Dakota Suites, Caracas

Advantages: Good night life
Disadvantages: Dangerous

...The Caraqueños like to think that Caracas IS Venezuela and to a certain extent, if one is seeking the trappings of modern days living, they may be right. However, if you are seeking to touch base with Latin American culture, you should avoid the capital completely. The city has grown hugely in what would have been a delightful position, high in a valley and enjoys a good all year round climate, but it's heavily congested, highly polluted and in recent years extremely dangerous. Foreigners tend to stick out like the proverbial 'sore thumb' so you'd do well to travel in groups avoiding any ostentation of wealth. As the city is very modern, there are loads of restaurants and cafes, but little else in terms of culture.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Avila Mountain, Gastronomy, Latin Flavor
Disadvantages: Crime, Unsafe.

...I’ve been reading some opinions on Caracas. Since I was born there, I hope you can find my opinion a little bit helpful. You have to analyse Caracas by traveling and experiencing the city. You'll find a very hidden beauty. When you arrive to Simon Bolivar Airport and take the highway to Caracas, you’ll see an enormous belt of shanty towns (poor districts). At first, it seems to be shocking and depressing. Once in the city, you discover that Caracas is located in a wonderful place: the skirts of Avila Mountain, a beautiful national park that separates Caracas from Caribbean Sea. A sunny day, at dusk , you’ll find delightful the green and blue shades of the mountain. It is essential for you to take the cableway that leads to the top of the mountain (Humboldt Station 9000 ft. above sea level) . Now, watch the landscape: on one hand... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Lack of tourists, amazing scenery and wildlife, friendly people, and good transport.
Disadvantages: You have to be prepared to organise everything yourself, in Spanish! Not for people looking for glitz, glamour or an easy life.

...with ESP. I didn’t pay particular attention to the timing of the flight, but I think it was about 12 hours in total from Birmingham to Caracas. Venezuela’s main international airport is as bland and uninteresting as most others I have visited (Amsterdam’s Schipol, by contrast, is possibly the hugest, brightest and most diverting place to waste an hour or so between changing planes) but the customs and immigration officials were nice enough, and soon we were through into the main concourse ready to be bombarded with offers of taxis, accommodation, money changing and the like. The touts, refreshingly enough, were not terribly persistent, and after a brief stop at an ATM - it isn’t possible to buy Venezuelan bolívars outside of Venezuela - we were on the bus to central Caracas. We weren’t initially sure quite how... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful