Hello everyone. My husband and I have just returned from this resort (April 3 – 10) and I noticed that there hasn’t been a review on the LTI Costa Caribe since last year. I wanted to write and give a fresh opinion. I have to say that this is probably one of the best all-inclusive vacations that we have ever been on.

We booked our trip through Go Travel Direct back in January and departed from Montreal. It was classified as a 4 Star resort and we feel that was a fair assessment.

The Lobby:
I don’t know why but whenever I see a great lobby at a resort it give me a good feeling. Maybe because in a lobby there’s usually a lot of action – A late bar, lots of happy people, bands that play music and in this case the LTI did not disappoint. There were even two large flat screen TV’s that usually played soccer or baseball.

The Rooms:
With GTD we had a choice of booking a Suite, Standard or Economy room. We chose the standard and were happy with our decision. The room itself was small but very clean - one double bed, closet, room safe ($2 US/day), desk, TV (no remote), working AC, hair dryer & nice sized bathroom with a shower only. My only complaint was that there was nowhere to put your shampoos, razor etc. while in the shower. Standard rooms either have a balcony or terrace with patio doors. We were on the bottom floor so we had the terrace and it was lovely. Overlooked the pool and had two loungers along with two chairs and a small table.

I had a look an economy room and they are definitely smaller than the standard. Almost the same set-up but with two single beds, smaller bathroom but NO patio or terrace. Just a window. My suggestion – pay the extra amount and get at least the standard room. It’s nice to be able to have patio doors to open and sit outside but if just having 1 window in your room is ok with you, the economy room is fine.

Didn’t see the suites, but met a couple who were at the resort for 2 weeks who seemed to really like their room. They were in a building closest to the beach.

The Food:
This is such a big thing with resort travelers, rightfully so, and I have to tell you that I was pleasantly surprised with the food here!! I didn’t know what to expect after reading reviews but both my husband and I liked the food and always found something to eat and actually like. We didn’t know what to think the first night we arrived. The buffet theme was “Pirate Night” and the food did not look appealing to either of us but come the next, and following days, the food was consistently good. Much better than Cuba, comparable to Dominican but not as good as Mexico. Breakfasts included the usual fare along with fresh fruit smoothies. Lunch buffet was very similar to the dinner so we usually ate at the snack bar close to the pool/beach where they had pizza, salads, burgers & fries. This way we could also stay in our swimsuits. Dinner buffet included good selections of usually chicken, beef, pork, fish etc. Lots of choices for vegetarians and picky meat eaters like myself. You can eat inside or outside by candlelight.

A La Cartes:
We ate at both and each liked the Italian (Don Alfredo) one better, as far as food goes. The atmosphere at the Mexican (La Boquita) a la carte was better but the food was just ok. Lots of items to choose from at both. Reservations are required.

Location:
The beauty of this resort is that it is on a private beach. Unlike the resorts in the Playa El Agua area, the people on your beach are simply the guests at your resort. Locals do visit the neighboring two beaches and they are very nice and friendly. We were never pestered or bothered. It’s about a 40 min drive from the Airport and 25 min drive to Playa El Agua. We took a cab to Playa El Agua and it cost only $7 US. Expect to pay up-to $10 US per direction.

The Beach:
Breathtaking views of the mountains on the beach!! It’s a good width and great for walking. The water gets quite wavy at times, mostly in the late afternoon. Nice brown sand going into the water but be careful when swimming as there are some rocky bits. Take a walk left down the beach and go over the hill (Approx 5 min). It will take you to another wonderful beach (Playa Caribe).

The Pool:
Huge!! Lots of chairs (get them early) around the pool along with places for shade and wonderful palm trees. On one side of the pool it gradually slops into the water getting deeper and on the other sides there are steps where many people love to just sit on and catch the sun while half in the water. Amazing!! Yes – there is a pool bar.

Excursions:
We did the Jeep Safari tour ($40 US/each) of the entire island - booked through our GTD Rep. - and had the greatest time. It helps that we had a great group of people and THE BEST tour guide you could ever ask for!! Carlos made the day enjoyable and he is a wonderful person. Be SURE to book with him!!

Staff:
Friendly, pleasant, helpful, always smiling, nice to talk with & not one complaint.

We reserved this hotel for 2 weeks with Tour Mont Royal and the flight was with Air Transat out of Montreal. Departure and return was more or less on time with a flight without any incidents to note. Duration of flight is approximately 5 hours 15 minutes both ways.

Airport
Upon arrival at the Polamar airport we had to wait for our baggage and once all of our bags were retrieved we had to go through a security check. Immigration asked to open one of our bags and within a few minutes we were on our way to the bus for the transfer to the hotel. It is quite easy to find your way at the airport and all the Tour Representatives are located just outside the main doors.

The return portion was extremely long and seemed very much disorganised. After arriving at the airport we had to wait in line to get to the check in counter, and then wait in line to pay the departure tax. At check in they give you a form to fill before clearing security where you also wait in line to get to the departure lounge. This whole process took more than one hour of our time.

Please be advised that after the check in on the return, security do a full body check. A male employee does a full body search to the men and a female employee does the same to the women. Many travellers found this a bit disturbing however all travellers are treated equally.

Also important to note, is that on the day of departure the Venezuelan Government decided to devaluate the Bolivar and increased the departure tax from 87,000 Bolivars to 94,000 Bolivars per person. For the people paying in Bolivars purchased prior to the change this was and additional expense of $3.00US. However if you paid all the tax in US dollars the cost remained the same at $46.00US.

Transfer
Transfer between the airport and the hotel and return is approximately 30 minutes and TMR has modern and air conditioned buses. Going to the hotel we were 13 passengers and on the return 22 passengers.

Temperature
The temperature does not vary much on this island. At night it is 29/30 Celsius and during the day, in the shade it is 31/32 Celsius with little or no rain. During the day it is very hot with hardly any clouds in the sky. It is recommended to use a sunscreen with a high factor and apply several times during the day.

The ocean water temperature varies very little and it is always very comfortable to swim, which we did for several hours every day. The pool water is approximately 30 Celsius and never really varies day or night.

Hotel
The hotel has many 3 story buildings spread over a large complex. There are a total of 405 rooms divided in three categories. There are 81 suites quite big with a balcony or terrace and 243 standard rooms about half the size of a suite, also with a balcony or terrace.

There are also 81 economy rooms with no balcony or terrace, and in my opinion these rooms are good for a single person or for 2 children travelling with parents located in a different room.

All 405 rooms have air conditioning, satellite TV, telephone, small fridge, shower with no bath and a small safe for valuables.

The reception is well staffed and check in and check out is no problem. There are many bars located on the site and all are well stocked with beer and liquor. The have beer on tap and in bottles (Polar / Brahma) as well as white and red wines that’s quite good.

Food
This is usually the most difficult section to evaluate however in my opinion this is one of the better places for food. It is better than Cuba and most of the hotels visited in the Dominican Republic.

There is the main buffet Las Brisas with a very large selection of food choices. It is open from 07:00 to 10:30 for breakfast, from 12:00 to 14:00 for lunch and from 18:00 to 21:00 for diner.

There is also the beach restaurant La Boquita open from 12:00 to 17:00 with a buffet service that is quite good. They also have very good burgers and fries. At night this restaurant becomes the Mexican with reservations required.

The last restaurant is Don Alfredo, with a good selection of food, open at night only and with reservations. This is the only restaurant on the site with air conditioning.

All these restaurants are part of the ‘’all inclusive’’ therefore at no additional charge to guests. There is only one exception and that is on Saturday night for the Caribbean Night. Once a week the La Boquita is used for this event and it is an all you can eat buffet of prawns, shrimps, scallops, oysters, fish, roast pork and roast of beef. This diner is really very good and cost $10.00US per person. Reserve early because it is very popular and filled to capacity.

Pool
I believe this is one of the biggest pools in Margarita with many sections interconnecting together. In the center of the pools there is a covered bar accessible by several bridges and furnished with tables and chairs. There is also a portion of the bar accessible from the pool with 10 or so stools in the water. The pool bar is an ideal location for a quiet drink at night.

The pools are very clean and chlorinated and the hotel has many employees working full time to keep this area very clean. The pool area is always very busy during the day.

Beach
The beach is private and the LTI is the only hotel on this beach. It is approximately 2 kilometres in length and the sand is fine and golden in colour. It is very easy and comfortable to walk to both ends and as most beaches in Margarita they have good waves on most days.

There are many Palapas for shade but definitely not enough when the hotel is filled to capacity. There are no problems for getting chairs at the beach however past 10:00 at the pool it is quite difficult to get seating.

Excursions
There are many to do however the two most important are the catamaran trip to Coche Island and the Jeep tour of the Island. Both excursions last all day.

For our catamaran we left at 09:00 in the morning and returned just before 17:00 in the evening. Included in the price were a light breakfast aboard and a full lunch including wine at the restaurant on the island. At all times we also had available cold beer and rum.

For those interested in shopping it is quite easy and cheap to get to the large Polamar flea market or the smaller one in Juan Griego. Prices are really good and you have to bargain before buying. The city of Juan Griego is located about 10 minutes from the LTI hotel and one can find just about anything you need. We purchased a bottle of top quality Cacique Anejo Rum for $2.75US. The island is considered a ‘’Tax Free’’ zone so no taxes on any of the goods purchased.

Summary
In all the trips we have taken, this is one of the best ever. The people are very nice and friendly, the hotel is well located, and the food was very good, all in all a trip to remember. We are definitely planning in returning at the end of February 2006 and we even are considering making a group to get the best possible prices.

Hey Everyone

I just got home from LTI Costa Caribe.

First let me preface anything bad I may say by saying I had a great time and would return in a second. LTI has alot of small problems with the resort and I'm posting not to dissuade you but to inform.

The Rooms: If you book through Conquest you will probably have an economy room. They are ridiculously small. I wasn’t informed of this by our agent but checked into it before we left. We couldn’t upgrade because they were fully booked. I couldn’t have cared less about the room size but my sister, who booked the trip, was really pissed off because the room really is too small to be offered as part of a package. The standard rooms are what most people are accustomed to when traveling. They are more comfortable and have big balconies. Now as I said I’m just trying to inform. The economy room I had was clean, the bed was comfortable and all the rooms our group had were equipped with new A/C.

The food:
This is an area where LTI needs to improve. There is a lot of selection and they change it up daily but after awhile it all starts to taste the same. You will always be able to find something good to eat but much of it is bland and tasteless. If you are there for a week you’ll be fine but if your staying for two weeks you might want to check out a few restaurants in town.

The Al a Cartes:
I didn’t eat at the Mexican but everyone else hated it. Don Alfredo’s was o.k. but everything is served in courses. It took 2 ½ hours for dinner. Way too long. Stay away from the beef, everything else was o.k.

The beach:
The view from the beach is beautiful. Mountains and hills surround the LTI. The beach itself is really nice and a beautiful breeze comes off the ocean. You’ll appreciate that breeze on a clear sunny day. The ocean is a little rough most days and has an undertow. I would not recommend letting children swim in the ocean. If it is a green flag day the ocean is fairly calm but yellow can get quite rough. The bottom of the ocean is mostly sand but there are areas of rock.

The pool:
The pool is massive and kept clean. It is shallow in most areas but has deeper spots. There are four rows of trees that separate the pool area from the beach so although there is always a comfortable breeze off the ocean the pool area will get super hot!

The disco:
Is non-existant. Nobody goes there except a handful of people at the end of the night. If you want to dance and party I recommend going into Porlamar. Senor Frogs is crazy and lots of fun. Kamy Beach club is a beautiful open concept dance club. It is for the 19-25 age range but we are all in our mid-thirty’s and loved it. Even my parents enjoyed themselves although they didn’t understand the music. It right on the beach and the best nights are the weekends.

The nightlife around the resort is usually at Julian’s Cave (the pool bar area) and is mostly drinking and meeting new people.

The Hotel itself:
It needs a coat of paint and some minor improvements but overall most problems are so minor. Some people will bitch and complain about everything if your like that or you always stay at a 5 star don’t go there. LTI doesn’t deserve a bad rap. I don’t pretend to know how resorts get there ratings but I will say LTI Costa Caribe is rated as a 4 star, it is way better than the 4 star I stayed in on the Mayan Riviera (now a 41/2 star). I paid less for 2 weeks at the LTI than I did for one week in Mexico at a resort I HATED!

If your looking for great value for your money I totally recommend this hotel if you want everything perfect and 5 star luxury go somewhere else. I’d go back in a second.

The staff and bartenders :
I have never met friendlier people in all my travels. They try sooooo hard to make you have the best time. While it’s true a lot of the staff don’t speak much English all the desk staff do and around half of the bartenders. I have about 6 months of Spanish lessons and went out of my way to try and talk in Spanish. They just loved the fact I’d even try. The bar staff treated my group like royalty. Everytime, a big smile, a handshake, a como estas (how are you) and not one person ever forgot our names. When we went in the evenings they would find us a table and chairs and keep on delivering drinks to us all night long. They went so far out of there way to make us happy and we reciprocated with little gifts for them and for their children. It’s amazing how much they appreciated a small flashing pin or a glow in the dark necklace. If friendliness of staff were the bases for rating hotels I’d give this place a 10 star rating.

I think I’m going to stop here. I have a lot to say about MI in general and the Orinoco Delta and Canaima trips but I will post them separately.