

We do not hire people and have no additional information
about jobs or how to get them.
Please do not send me your CV or photos. My best suggestion is to visit Margarita and investigate what might be available in your particular field. Sending e-mails is ineffective.

Getting to Margarita Island & Other FAQ's

I have created a page of FAQ's which will answer many regular tourist questions that you may have about getting here, what to do once you are here, maps of the Island and much, much more.
Please visit www.casatrudel.com/linksenglish.htm .

I hope this answers at least some of your questions. If you can think of anything that I did not cover then drop me an e-mail and I will try & add it.