I spent two weeks last year In magrarita.Its a little like DR.The people are nice and they like the same music.But Its yery laid back and can get boring after a while.The island is very small and divided in two halves by a bridge,one side has a tropical climate with mountains and the city with the majority of the population living there and the other side is basically a desert with much fewer residents and attractions mostly fishing villages.There are dominicans there also they have their own barrio and some own taxi businesses. Margarita for being a small island has a high rate of crime.I dont know if now its better with the new president but last year it was very politically insecure.The cops were very heavily armed and patrol in small groups and many are crooked,I had a couple of rememberable experiences dealing with them and some street punks as well.Things just aint right, worse than in DR.There is a great sence of freedom there but also a strong connection to cuba,strange.At the time we got more than 500 bolivars for one dollar and things are cheap and duty free.There is a strange law in place for autos and most cars on the island including taxis are old 1960-1975 chevys that were made in venezuela and the new imports only seem to go to rent a car businesses and rich.Gasoline is honestly hard to beleive but cheaper than water and soda,like 20 cents a gallon.The hotels with exception of a few I dont think are up to american standards.The beer is no good but the rum is.The airport is really nice.English is hardly spoken.Most tourists are from brazil,argentina and europe.DR has a whole lot more to offer and even more.Everything in DR is just better.We had a good time in margarita but could of had a better time in DR.I would not highly recomend going there.
