Included with the rental of the house are utility costs – electricity, gas, water and the maid services listed below. Telephone is not available for making calls but can be available to receive calls. Public telephones are available in the village square, but guests are advised to bring a mobile, if possible.

NOTE: For those wishing to use the internet, to send and receive emails etc a very good internet café is available in a local shopping area which also has the recommended local deli and a 24 hour bank cash point. This is about 1.5 kms from the house.

• Daily maid service 8am–4.30am. Beds made, bedrooms and showers cleaned, kitchen, house and pool area cleaned
• Fresh bedlinen and towels placed every third day
• A house manager, who is bi-lingual English/Spanish, is also available. She will meet guests, check them into the house and explain how everything functions in the house and cover safety issues ( key concern, glassware near pool area, which is a not go ) and generally be there to help on many important points – where to change currency, where to shop, how to hire cars, or organise tours, local medical facilities in case of need (an arrangement with a local doctor is in place)
• The maid will also be happy to undertake additional services such as cooking meals for guests, or laundering and ironing guests personal clothes, for modest fee. The house supervisor can provide further guidance on this.
• The house is also equipped with first aid kit, emergency lights, torches and fire extinguishers

La Casona Paraguachi is available at the following rates
(Pounds Sterling):
  

		House Rental per week	CPPP* Week 4 share	CPPP* Day 4 share	CPPP* Week 6 share	CPPP* Day 6 share
HIGH SEASON	Dec, Jan Feb,July, Aug	£1,000	£250	£36	£167	£24
LOW SEASON	Sept, Oct, Nov,March, April, May, June	£750	£187	£27	£125	£18

*CPPP  = Cost per person

Renting a self catering house can be  a very  economic way of vacationing in addition to the benefits of privacy and flexibility which you cannot find in a hotel.

The above rates for La Casona represent terrific  value for money compared to a similar quality property in the better known Caribbean islands.

*For those wishing to rent for longer periods special package prices can be negotiated with the owner. For small groups wishing to rent, for example between 2 and 4 people, special rates can also be negotiated.

3. Connecting at Maquetia
Maquetia airport is on the coast some 45 minutes outside of the City of Caracas. Visitors are strongly advised to organise their travel to ensure an onward connection from the domestic terminal, which is some 600 yards from the international arrivals terminal. Hotels in Caracas, and taxi up to it are expensive, so the idea is to avoid this needless expense.
From the domestic terminals, at least 4 local carriers – all good with 737’s, Airbuses, etc – operate virtually a shuttle service to Margarita.

AEROPOSTAL www.aeropostal.com
AVENSA www.avensa.com.ve
ASERCA www.aserca.com.ve
LASER www.laser.com.ve

The earliest flights in the morning are at approx 7am and the last flights to Margarita are at approx 8 pm. It is important to ensure you flight arrives in Maquetia no later than say 5 pm, to allow you to comfortably manage the immigration formalities, baggage collection, and walk or bus to the domestic terminal. Many of the European flights however arrive between 3 and 4 pm so this is very convenient.
If it is unavoidable, and your flight gets in to Maquetia late in the evening, you have two choices. (a) Get a taxi up to a hotel in Caracas and the recommended one would be HOTEL CONTINENTAL in Altamira which is a very good hotel, in a good safe zone at a reasonable rate – approx $ 80-90 per night or stay in a hotel on the coast near the airport. The recommended one is PUERTO VIEJO, about 15 mins from the airport. The zone around the airport was heavily affected by the mudslides of 2 years ago, and getting to the hotel is not a pretty site, but once there it is a very nice hotel and has lovely gardens and pool, and of course, the wonderful Caribbean sea breezes! The other coast hotel is the Macuto Sheraton hotel but it is a bit further away. The Puerto Viejo is quite expensive, in the order of $150 per night, but don’t be afraid to haggle, as they need all the business they can get.

4. Onward connection to Margarita
Assuming you are connecting straight through your best bet is to get a porter to trolley across your luggage the 600 yards along the sidewalk to the domestic terminal and bring you to thecounter of the domestic carrier you are using. It is possible to use a free bus service, but you might have to wait for 15 mins. Taxi seems hardly worth it for such a short hop.
Rules. Ask the porter for a price first, per trolley, as if there’s a biggish group you might need two porters. As a general rule I would say that 10,000 bolivares would be a very good price per trolley – that’s just under £10 sterling, or $15. I will check this again on my next trip (Feb 2002) . That’s not cheap, but after a long tiring journey, it will allow you to relax a little and concentrate on getting your tickets, papers ready for the domestic terminal.
At the domestic terminal it’s quite an efficient well organized set up. If you already have your ticket just go straight to the check in counter with luggage, if you have to pick up your ticket, queue at the sales counter first, get your ticket and then go to the check in counter.
If you are purchasing your domestic connection when you arrive, you can pay with any major credit card – Master Card, Visa etc - or with dollars, in addition to local bolivares. You will be asked for identification, so have your passport ready. On passport come prepared with a couple of copies of the key pages and carry those around with you at all times. You can therefore leave your original passport locked away safely in the house !

5. Arriving at Santiago Marino airport (Margarita) and getting to La Casona Paraguachi
Taxi - This is a small friendly airport and baggage collection is usually quick and efficient, unlike Maquetia Caracas, which can be very slow. Once outside the airport there is a taxi rank, for those who wish to go direct to the house. The taxis have fixed prices for all the important points on the island. The village of Paraguachi has a specific tariff which is 12,000 bolivares. The taxis are mainly old, slightly creaky American “gasguzzlers” but are actually very comfortable and quite spacious. Taxi drivers in Margarita are usually friendly and decent and like to talk, so if you have some Spanish, you will be off to a very good start ( this applies to taxi drivers all over Venezuela ! ) .The taxis should take up to 4 people but this depends on the amount of luggage you have. You might need to take two.
The journey is approx 40 minutes to the house. They all know Paraguachi, not because of its size, but because of its history. To identify precisely which house and where in Paraguachi it is located, you need to tell the driver the following
1. "En la plaza principal de Paraguachi"
2. "Frente de la iglesia de San Jose"
3. "Casa blanco y azul, recientamente pintado"
4. "El nombre de la casa – La Casona Paraguachi - esta escrito encima de la puerta de entrada"
Armed with these instructions, the taxi driver should have no problem whatsoever in dropping you at the front door of the house !
If the taxi driver has a mobile phone it may be worth asking him to ring ahead to the house to alert the housekeeper that you are on your way.

Car Hire - When you leave the airport, cross over the road and there is a building on the right hand side exclusively made up of car hire firms – about 20 of them. There are other places on the island where you can rent cars ( for example in Porlamar ), so you may decide to leave the car hiring to the next day, and just get straight out to the house for the night !
On the whole the car hiring services on Margarita are good and the service is reliable. But be prepared to haggle, and inspect the car first before committing to anything.
A small car, like a Toyota starlet should cost about 20 –25,000 bs per day.
You will need your driving license, your national one will do, plus your passport details. One local custom in respect of paying with CC in Venezuela which you should be aware of is that they ask you to sign two sets of coupons. This is to cover themselves against theft of the car etc.

Driving to Paraguachi from airport
Follow road to ASUNCION. Follow road to PLAYA DEL AGUA and MANZANILLO Paraguachi is located 4 kms before Playa del Agua. Turn right at PDV gas station, enter village square. House on the other side of the square

Check list of items to bring with you

• Passport
• Passport photocopies
• Driving license
• Sinking fund of US dollars for emergencies (pounds virtually useless )
• Credit Cards (they work in all the cash machines)
• Travellers Cheques? I never use as they are so inconvenient
• Sunscreen
• Spanish Phrasebook
• Good books - English language choice limited in Margarita
• Medicines – although plenty of good pharmacies etc

Immigration.
Visas granted at Maquetia for EEC and US citizens.Other passport holders check with Venezuelan consulate

Health.
First time visitors to the tropics best first consult their GP for guidance.But some general points. Good medical facilities and pharmacies exist locally, and there is low incidence of serious bugs on Margarita, but mosquitoes are a fact of life in the tropics. Biggest potential problem they pose is Dengue fever, but this is much more prevalent in mainland Venezuela. Malaria too exists in parts of mainland Venezuela, but on a much smaller scale. Your doctor will advise.
Best protection against mosquitoes - they are at their most active at dusk (just when you are relaxing, enjoying an evening G&T) is long trousers and thick White socks. Mossies are cautious of white backgrounds. The ventilator air current is also an effective protection against them.