When Christopher Columbus made his third voyage to America in 1498, he discovered this island. Columbus baptized the island “La Margarita”, the Greek word for “Pearls” since he noticed that the seabed was laden with pearls. The legend says that once upon a time pearls as big as eggs from a dove existed on the island. The name was later changed by the Spanish monarchs to Isla de Margarita to honour the princess from Austria who was to marry the Spanish Prince Don Juan. Today the income from the pearls has been replaced by that from tourism. After all, who could resist a total of 50 stunning beaches scattered along 106 miles of coastline?