El Yaque Beach (300 meters from Casa Nora)
Internationally famous for its windsurfing and kite surfing, this beach is immensely popular with tourists that come to watch the spectacular display of these sports. The shallow water in the bay makes this an ideal place for swimming and learning to wind or kite surf.
El Yaque – The Village (300 meters from Casa Nora)
A small and very safe village, with all of the services you could possibly need.There are 4 grocery/variety stores, at last count 18 restaurants of which 3 are pizzerias, 10 hotels, 8 windsurf/kite surf stations, 4 clothing stores, 1 banking machine (ATM), car rental, a little police station, and internet café.. Three new commercial centers with new stores. Inexpensive taxis are readily available to take you 15 minutes away to a larger shopping mall or grocery store if necessary.
Tourism in El Yaque is a big business all year long because of the perfect weather. Tourists arrive from all parts of Europe and North America and hence the most common language in El Yaque to serve the tourists is English. The rest of the island is less English-centric and uses mainly Spanish for business. The busiest months are from December to May and then again in August and September.
Island Activities
Explore other Beaches
The coast of the entire island is dotted with beaches, some populated by quaint fishing villages, some developed for tourism, and some completely empty and unspoiled.
Championship Golf
Just a short car ride along the scenic coast of the island, lies an 18 hole golf course. Nestled along the rocky seashore, several holes of this course offer spectacular coastal views, and vistas of the ocean. All equipment such as clubs, carts can be rented at the pro shop.
Tennis
Enjoy an outdoor match clay or hard court. Either play with a group of friends, or work with a tennis pro.
Windsurfing and Kite surfing
The beach of El Yaque is world-famous for its consistent, side/on-shore wind, its shallow bay, and relatively flat water. These are ideal conditions for the spectacular sports of windsurfing and kite surfing. El Yaque is rated as one of the top five windsurf/kite surf beaches in the world. The beach and village are full of wind and kite surfing stations. The beach offers sun lounge chairs for those who wish to relax and watch some world class surfers.
Mountain biking tours
Offered by Casa Nora for some early morning exercise, join one of the daily, guided mountain bike tours, which explore the natural beauty that surrounds El Yaque. From cactus forests, to salt flats, to spectacular coastal riding. The bike, helmet, water and snacks are provided.
Yoga
Daily sunrise yoga sessions are offered in Casa Nora's beautiful, private garden. Stretch your muscles, centre yourself, and clear your mind for another beautiful day in paradise. Each yoga session is fifty minutes long, and includes the use of a mat, a towel, and a bottle of water.
Other activities in El Yaque include:
•Beach-side massages
•Spanish lessons
•Tours of the island
•Sea-kayaking
•Day trips to nearby islands
El Yaque Shopping
Blissfully free of neon-emblazoned tee shirt kiosks and souvenir shacks, El Yaque’s shops are located throughout the village. While these shops are purveyors of the latest surfing technology and equipment, they also offer the coolest in beach clothing and souvenirs.
For the serious shopper, the duty free island of Margarita offers several exciting shopping opportunities, all located in the city of Porlamar, a mere 20 minute taxi ride away.
Sambil, a very large, but unique, North American-style shopping mall, offers everything from high-end clothing stores, to European jewelry stores, to elegant restaurants, to movie theatres. A shopper’s paradise.
Climate
Margarita Island offers climactic stability, as it is safely located in the southern Caribbean Sea, outside the hurricane lane that usually affects the islands to the north. As the island is only 11 degrees from the equator, the air temperature hovers typically between 28 and 32 degrees Celsius. These temperatures are cooled by a refreshing and constant breeze. It is sunny over 95% of the time and seldom rains.
