| What Don’t
We Have On Margarita Island? |
| More On
Living In The Caribbean |
| by Scott Boswell |
| Margarita
Island, Venezuela
“We got
sunlight on the sand, we got moonlight on the sea, we got mangoes and bananas
you can pick right off the tree” and we got dames...everywhere you
look there are beautiful women! (to mangle a phrase from the musical “South
Pacific”)
We also have
some of the finest shopping in the Caribbean. The largest mall in Latin
America and ultra-modern supermarkets.
What don’t
we have? We ain’t got dog food! Living on the island has very few ‘drawbacks’
but
occasionally there are some strange shortages. It seems some months ago
a large batch of a famous brand of dog food that is manufactured here in
Venezuela was found to be contaminated and all was recalled from stores. |
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| As a result,
for
several months there was no dry dog food available in Venezuela. Tourist
friends helped by bringing small bags as needed, other times we made our
own with rice, meat, cereal, etc. and we’re just grateful we don’t have
a couple of Rottweilers or Great Danes to feed - just a small spaniel.
(dog food back on the shelves as of this writing.) Other things that are
scarce or not available at all (some are considered staples of life to
a Texan) are Fritos, Wolf Brand Chili, hams, canned spinach and dill pickles.
A good mechanic
is rare, and we have yet to find a chiropractor.
We have
beaches, mountains, jungles, fishing, diving, windsurfing, horseback riding,
just about anything a vacationer could want and at very reasonable prices.
In a nice beachfront bar a beer usually costs less than a dollar, mixed
drinks less than 2 dollars. Local beer comes in smaller bottles (300 ml.)
but only costs about 20 cents at the market. Drinks at most bars are at
least doubles because the bartenders freely pour - sometimes until you
tell them to stop or until the glass is full of booze! One thing to watch
for - if you order your liquor straight and your mixer separate you get
charged for the booze and the canned or bottled mixer. |
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| For example,
rum with a canned/bottled Coke on the side costs more than a rum &
Coke mixed. It’s funny but usually in a restaurant a small bottle of water
costs more than a beer!
Island Life
& Business Opportunities
Margarita Island
is cleaner than most Latin countries I’ve been to. In fact, for the last
year the cities are diligently cleaning the roadways, medians, woods and
vacant lots. As you probably know, Panama has some very good retirement
incentives but the cost of living is higher than here - gas over $2 a gallon,
for example. I think Margarita will eventually become more expensive,
but I hope it never ‘catches up’ to Panama, Costa Rica and Mexico in my
lifetime! One of the main reasons I chose Margarita Island was the great
opportunities for business and investment. If a person wanted to move here
they could start a business for as little as a few thousand dollars. |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| Here are some
examples of the types of businesses currently for sale; these are taken
from the local newspaper.
• Locksmith
company - no price listed.
• Video Rental
Store (VHS & DVD) Bs. 7,000,000.
• Telecommunication
Location - no price listed.
• Bakery- Bs.
45,000,000.
• Mini Mall
- no price listed.
• Fast Food
Location - no price listed.
• There is
one Posada for rent, many hotels and restaurants are for sale. One
hotel has 11 rooms, 9 baths and you can take it over Bs. 8,000,000 and
Bs.400,000 a month. |
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• Another
listing offers 20 rooms, 20 baths, bar and restaurant, 5 floors and is
priced for Bs. 300,000,000 down and Bs. 1,000,000 a month. Many are
priced at 1 billion bolivars and up - that’s over $400,000.00 USD, and
some places are very cheap. Run right, there is good money to be made here
in the hotel, posada, or B&B business. If you’d like to check out the
latest classified ads in the island’s Spanish language newspaper go to:
http://www.elsoldemargarita.com.ve
......
I know of
a possible sailing charter business for sale, check my website http://www.retirecaribbean.com
Speaking
of business, the following is a quote from an email I received from
a Venezuelan national who has been living in the U.S. for many years.
“I see you
have a good eye for potential business opportunities". |
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Offshore
Resources Gallery
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| I've read
your list. It is tempting. One thing that might be key to bring to a
business, any business, is the concept of good "Customer Service" merged
with a little "manana" philosophy in order not to shock the local culture
too much. It's possible. As you probably know the concept of customer service
and customer retention in Venezuela is non-existent. Their idea is that
the vendor is doing you a favor by selling you an arepa {in Venezuela what
a taco is in Mexico} and if it wasn't for him you would not eat, so you
owe him.
It's definitely
laughable but that's how it is and people just take it. But I think people
would pay, value, and appreciate good customer service along with a good
service or product”.
Rentals
If someone
rents your house/apartment and they have a 6 month lease/with option and
you decide to sell the property, you must give notice and the renter has
6 months to buy the property from you or vacate. If they have been renting
for 2 years, they have 1 year to vacate. 5 years = 2 years to vacate, etc.
Never purchase a house or apartment that has a long-term renter living
in it if you plan to occupy it yourself.
Time Shares
One thing foreign
tourists love about Margarita Island is that you are not constantly hustled
to buy time shares! I remember in many places in Mexico you couldn’t
walk down the street in peace without constantly being annoyed by time
share sharks. They were like swarms of gnats. Here one is barely even approached
about time shares. It makes for a much more peaceful holiday and even beach
vendors are not very aggressive. Usually a polite “gracias, no” will suffice.
Lodging
So, I ask you,
where can you rent a large junior suite with microwave, wet-bar, T.V. dvd
player, and radio in a complex that has a first class restaurant, pool,
Jacuzzi, therapeutic massage, 24 hour security in a convenient location
all for only $50 USD a night? The equivalent would probably cost $150 a
night on any of the other Caribbean islands.
If you’re interested
in retirement or vacationing in a warm climate with a slower pace, affordable
cost of living and health care, and fewer rules and regulations, check
my website www.retirecaribbean.com
To contact
Scott Click Here
The following
is the first article Scott wrote for the magazine:
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Article
Index ~ Venezuela
Index ~ |
