MOCHIMA NATIONAL PARK (Sucre State)

Extracted from The Traveler's Venezuela Companion © The Globe Pequot Press. Reproduced with permission.

Mochima, along with Los Roques and Morrocoy, is another gem in Venezuela's Caribbean crown. It extends over 950 sq km (370 sq miles), straddling Anzoátegui and Sucre states between the towns of Puerto La Cruz and Cumaná. As well as dozens of islands, it also encompasses part of the coast, its turquoise and azure waters earning the sobriquet La Costa Azul (The Blue Coast).

Contacts: for boat trips for accommodation

Six kilometers on from Santa Fe, take the left at the sign for Villa Majagual. Follow the steep road down, and emerge in shaded bliss, peace, quiet, and taste. I believe you'll find this to be one of the finest posadas along the whole of Venezuela's coast. Villa Majagual tel: (093) 332-129 or (014) 773-0023 email: majagualv@aol.com, was the brainchild of Michel Drossos, and the houses and grounds have a distinctively Aegean feel to them. No Mediterranean blue, just mottled plasterwork, rustic tile flags, porches and privacy. It feels luxurious, but its beauty lies in its simplicity and attention to detail. In the morning, they bring you a thermos of coffee and some cookies, and every day new flower arrangements appear as if by magic in your room. Nestled into a hill affording panoramic views, Majagual's lush, tropical gardens are crisscrossed by grassy paths which lead to their six handsome cottages. Further trails wind down to their private slither of beach, where below the jetty, fish swim in the azure waters. Between the greens of the trees and foliage, the blue hues of the Golfo de Santa Fe wash with the wind. The restaurant and social area's ratan furniture simply invite you to relax, read and snooze. The food is first class, combining Caribbean and French cuisine, and is beautifully presented, with wine if you prefer. The posada is managed by the friendly, polyglot and efficient, Chantal Taildeman and her assistant Giomar Rojas, who ask you to opt for their minimum two-night package, which includes transfers and most drinks. They can also arrange yacht and fishing trips.