Lti Hotel Costa Caribe Reviews

This hotel is great!! I do not think that people give this hotel enough creditg and they need to pay alot more if they want more. I admit after reading all the reviews that i was considering changing hotels, but i am glad that we didn't. You must appriciate that 4* in a country like Margarita is not like 4* here or America. We thought it was great value for money and we are definately going back in a couple of years.
We had our Wedding there in November 2006 and it was fantastic. There were 14 of us including family and friends.
The hotel was lovely, clean and the staff were excellent.

The Wedding - after only one meeting the day after we got there, was done to our wishes. The only complaint i would have is that there is little communication between First Choice in England and the hotel, but our Wedding co-ordinator sorted everything out smoothly and everything went according to plan. We got married on the beach, which was a wonderful location, it was decorated with flowers, seats for the guests, bouquets for myself and the bridesmaids, a cake (which was delicious) and champagne, which we drank on the beach after the ceromony. We had the reception in the A la Carte resturant and we had the best time. The maid put flowers everywhere in the room on our wedding day, which i thought was a wonderful touch.

The rooms were very good, plenty of storage, clean and the bed linen and towels were changed daily without fail. We were upgraded to a suite, which had a sitting room as well as a bedroom. We also paid for the VIP package and got free fruit basket, free towels with the hotel logo on, and a mini bar that was re stocked every day with wine, beer, every soft drink there is and bottled water.
The standard rooms that the others were in were very nice aswell.

The food, was OK, but we did eat out alot aswell, as i have to have fresh seafood when i go away!!
Some of our group did have tummy bugs, but i always think is to be expected when you consider the change of water, different foods and not to mention the drink and too much sun!If you only like the European food selection and way of life, countries like Margarita are not for you-don't blame the hotel.

The pool was fantastic, very clean, and massive so it was never crowded or noisy. The best part of the pool was of course the bar, where you could swim across to have a cool drink while sitting in the water, the pina coladas went down very well on a hot afternoon.

The staff were wonderful, they were very helpful (esp Pablo!!) and looked after a very noisy and bit mental group very well!
The First Choice rep had a nightmare sorting the trips for 14 people, I felt sorry for the rest of the guests that had to wait over an hour for all us to be sorted!!

The hotel had its own taxi service, which had a selection of very questionable cars!, but they were very cheap and often waited or came back for you when you went out to take you back. This I particularly liked as there are plenty that will rip you off.

There are lots of good trips, we did a boat trip, Angel Falls and the Orinoco River (which was excellent), the Jeep Safari and Horse Riding, others in the group did the sunset trip and the Margarita Splash.

I would not hesitate to recommend this hotel to anyone, our daughter is a travel agent for First Choice and she is definately going to recommend it to customers.
Go and see for yourself, I did and was not dissappointed.

Flights:
Flights were fantastic. We flew with First Choice and upgraded to premium seating (all food and drink included, extra legroom, choice of films etc) - it was well worth the extra money, although 'normal' seating looked pretty spacious too. Flight time there was 9hr15 and returning 8hr30. Best flights ever for me.

First Impressions and Room:
The LTI Costa Caribe is located just outside of the Capital of Margarita and after a 40 minute drive we were all dropped off at the hotel (being the only drop off was definitely a plus). The hotel itself is situated in the middle of nowhere and is fenced the whole way round - to keep the bandito's out or to keep the tourists from escaping? We did wonder at times!!

The hotel is a lot larger than portrayed in the brochure or on the internet but was pretty low rise, so looked very nice. After a welcome dance and cocktails we were allocated our rooms and our luggage was taken by porters, who wrote room numbers on every piece of luggage in thick white chalk. The hotel is set out in blocks but our room (09-22) was easy to find. It was when we got to our room that the fun really began. Our door key did not work so we had to trudge back to reception, wait fifteen minutes for all of our fellow holiday makers to make their complaints and then wait a further ten minutes for a handy man to arrive. After a nine and half hour flight this was most disconcerting. The common complaint seemed to be that many couples had booked into double rooms only to find single beds which could not be moved (due to position of lamps etc.). Sure enough, when we did finally get to our room we had two single beds, which we could no reconfigure as the leads to our lamps didn't stretch far enough. Other than that our room was OK, not particularly spacious but it was clean enough. The bathroom, although clean, was old and rust had started to form on the shower rail. The shower cubicle itself looked as though it had seen better days.
Although promised a pool / sea view, it was only the following morning that we realised our view was of the opposite block. Although the sea was visible in the background, it was offensive to class our room as having a sea view. Being Christmas time there were no spare rooms so we had to make do. I know at this point people on our flight were asking to be moved to a different hotel.

Hotel in general / Restaurants / Bars:

The grounds of the hotel are very well maintained and very attractive - lots of greenery and pretty flowers. Look out for Iguana's, parrots and tortoises that live in the hotel, we never got bored of seeing them.
Booking the a la carte restaurants was easy enough through the 'guest services' and there was always someone at reception. Another plus was that there are constantly taxi's outside so if you fancy a change of scenery you can hop in a taxi and take a drive around the Island. Petrol is so cheap, taxi's are relatively inexpensive.
The hotel is very well laid out and our room was centrally located. Telephones and internet service is readily available and we rarely had to queue for this, even on Xmas day / NY Eve.

Maid service was every day (although you could always hang your do not disturb sign if your room didn't require servicing) but I never felt that the room had been fully cleaned. After two weeks of room service (almost) everyday our room looked grubby. Bed linen was supposed to be changed every other day but I doubt if ours was changed once. Towels - supposed to be changed everyday - were only changed if you threw your unwanted ones in the shower, otherwise they were just hung back up. After 4 days our room was rearranged, so we finally had a double bed. However one of the bulbs in our lamps blew on the 2nd night and this was never replaced (despite me asking reception twice and the maid directly herself!). In the end we gave up.

Our rep was in the hotel most days and was always helpful enough to me (he lent me a hat and a few books), however after speaking to a few people who had booked tours / needed his assistance, the consensus seemed to be that he wasn't the most capable of reps.

The main restaurant was attractive and although it was the hotel's busiest time of year we always managed to get a table to ourselves (tables seat 6 people). The food was a different story. Although every type of meat was available every night it was often overcooked, meat that was freshly carved and cooked (every third night?) could be cooked rarer, if you asked, although you tended to accept what you were given as the 'chefs' didn't seem too bothered about catering for people's specific needs. Pasta and rice was served with every meal, as were potatoes which is fine - however after a week or so I really couldn't face any more. There was never any variety - the pasta was always in tomato sauce, the rice was always bland and the potatoes were always undercooked. I found the salad's and veg really unappetising and found that some evening all I could manage was bread. The bread was always fresh and often the nicest part of the meal - dessert was consistently nicetoo!!

Breakfast was continental but again seemed to lack any imagination. It was just the same old thing every day.
The beach bar served burgers, pizza and chips etc at lunch times (burgers were tough as old boots, pizza looked inedible but chips were OK). I'm not the sort of Brit who goes away to live on chips but for the first week they were actually a welcome break from pasta! However week two saw the beach bar serving pasta for lunch too so for the rest of the holiday I went without lunch. The two a la carte restaurants were also pretty disappointing. We had the misfortune of spending both Christmas Eve and New Years Eve in the so called Italian (reservations HAD to be made on both of these nights or else you didn't eat!) as the hotel was full to capacity we didn't really have much choice in the matter and got left with the seats / times that were not already booked. Christmas Eve wasn't too bad but the food on our second visit to the Italian was a disgrace. The Mexican was probably the nicest food we had - we went twice during our stay and liked the atmosphere (the beach bar becomes the Mexican in the evening), the food was OK - you would probably get a more authentic Mexican from MandS though.

The bars were much nicer than the restaurants. We found the lobby bar nice in the day time to cool off but too crowded and soulless in the evening. The beach bar is very intimate at night and it's lovely to chill and listen to the waves (you can't actually get on to the beach though as the fences are locked at night and patrolled by security - this IS to keep the bandito's out!!). Our favourite bar in the evening had to be the pool bar though. Depending who was working, service could be a little slow, but this bar was very pretty and every evening we spent there we had a lovely time. This bar is actually one of the highlights of the hotel - we used to eat early just to guarantee our seats. It wasn't quite so pretty in the rain though!!!

Pool / Beach:
The pool was immaculate, always clean, very large and rounded off with bridges / fountains and an actual swim up bar. Sun loungers were plentiful, although we did find that people tended to flout the 'no reserving sunbeds' rule, so you had to be up and about quite early.
The beach was a bit of a let down, it is not your typical paradise beach but it was big enough to have your own space, there were always plenty of sun beds and there is nothing quite like the sound of the sea. The beach has a mountain to one side and another huge hill to the other side making a picturesque backdrop. You can walk right up to the top of the smaller hill where you will find stunning views. Once I got over the disappointment of the beach - I've seen better in Europe, I actually found that I preferred it to the pool, it was very peaceful, if not stunningly beautiful and when the heat got too much you could take a nice stroll from one end of the beach to the other, with your feet in the sea. (Whilst there we were advised against swimming in the sea due to strong currents).

Weather:
I'm afraid to report that the weather was very hit and miss during our stay. December is supposed to be the fourth driest month (according to our First Choice brochure), however I would estimate that for 70% of daylight hours during our stay it was either raining or there were thick clouds (the curse of staying in the shadow of a mountain). It was always hot and when the sun came out the weather was postcard perfect but we were often rained off of the beach (only for the sun to come out half an hour later). We did have 48 hours of uninterrupted sunshine, which was followed by 24 hours of rain and high winds. The hotel is mainly tiled and as slippery as sin - I was thankful I had bought a pair of trainers with me. In comparison with numerous other holidays I have taken the weather was awful - and I would challenge the statistics in the First Choice brochure. If December is one of the dryer months I dread to think what the weather is like during summer. However we did make the most of the sunshine and it wasn't the end of the world. As always do not be fooled by the clouds and take factor 30+, the sun (when out!!) is extremely strong here.
Mozzies live here in abundance so make sure you pack plenty of insect repellent (the very strong type).

Other Points:
Just to clarify that this is a Venezuelan Island (First Choice sell it as the Caribbean), so be prepared for a truly South American experience. You will not find typical Caribbean white sandy beaches and palm trees here, and the sea (although it is the Caribbean) is very rough as it meets the Atlantic Ocean just off the coast of Margarita. However, the Island has a wonderfully diverse landscape and is very beautiful. The main currency of Margarita is the Venezuelan Bolivar (BS), although you can use $'s in the hotel. There is a currency exchange in the hotel but I would recommend changing up some Bolivar's in the UK as they charge 8% commission in the hotel. If you visit some of the local towns (well worth it - ciggies and booze are incredibly cheap, although don't get caught taking too much back home) you will need to local currency!!

Overall:
I am a great believer that holidays are what YOU make them. However we paid an extortionate amount of money for this trip and expected much more value for money. I know that Christmas / New Year bumped the price up by about £400.00 per person but in all honesty it was not worth it, our 'Gala' dinners were actually worse than the normal food!

I would say that if you are looking to book this hotel then not to bother, however if you have already booked then to go with an open mind and do not expect too much. I will not be returning to Margarita and I will have to carefully consider any future all inclusive trips. After all said and done we had a pleasant time and although we were not 'wowed' with the hotel or Margarita, Christmas and New Year 2005, will always be memorable.

I was quite concerned before going to the Costa Carbe because of the reviews I had read.
We had 2 rooms which were a fair size and clean with everything you really need- clean sheets, comfy bed, plenty of wardrobe space, a fridge and hot water.

The food in the restaurants was always of good quality and plenty of choice . we never had any problems with the seating many people found themselves having to share tables because they seated 6 , but we never had a problem. It may have been that we tipped the waiter 2 dollars every night and a table was always waiting for us. On the subject of tips , they are greatly appreciated . On the bars they have a box for the tips, we found out that the hotels takes a cut from these first and shares the rest between the staff. We tipped each person individually.
On the whole the grounds were well tended but the hotel was a little shabby and in need of a lick of paint. The beach wasn't the best i've been to but as we are not beach lovers that was not really an issue.

The pool was very large and mainly shallow but did get a little grubby although it was cleaned on a daily basis.
The complex was very safe for the children who tended to stay out much later than their parents .They went to the enterainment shows and the disco, both of which I never saw as I was too tired. The heat is extremly humid and zapps all the go out of you.

Beware of the mosquitoes or ants ( What ever the little blighters were) they bite like crazy .We had jungle strength repellent which was of no use what so ever.
The hotel is very isolated with nothing elae around. You can visit the local town by taxi but it is very 'shanty' not touristy at all. It is a very poor place.
First choice are pushing it a bit saying this is 4* I would say 3*. We had a good holiday and met some great people . The staff was friendly and always willing to help.The Reps were extremely good probably the best i've ever come across.

If you are looking for luxury then this is not the place for you, other wise I would say give it a go you will enjoy it.

This was our first Caribbean type holiday but we have recently been to Tunisia and Morocco all inclusive, Margarita knocked spots off all of them, so much so we have already booked for next year!

The First Choice flight was delayed on the way out due to a small fault, inconvenient but not the end of the world by any means. The aircraft was modern and clean with comfortable seats and excellent leg room (33 inch pitch) even in the economy area. The temperature as we arrived was about 32 Celsius; during our stay it tended to be about 37 during the day and about 30 at night.

When we arrived we were taken to the hotel in a rather old coach but don't be put off by this, the guide on board was informative and very enthusiastic.

As we disembarked from the coach we were met by a swarm of hotel staff that helped us with our bags as well as a troop of dancers performing a welcome dance and waiters offering a welcome cocktail.

The check in was very efficient and bags were taken to our rooms. Walking into the room was like walking into a fridge! Excellent air conditioning which you can adjust and turn on/off at will, we preferred to turn off at night as we prefer a quiet sleeping environment, the kids tended to leave theirs on all night as the night time temperature outside was rarely below 30 Celsius. Inside the room, the only criticism would be the detailed finish of tiling etc, not to European standards but wholly adequate and completely functional.

The electrical sockets are the American two pin type at 110 volts and each room comes with a hair dryer. My electric shaver worked perfectly well.

The food was very varied and of good quality and served piping hot. There were always vegetarian foods available as well as beef, pork, fish and on a couple of days lamb. There were always potato, pasta and rice options and an array of vegetables and fruits. In truth, the selection is so large you would have to be very picky indeed not to find something that you would really enjoy.

Drinks are great, there is always water and squash available to help yourself from, then there is a draft beer or bottled beer (excellent) then all of the usual spirits with genuine Schweppes Tonic, real Coca Cola and Sprite and for me the real bonus was a great choice of Cocktails, I won't ever forget the Pina Coladas Nikki!!, Ameretto and Tia Maria.

The wildlife is great, Brown Pelicans flying out at sea and diving to catch fish, Parrots in the palm trees and the Iguanas that wander wild throughout the grounds (some nearly 3 feet long) will knock your socks off..fantastic!

If you want to go out, do use the Taxis that are available from outside the hotel (all wrecks), they are so cheap, on one journey we went on a 35 minute ride, looked around for 2 hours and then found the driver waiting for us, he took us back (5 of us) for the princely sum of $20.

Trips are in plentiful supply from a day Safari at $59 to a two day trip to Angel Falls at $340, we didn't do the trips this year but there were so many good reports we have promised ourselves we will do them next year. We went to Sambil, the shopping centre near Porlamar, a lovely centre but in truth a waste of time as oddly the prices are dearer than in the UK.

The entertainment in the evening was of a much higher standard than we have seen elsewhere. There are two tennis courts, free pool tables and table tennis and a fairly well equipped gym.

The pool is huge and of a design that really lends itself to games and relaxation, the swim up pool bar is really slow in service terms as they try to man it from the main pool bar and during busy times this is just too much. At night time the pool bar is a fantastic place to meet before or after dinner and sit into the small hours.

I recommend that you take American Dollars in small denominations, nothing more than $20 bill as all change is given in Bolivares.

Make sure you check BEFORE you go to see if your exit tax is included in your package price, we ended up paying $44 Dollars per adult and $30 per child just to get out, this we thought, on all inclusive was not really on. (I have noticed that in this years Eclipse brochure the tax IS included).

The two reps Carlos and Milton, both from Venezuela speak good English and are really helpful, nothing is too much and their only aim is to make sure you have a brilliant holiday.

All in all if you want relaxation at a really competitive price, book via eclipse-direct co.uk who are part of the First Choice Group.

We got married in May this year and we decided we would like to go to the Caribbean for our honeymoon.

We have both holidayed in various Caribbean islands before, but not together so wanted somewhere neither of us had been to before.

I looked through the First Choice brochure and couldn't believe how much cheaper Margarita was than other destinations so without knowing much about it we booked it.

At the time First Choice had a special offer on the Premium service seats and I think it was well worth the extra £80 each if only for the fact that nobody with children were booked in that area therefore no screaming babies or relentless kicking the back of your seat for 9 hours!. Reading other reviews here First Choice airline seems to have got a bad press - not so in my opinion. The crew were all really nice and the service was great - can't say what it was like in normal economy class.

On arrival the Costa Caribe Hotel was more or less what we expected and as it was our honeymoon we had been upgraded (free of charge) to a Junior Suite room on the 3rd floor, was clean and modern, had a nice sea view and a separate living area. On arrival there was a basket of fruit and a bottle of wine (nice gesture but a bit wasted when everything is all inclusive anyway!). Maybe it's worth saying it's your honeymoon even if it isn't!

The complex in general was good, the pool lovely just a shame it wasn't a bit deeper in places for proper swimming.

The beach is nice and sandy although quite rocky as you go into the sea. There are the usual problems even though the hotel was occupied by about 60% British of the Germans reserving sunbeds even though there are signs saying ";no reserving sunbeds";. So either get there v. early or take what you can find whilst you stare round at many empty sunbeds (which stay that way - empty - all day) with neatly positioned towels draped on them!

The reps Carlos and Milton were very helpful and not too ";hard sell"; on the various trips. They were around most of the day everyday and dealt with any requests efficiently (as did all the other hotel staff).

As other reviewers said the 1 day trip to Angel Falls is quite expensive but is defintely worth it. We did several trips including this and really enjoyed it. There was only us and another couple on this trip. The guide was great and as there were only 4 of us we had a much more personal trip.

In general we had a great time and I would definitely recommend it. Venezuela is still a developing country so don't expect everything to be like Europe or some of the more commercialised Carribean. I would describe Margarita as an up and coming destination which could possibly be ruined in a few years time so go now whilst it is still relatively undiscovered.!

I wouldn't say I would go back because there are so many other places in the world to see - but who knows maybe we will for our 10th anniversary!

After reading the lastest reviews of this hotel and the service provided by Excel Airways prior to departure it was with trepedation we embarked on our holiday BUT thankfully our worries were ill founded!

Excel Airways - we decided to upgrade to Premium class and was given First Class service as an added bonus through First Choice - the service was excellent! We did encounter a slight delay due to a flat tyre on arival at Manchester from Gatwick but nothing too troubling.

Hotel Accommodation - As we are a family of three we had a Junior Suite (standard rooms are unable to accommodate more than 2 people). Whilst basic, as with many of the Carribean resorts it was very spacious and clean. The bedding and towels are changed on a daily basis and the cleaner was always waitng for us on our return to the room to eagerly open the door.

Food - well what can I say, we have done many All Inclusive holidays and rate the choice and quality of food as excellent - we did not eat in the Al a Carte restauruants at all so cannot comment(we didn't feel the need). Every day you had a choice of pasta, fish, and at least two meat dishes every meal time. On some evenings there was a cavery with a good choice of meats, pork, beef, chicken, duck etc.....

The tables in the restaurant seat 6 people but is was very rare we had to share our table.

Hotel - the staff at the hotel were very helpful and friendly and the resort reps (who were available on site from 9am to 5pm daily) were very knowledgeable and helpful.

Entertainment - there was the usual daily programme of entertainment provided by their own animation team. They also put on dance shows in the evening, which did become a little repetitive during the stay (the theme was always different but it was the same type of entertainment with different routines and costumes).

Resort - we perosnally found the towns of Juan Griego and Polamar quite dissapointing and found there was nothing to see outside your hotel resort....... unless you like designer outlets! - there was no traditional culture to be found.

Trips - we did not do many of the trips but did take the opportunity to swim with the dolphins which we all enjoyed, especially my daughter. The water is green and slimmey but I suppose you are swimming in their own habitat - (just remember to keep your mouth closed!)

Overall a very good holiday!

I have recently returned from my holiday in the Costa Caribe and I'll give you my opinion and also comment on the issues raised in previous postings.
Hopefully this will assist you in making an informed decision on your holiday.

I thoroughly enjoyed my holiday and had a good time without serious problems.

Room Choice...
When I arrived, I was allocated a ground floor room in Block 23. I found the access to this room to be dull and dark and as the garden grounds in front of the room had large tropical plants growing it made the room dark as well. Many other ground floor rooms were in a similar situation, so if you want a bright and airy room, ask for a first floor room when you book. I don't know if you will get it but it's worth asking for.
I asked the resident Rep (Carlos) for a change of room and it was arranged for me the next day without a problem.
The rooms are pretty basic, but clean comfortable and functionable.

Restaurants...
The main restaurant is a buffet restaurant with several choices at every meal.
The food provided is always warm as previously posted, but rarely hot.
You can always find something you can eat as there is a generous selection of starters, main courses and sweets at every sitting.
The Italian and Mexican restaurants are first class and the food is of a higher quality.
The hotel has resolved the situation with birds in the restaurants by placing thin unobtrusive nets over the arched open areas of the restaurant. Very few birds gain access now.

Pools...
The pools are of an excellent design and very enjoyable to be in. There are many games and activities in the pools, but if you don't want to take part, they are big enough for you to be away from the action and to be totally isolated from any splashing or noise etc.
The bad news when I was there, was that the pool was pretty dirty with dead flies and actual living flies which swam underwater.
The staff constantly scrubbed the edges of the pool to alleviate the staining at the edge of the pool and tried to scoop the dead flies out regularly, but they could have done better.
The problem was not bad enough though to keep me and everyone else out of the water.
I mentioned the problem of the pool to the Rep and I was informed that the Hotel was closing the main pool in December to give it a deep clean.
Part of the pool would be kept open at this time and families would be offered free trips to the Aqua park to compensate for the lack of pool facilities. Couples without children, I believe, would have to make do with the partial pool and the beach and sea.

Bugs...
Mosquitos have been mentioned in previous posts as being a problem.
During the time I was there, the mosquitos were NOT a problem. I suffered many bites on my ankles(some beauties)in the first week, but the bites apparently came from tiny ants which you never feel and you don't know you have until you look or start to scratch. This is a problem in many Carribean countries.
My second week was bite free. So they obviously like the fresh blood.
Take a cream or something to stop the scratching or just get a lemon/lime from the bar and rub it on.
I had 1 cockroach in my room, but that was the only one I saw or heard of all holiday.

Trips...
Before I mention a trip, I would like to mention Juan Greigo, which is the local town which is 5 minutes and £1.20 away in a local taxi. (most are wrecks but very nice pleasant drivers).
It is definitely worth going in here. It is a pleasant town with cheap designer T shirts etc from 60p (good quality surprisingly)to £9 and upwards. Probably fakes but hey ho.
You never get hassled or approached in this town by street sellers, locals etc.
Taxis drop you at the square or centre. Clothing shops face towards the beach and there are beach restaurants and bars to the right and left of the shopping street. Most are to the right of the shops however ( near the fishing boats)and it is worth walking up there till you find them. I know you say that you're all inclusive, but it's 30p for a bottle of beer or a GIANT sized rum. Spend some money outside the resort and help the economy. It's dirt cheap and you'll enjoy it.

Now for the trips.
I went to Cainama/Angel Falls for the 1 day trip, because Kavak was not available. Kavak is apparently the better of the 2 trips, but because it's more energetic, few people book it.
That being said, everyone who went to Canaima thoroughly enjoyed it and wished they had opted for the 2 day trip.
Canaima was an excellent trip, but quite expensive. (approx £150) It is worth every penny as other posters have stated.
It is 2 hours there and 2 back, and you do waterfall and jungle walks at Canaima National Park and the pilots who take you there can be entertaining with some quite tight turns. The scenery is spectacular.

Staff at hotel...
Amongst the friendliest, happiest and competent staff as any in the world. (slow service at the swim up bar excepted)

Flights...
We flew there with Excell Airways. The flight left on time, was comfortable and the flight staff were OK. We returned on First Choice and the same applies to them also.

Overall...
If you're looking for Hilton Hotel quality, don't go to this hotel.
In my opinion it is probably only a 3 star hotel.
If you're looking for an enjoyable holiday in reasonable surroundings and you don't mind the occasional minor glitch or niggle then I thoroughly recommend the Costa Caribe.

The hotel is typical of what you might find in any mainland Spainish resort. Food is adequate, and you won't go hungry, but it's not quite the standard I expected of a four star hotel. The drinks are generous, but the choice is limited, with an unimaginative cocktail list.

The staff are excellent and very friendly, the reps are well informed and helpfull.

Mosquitos were a pest at night around the bars. Go into Juan Griego and visit the pharmacy for repellent spray as this works better than ones bought at home, and only costs 17,000 bolivars - around £5 for a large canister.
The tour of Margarita island is a bit of a waste of time. Great if you like churches, dead butterflies and a mosquito infested ecological park - a poor excuse for a zoo. The lunch that was provided on this trip was the best thing about it, excellent!

Don't miss a trip to one of the national parks in Venezuala, they do various ones, from day trips to overnight stays. We did the day to Canaima and will never forget the magical sights and experiences. Wish we'd done the overnight one. Well worth the extra expense.

The restaurant recommended by the reps at montezillo is very good. Jochan, the owner will make you very welcome and offer seats on the beach to watch the sunset before you eat his excellent food. Try the lobster, you won't be dissapointed.

The only bad experience we had was the flight. Exceptionally long delays, ancient aircraft, poor food. We won't be flying Excel airways ever again, but we may go back to Margarita.

Where do I start...

After being delayed 27 and a half hours we were glad to get to the hotel. Although not up to our usual standard of 4* luxury we knew it would do for the 12 days remaining. (Never, ever fly with Excel Airways!)

The hotel is not a 4*! I would say a generous 3* but what do you expect from a very limited country.

The room we had (junior suite) was ok, a little basic but liveable. Clean towels and sheets every day. The standard rooms were not, most couples upgraded for around $20 per night. I suggest upgrade before you go, it's cheaper.

The food at the main restaurant was very poor for all meals. The evening meals always consisted of warm, not hot chicken, rice and potatoes (even international night). Getting a table was quite bad as well if you want to sit on your own, if not then you'll be fine.
The food at the mexican and a la carte restaurants was much better. I throughally recommend the Chim-changa and the shrimp and salmon penne pasta - delicious!

The sun loungers at the pool and beach are non exisitant after 9:30am even without shade which is bad news for us as we are not earlt risers and it gets very, very hot! (German run hotel with lots of germans guests!)

Mosquitos are everywhere - be warned! It doesn't matter what you do they will bite there way through anything!

The staff are ok overall, some are happy and talkative but some are rude and unhelpful.

We did two trips, one to Canima/Angel Falls, which was excellent. In a twelve seater plane that flies very low then walking under a waterfall! The other was a sightseeing tour of the island - very little to see but you get fed all day, so worth every penny just for the food!

Crime is quite high on the island, if you go out just keep your wits about you and don't wear jewellery, they will grab it off you.

Overall it was a good holiday, I would not go back but it was well worth the experience.

This was a fantastic holiday!

True, it isn't the best Caribbean Holiday we have been on, but it was still very nice and was good value for a 4* Hotel.

Our Hotel room was cleaned daily with fresh towels and the room had an excellent air conditioning unit, a fridge for cold drinks which you could get from any of the 4 bars and a large colour TV with film cable channels.

The Hotel staff seemed to think that we thrived on ";crazy games"; with Mr Alex and his entertainment team and each afternoon would be taken up with silly pool games, which really wasn't our scene! But you were left alone to bask in the sun if that's what you wanted. The pool is big enough that you can find a nice quite corner to crisp yourself in the sun.

The ";Italian"; a la carte Restaurant isn't up to much, the Mexican Restaurant is a bit better. The main Restaurant held speciality nights, with Chinese food etc. and the staff at breakfast would cook you omlettes to order or fried eggs etc! The choice of food was really good too and the waiters were friendly and cleared the tables quickly after you'd eaten your meal - they had to really because the birds that invaded the Restaurant were also interested in what you had left on your plate!

Each Tuesday evening, various sellers arrived in the main yard inside the Hotel selling things like T-shirts, stone sculptures etc, so lots of people bought last minute presents without going outside the Hotel complex. We didn't venture to Porlamar, but we know people who did and they managed to get some good Tiffany jewellery bargains.

If you do any trips, you MUST do the 2 day trip over to Angel Falls - it was amazing. We went Pirahna fishing and crocodile hunting on the Orinoco River, which was scary, as they take you out in a wooden dug-out canoe at night! The trip incorporates a visit to Camaima National Park and a walk thru the Sapu waterfall. You cartainly need good grip shoes for the waterfall trip like trainers, (so long as you don't mind getting them soaked). And don't forget the super strength insect repellent for the jungle trip - the mosquitoes were very hungry.

We also went on the trip to Cubagua which is a deserted island where you can take a mud bath. This was ok, so long as you waited for the resident crabs to come out of it and you didn't mind the slight smell and staining of the bikini!! Although the stains in the bikini came out after washing it back home. We went scuba diving round the island looking at the coral reef and the wreck of a ferry that caught fire a few years ago. The highlight of the day was a huge group of dolphins that followed and chased the boat - got some amazing photographs of them.

There are plenty of different trips to do with the tour operator, so you're bound to find something that appeals to you.

Take US Dollars with you - you'll get more bargains as everyone loves American Dollars and nobody wants Bolivars, which is the local currency.

LTI Costa Caribe Hotel

The LTI Costa Caribe is situated about 10 mins from the town of Juan Griego and is set in it's own landscaped gardens.
It is worth mentioning that the only other buildings in the area are a few beach huts and kiosks at the small beach of Play Caribe, you can also hire jet ski's and go wind surfing on this beach.
Upon arrival at the hotel we were given a fruit punch cocktail and greeted by some of the hotel animation team doing the club dance 'uno, dos, tres' which you will hear regularly at the hotel.
The bell boy's unload all your luggage from the bus while you check-in, which was very fast, after you have your room number let the bell boy's know your luggage and it will be delivered to your room in about 10 mins.

There are various styles of rooms in the LTI Costa Caribe ranging from Suites to economy room (mainly used for guests booking directly with hotel), all First Choice and Hayes and Jarvis guests are given standard rooms, which consist of a bedroom and bathroom with either a terrace or balcony.

The standard rooms can have either a king size, double or 2 single beds and we found the beds to be very comfortable.
The suites have a separate sitting area consisting of a sofa (can be made in to a bed) and a table and chairs.
The rooms all appear to have adequate storage space.
On arrival our accommodation was spotlessly clean and well prepared.
As we had upgraded our fridge was fully stocked with beer and soft drinks (however this didn't happen as often as it should have and ended up being missed 7 times during our 2 weeks there) and we also had a platter of fresh fruit.
Our room was cleaned thoroughly every day, with clean towels provided every day and the bedding changed every couple of days.
The bathroom is a good size with shower, wc and wash basin, there was always hot water and good pressure from the shower.
All rooms have air conditioning and a fridge, and drinks can be taken from any of the bars to your room.

Towels for sunbeds are available from the pool area so there is no need to use room towels or your own.

There are 3 bars in the hotel, the beach bar which also serves snacks / meals from 12 -6 (you must try their fresh burgers) this is also where the Mexican restaurant (la Boquita) is at night. The lobby bar which also has cakes etc available from 3 o'clock and also the pool bar which also has a swim up bar, but you will get much quicker service if you go in to it.
There is also a bar set up at night beside the show area and also in the disco when it opens at either 11pm or midnight.

Our son and daughter and all the people they had become friendly with all enjoyed the disco and went to it most nights and had a laugh and fun although a couple of nights when a guest was trying to be a DJ it was poorer than normal.

There are 3 restaurants in the hotel, the main restaurant had many themed nights including, Mexican, Gala, BBQ, International etc and a lot of the time the food was cooked in front of you.
The Mexican restaurant ( la Boquita) has very nice food cooked to order, try the fajitas or Chimi Changa.
The al a Carte Italian restaurant Don Alfredo was nice but I thought it a bit over rated.

We always found the food in the Main restaurant to be varied with both a good choice of hot and cold dishes.

Some people had complained about the beef (steak) not being properly cooked on the BBQ as it was still a bit red in the middle, this is the way I like my meat so that didn't bother me, however my wife likes hers cooked right through so she just asked for it to be cooked slightly longer and this was never a problem for the chef.

Raymond always looked after us and had a table with a bottle of wine and water laid out for us when we arrived, and he was always very quick with refills and a glass of Amaretto after dinner.
I must just mention that the wine is really very nice, with wine from both Argentina and Chile being served.

There are a couple of small issues that may annoy people.
The first problem is that the tables seat 6 people and you may end up sitting with strangers, you can sit outside for evening dinner where there are tables for 4 people, we did this twice and to be honest the service was awful.
The second problem is the issue of birds flying in the dinning room (also affects the beach bar) and eating food left on tables and they also pick at the bread on the counter if it is left out. The hotel has put a net around the restaurant but the birds are still a problem.

A large selection of cocktails and drinks are available from the bars with Polar beer on tap and Brahma by the bottle.
All drinks are locally produced and no international brands are available.

The pool is large enough to never seem to busy and is quite shallow so is safe for children.
Sun loungers can be a bit of a problem as they can all be taken quite early both at the pool side and on the beach.

The animation team work hard all day with various games and sports being organised during the day.
If you are anywhere near the pool you will be asked to join in and the word no is not understood by any of the team (as I found out) however the games are a good laugh.
Some nights more dancers join the animation team and they put on excellent, highly choreographed shows which everybody enjoyed, while other nights there will be audience participation games on stage (yes I got caught again) which will have you laughing.
These shows are never repeated during a 2 week holiday.

The hotel operates a complimentary bus to Sambil mall every day or a taxi costs 15,000 Bolivares (20,000 for the return from sambil) and a taxi from Sambil to the center of Porlimar costs 5,000.

The hotel has computers offering Internet access, there are also a couple of shops selling cigarettes, drinks, ice cream, gifts etc.
If you fancy a massage or other beauty treatment these are also available at the hotel.

During our stay I never heard any complaints of illness from any other guests.

All the staff at the hotel are exceptionally friendly and nothing seems to be any problem or trouble for them which.

The First Choice reps Carlos and Milton are excellent and I cannot praise them enough, they are both hard working and will sort any problems as well as just being around for information or a chat.

Overall I would say the LTI Costa Caribe is not a 4* hotel but is definitely a 3* or 3* plus and would highly recommend this hotel, and I would definitely go there again.