Everyone loves a Margarita and that was pretty much our inspiration for embarking on a trip to Venezuela. The Caribbean coast is one of our favourite places to explore; beautiful beaches, rum and a party vibe is always guaranteed and that certainly ticks our boxes! Little did we know how controversial it was going to become for a group of girls to choose Venezuela as a holiday destination.

When you start researching Venezuela, one of the main attractions is Angel Falls, we were certainly keen to see this wonder of the world but unfortunately our timing was off!  We got it right for sunshine but wrong for rain… So the next decision was based on beaches. Knowing that we wanted to go to Isla de Margarita it was logical to base ourselves there and leave a few days spare in case there was a sudden downfall of rain and we could make it to the falls. The other consideration was to travel to other islands such as Los Roques but it was looking quite expensive for internal flights based on the official exchange rate.

The exchange rate is the first learning for anyone new to Venezuela. When we travelled it was officially $1=$6 Bolivars, in reality the rate varied from $170-$240 per US dollar so more than a little bit out! If we had known that before we travelled we would have packed in a few more flights! Our internal flights from Caracas to Margarita we believed to be £150, and thought it was odd that they only debited £4 on booking, our assumption was that this was to test our card, but in reality that was the total cost of our return flight.

We’re not sure if it was the jetlag but it did take us a while to catch on to the strange pricing on arrival; our cab from Simon Bolivar to the Marriott Hotel 10 mins down the road was $1,000 Bol, our cocktails on arrival were $1,000 Bol and our internal flights the next day were $1,200 Bol. No one seemed to be able to explain how you can get a 45 min return flight for the same cost as 2 Pina Coladas but either way we are talking about £3-£4 – crazy!

Arriving in Simon Bolivar airport was unexpectedly pleasant. Just before we left, the BBC2 Simon Reeves Caribbean programme described Caracas as dangerous as being in a war zone! Other stories report of gangs robbing people in the airport, so we were obviously cautious, dressed like backpackers and minus jewellery with a selfie stick to fend off any muggers!

The reality was that the staff were very helpful, we had pre-arranged a cab with the Marriott who were waiting for us on arrival and we were checked in within 10 minutes of leaving the airport. There are lots of people asking you if you want to exchange money, but at this stage we didn’t need any as you could bill everything to your room so we thought we would check out the situation further before we committed to anything. It’s important to note that exchanging money on the black market is illegal, so you need to consider who you are trading with!

After a very comfortable and convenient night in the Marriott, we made our way back to Simon Bolivar to jet off to Margarita. Wary that we did need to change some dollars, and not quite sure who to trust in Caracas, plus, we kind of ran out of time, we plumped for the official exchange cambio office in the airport. We got an exchange of $192 Bol + 10% commission. Not fantastic, but we changed enough to buy us a day in Margarita and would re-assess once we reached the island.

So, after a very swift 45 minute Aeropostal flight, we descended over turquoise waters and touched down in Margarita. Now we were ready for a holiday! As we were basing our holiday purely in Margarita, we decided to really road test the island and stay in a different area every few days.

Our first port of call? Playa el Agua in the north of the island. Our first 3 nights were to be spent in Sunsol Isla Caribe, which was actually an all-inclusive hotel (£35 per night). It was everything you’d expect from a Caribbean all-inclusive; it was big, fun, a little bit naff and packed full of families (Venezuelan mainly, there were no English, European or American tourists anywhere – except us!).

It was a really great place to kick-start our trip, catch a few rays and decide what to do with our rogue days. We sunbathed/burned, ate, drank, met some lovely Argentinian guys and made friends with some Venezuelan teenage girls in the on-site discoteca! Mega lolz.

We quickly came to realise that there wasn’t much life outside of the hotels in Margarita – by night at least, unless you drove to Pampatar or Porlamar. Due to a general decrease in tourism, there is little to no nightlife in Agua, and we were told it was too dangerous to go wandering around at night. However, we met a few characters on the beach during the day, which led us to our next money exchange. This time in the back of a café at a rate of $220. Tip: take a large bag during these exchanges, you end up with a lot of notes!

We also booked a jeep safari tour through our money man. We went with Gustavo Lopez of Island Tours (islandtoursmarg@hotmail.com) and paid $20 dollars each which included transportation, drinks, lunch and stops at La Asuncion (Margarita’s capital and home to the country’s oldest cathedral), Castillo Santa Rosa (for great views), Valle del Espiritu Santo (a village with a really cute pastel church and market) and then on to La Restinga national park and a lovely boat tour where we saw starfish, seahorses and lots of pelicans.

Next stop was a great fresh fish lunch at a restaurant on the beach at Playa La Pared (which was virtually deserted and felt like just ours). After a little dip in the sea we were back on the road to Juan Griego and headed to the top of town in time for a beautiful sunset.

With our rogue days just around the corner and still no sign of rain, we knew our visit to the falls would be fruitless, and with the realisation of the amazing exchange rate we decided to spend our un-booked time in a hotel we’d researched back in the UK but assumed we couldn’t afford. However, cash is king in Venezuela, so by paying direct in Bolivars, we were lucky enough to book two nights in this beautiful (and it really is beautiful) hotel for £25 per night when we thought it would cost us at least $250.

Ikin is the ultimate relaxation retreat, with its Feng Shui layout and infinity pool you relax the minute you walk through the arch. The hotel only has around 50 rooms, so even when the hotel is close to full capacity the layout allows you to feel like you have the whole hotel to yourself. Normally we love to hang out by the beach but with that pool, we didn’t ever want to leave thanks to the constant supply of cocktails, sun cream and a chilled-in-Ibiza-style DJ! The only thing to tempt us away from the pool was the spa. Overlooking the sea and listening to the sound of the waves, a hot stone massage is something everyone needs to experience and all for only around £7. The oils used not only smelt incredible, but made our sun-damaged skin feel hydrated and back to life!

Evenings at Ikin are a lot quieter than Sunsol, but the food in the restaurant was so fresh, and there was a good selection of white wine – something that’s hard to come by in Margarita. We were there during the week, so didn’t venture into the city to party by night, and instead we hung out, drank wine and chatted away to the really lovely staff. That is definitely one thing we’d say above everything else this beautiful hotel has to offer, the staff are incredible, and the relaxed atmosphere belies the fact that it is actually really luxurious. We weren’t walking on egg shells or trying to look glam – although a lot of the guests are just that; think boob and bum jobs squeezed into designer swimwear – the vibe is perfect and it was our favourite place in Margarita to stay, by far.

After our R&R retreat at Ikin, we had reached Friday night, and there was only one place to head; Pampatar, to let our hair down and swing those hips to some reggaeton beats. We’ll be posting about our adventures in Pampatar, Porlamar, El Yaque and Coche in our next post, so stay tuned for part two – it’s coming soon.