The Beaches of Margarita Island or Isla Margarita

Manzanillo & Guayacan

Beaches near Playa El Agua, Isla Margarita, Venezuela

Playa Manzanillo, Margarita island

Playa Manzanillo is very close to Playa El Agua, Margarita Island. Just follow the main road to the North, past Bodegon Johny, and in about a mile you will see Manzanillo Bay with it's fishing boats. This Margarita beach has no tourist accommodations however there are a number of restaurants where you can get a beautiful fish meal and have a couple of beers for prices generally much lower than at Playa El Agua or the other tourist beaches of Margarita Island. Most of the restaurants are locally owned and do NOT open at night. They all rent umbrellas and chairs and will be happy to keep you well supplied with Polar (Venezuela's best beer) and Cuba Libres while you sun yourself.

 The ocean is normally quieter here than at Playa El Agua and is a few degrees cooler due to the different currents. As it is a protected bay this is where the fishermen moor their peñeros (open fishing boats) and often draw the nets full of fish up on to the beach. This can make for some really interesting photos. It's also a great spot to see the sunset for most of the year.

We have a few pictures of one of the restaurants at Playa Manzanillo
to give you an idea of what to expect.

Playa Guayacan, Isla Margarita

If you follow the main road past Playa Manzanillo a couple of miles you will not only treat yourself to a drive along some of Margarita Island's most beautiful rugged coastline you will arrive at the small fishing village and beach called Guayacan. When we first came to Margarita Island in the mid 80's you could only get to this village by boat. The road was paved in the late 80's which opened up this quaint little village. 
There is a steep road that leads down to the beach from the main road.

There is a small local restaurant that has very good meals, salads and even wine in addition to pop, beer, water, etc. This is also a place where they pull the fishing nets up on the beach and where there are kids always ready to pose for a photo. The people are very friendly to tourists so just relax and enjoy your time there.

The photos of Playa Guayacan are courtesy of Joka Bloemgarten

 
The best way to get to these beaches from the Playa El Agua area is by taxi or rental car. While there is a bus that goes to the Village of Manzanillo it does not go down to the beach which will leave you a walk of about a ½ mile. There is no bus to Playa Guayacan. The way to deal with taxis if you want to spend time at these beaches, or any others, is to arrange a two way price and a pick-up time. Do NOT pay when he drops you off. Pay after he returns and delivers you back to where you want to go. We have found that with this method you will have no problems.

We hope that you enjoy these beaches and all the other 
wonderful attractions of Margarita Island. 
Dan O'Brien

 Owner & Webmaster is Canadian