Hotel rates in Caracas are crazy. Business travelers fill almost every room in the city Monday through Thursday, and hotels slash their rates on weekends. Moreover, the high occupancy and heavy corporate traffic have made rack rates at most Caracas hotels almost meaningless. Few hotels actually charge their published and advertised rack rate. It always pays to ask for a corporate or special rate, and if that fails, try to bargain at all but the truly top-end hotels.
Note: Most of the upscale hotels in Caracas either list their prices in dollars, or peg them to the dollar.
Very Expensive -- The Gran Meliá Caracas (Av. Casanova and El Recreo, Sabana Grande; tel. 888/956-3542 in the U.S. and Canada, or 0212/762-8111 in Venezuela; www.solmelia.com), is a top notch luxury hotel in a decidedly sketchy neighborhood.
Expensive -- The Hotel Paseo Las Mercedes, Centro Comercial Paseo Las Mercedes (tel. 0212/993-6644; www.hotelpaseolasmercedes.com), is a business-class hotel located in the heart of the fashionable Las Mercedes shopping and dining district.
Near the Airport -- Years after la tragedia de Vargas (the Vargas tragedy), the coastal area near Venezuela's principal airport is still struggling to get back on its feet. In December 1999, heavy rains caused massive landslides all along El Litoral, killing as many as 20,000 and leaving many, many more homeless. Somehow, the international airport at Maiquetía survived, but almost all of the hotels and towns in the area were wiped out or severely damaged. The towns and cities of Catia La Mar, Maiquetía, La Guaira, Macuto, and Caraballeda were devastated, and the heavy runoff, debris, and detritus have left the beaches here decidedly unappealing.
Nevertheless, there are several options within a 15-minute radius of the airport. It is once again feasible and often recommended to stay near the airport and thus avoid Caracas altogether, a particularly good option if your travel plans are predominantly built around the natural wonders and beautiful beaches found farther afield. In addition to the option listed below, there is also a Eurobuilding Express Hotel, Avenida La Armada, Urbanización 10 de Marzo, Maiquetía (tel. 0212/700-0700; www.hoteleuroexpress.com), located just across from the Simón Bolívar International Airport. This business-class hotel offers little in the way of personality, but they do have a free shuttle to the airport, and if you arrive late and leave early the next morning, it's worth considering. If you're looking for a budget option in the area, try the Buenavista Inn, Avenida el Hotel con Calle 4, Playa Grande, Catia La Mar (tel. 0212/352-9136; www.buenavistainn.com.ve).
