Women-Friendly Travel in Caracas
The Caracas women-friendly travel guide places explicit women-friendly and family confidence signals first, while keeping uncertain details visible for review.
Caracas
Centro Commercial Chacaito
Address: Plaza Chacaito, Chacao district Situated by Plaza Chacaito, the central landmark piazza within the elite Chacao district, the Chacaito mall is known for its pleasing variety of everyday casual wear garments and accessories. The place also contains a well-stocked supermarket, and a café which offers some very fine cappuccino.
Caracas
Tamanaco InterContinental
Address: Avenue Principal de Las Mercedes Phone: +58 212 909 7111 Fax: +58 212 909 7006 Located at an advantageous location in the serene residential Las Mercedes district, near the foothills of the Avila Mountain, the 4-star InterContinental offers convenient accessibility to the city’s business and entertainment districts. The hotel contains a friendly multilingual staff, well versed in English, Spanish, Italian, German, and French. The lobby contains a small convenience store and a gift shop, and provides high speed wireless internet access. Pets are not allowed at the hotel. A charged valet parking service is available. The InterContinental is a first choice for travelers who want value at reasonable prices. Rooms: The hotel contains 523 Guest Rooms and 34 full Suites spread out over 9 floors, out of which a total of 271 are designated as exclusively non-smoking. Out of the 523 Guest Rooms, 460 are Single Bedded, and 63 Double Bedded. All the rooms contain a mini refrigerator and mini bar, a coffee maker, a safe deposit box, cable television with DVD player, two landlines, and free of charge wireless internet. The rooms also have a work desk, and electrical adaptors and convertors are available on request. Suites contain a set up for a living room/lounge, a kitchenette complete with a stove, cutlery and utensils, and a complimentary printer included with the work desk. Guests in the Suites are also entitled to daily complimentary breakfast, drinks, and dinner snacks. A free newspaper is delivered to the Suites every morning. Bathrooms contain bidets, hair dryers, and bathtubs with hot and cold water. Room service is available 24 hours. Dining: 1. Café Cacique: the hotel’s own breakfast diner that will spoil you for choice with its delightful variety of servings. Eat away your morning grogginess as you indulge in more than just hot coffee and toast – traditional Venezuelan delicacies, inducing arepa and criollo, all served with side dishes of cheese, as well as international beef and chicken menus. Choose to dine either in the air conditioned hall, or go out onto the airy terrace for the cool morning breeze and the splendid view over the neighborhood. 2. La Cabana: serving lunch and dinner, this casual open-air poolside restaurant is most famous for its special pizza and steak, as well as traditional Venezuelan cuisine. 3. Le Gourmet: located in the hotel lobby and open for lunch and dinner, this restaurant serves as a formal eating and meeting place of the hotel’s business clientele. The restaurant offers authentic French cuisine prepared by the country’s renowned chefs, including pressed duck, truffles, and some vegetable menus, with soothing violins and a grand piano playing in the background. 4. El Punto: overlooking the majestic Avila Mountain, this lobby bar offers fascinating terrace views of the surroundings, as well as an air conditioned dining space. Special on the menu: Sushi. Health Facilities: The hotel includes a fully equipped fitness center that features a gymnasium, Turkish baths, and a sauna. A jogging trail, outdoor and indoor swimming pools, and three outdoor tennis courts are accessible all through the day. Masseurs and fitness instructors are also available. The hotel contains its own beauty salon. Meetings & Events: InterContinental offers world class services to make your business or social event an effective and memorable one. 17 different Meeting Rooms with a total seating capacity of 800 banquet and 1500 reception style. The largest Meeting Room can seat 50 guests in a banquet arrangement, and the smallest 6. The Business Center is available from 7am to 11pm, and offers printing/copying/faxing services, in addition to arranging for PCs with internet connections and projectors with screens. Additional equipment like VCRs and DVD players, LCD screens, stage illumination, whiteboards, microphones and sound systems can also be arranged for on request. A courier service is available. Private limousine pickup can also be arranged for guests.
Caracas
Gran Melia
Address: Avenue Casanova, Sabana Grande, Caracas Phone: +58 212 762 8111 Fax: +58 212 762 3737 Nestled amongst the liveliest of urban spaces within the city, Hotel Gran Melia offers business travelers luxury and value coupled with access to the city’s major attractions right at its doorstep. As you hang around your private bedroom terrace every night, you can witness the more sober, mundane activities of the city start to cease as little specks of colored bulbs start lighting up the streets. With classical European elements including rustic furniture, intricate ornamentation, valueless tapestries and works of art adorning the halls and lining the corridors and chandeliers of crystal throwing soft, pale lighting down onto an awestruck you, this hotel will reach out to embrace you with the warmth of a family member. Rooms: 430 Guest Rooms, all individually air conditioned, with modern bathrooms containing bath tubs, a separate shower area, hair dryers, and complimentary bathrobes. Rooms have cable television, direct dial landlines, an in-room safe, complimentary stationery, and an iron and ironing board. Complimentary newspaper service every morning. Laundry and dry cleaning is available at reasonable rates. Room service 24 hours. Dining: 1. Restaurante Mediterráneo: open-air poolside restaurant serving exquisite tastes from Greece, Spain, and Portugal, with a sprinkle of local magic. 2. Gran Vía: the perfect setting for social events, banquets and parties. 3. Prosciutto: open-air restaurant serving authentic Italian food all meals of the day. 4. Sumiré: savor Japanese delicacies like sushi and stew. Warm lighting, charming ambience. 5. L'Albufera: Spanish and Galician foods, some of the best around Caracas. Health Facilities: Gran Melia houses a fully equipped fitness center offering complimentary services to the hotel guests, complete with a gym including cardiovascular equipment, a massage therapy center, and an outdoor pool with sauna and Jacuzzi. The hotel’s own doctor is available on a 24 hour basis. The hotel also features a beauty salon. Meetings & Events: The hotel contains a modern, well-equipped business center to cater to the needs of a wide corporate clientele. It helps in providing technical support to your event, like arranging for audiovisual equipment and logistic services, as well as banqueting facilities. 28 Meeting Rooms of different sizes are available. Wired internet is provided at $20 a day, and printing/faxing services are available on demand. Parking for 3200 vehicles is provided, as well as a limo pick and drop service.
Caracas
JW Marriott Hotel
Address: Avenue Venezuela con Calle Mohedano, El Rosal district, Caracas Phone: +58 212 957 2222 Fax: +58 212 957 1111 Part of a leading chain of hotels, the Marriott does not disappoint you in what you expect of a truly international lodging, dining, and event management facility. The hotel’s very central location in the business and commercial district of Caracas makes it an ideal stopover for business travelers. Some side-servings for the guests include bowling and mini golf within a short distance from the hotel’s premises, in addition to all the modern luxuries it provides. Pets are not allowed inside the hotel, but certified service animals can be brought in with disabled people. The hotel also offers charged but very secure on-site parking. Rooms: Marriott contains a total of 269 Guest Rooms on 17 floors, all containing one wall that is fully glazed to allow for maximum natural light and spectacular views over the city. Guest Rooms are individually air conditioned, and contain all modern conveniences, including a spacious workstation with wired high speed internet facility, ironing board and iron, lavish bedding materials and sofa-beds, an in-room safe, cable television, and a mini-fridge with bottled water. The bathrooms are all marbled, and contain spray jets in the bathtub, a separate shower area, and a bathrobe and hair dryer. The Conference, Vice Presidential, and Spa Suites provide access to the Executive Lounge, with complimentary breakfast, light snacks, non-alcoholic drinks, tea and desserts. Each suite also contains a separate lounge and dining area, a wet bar, 2 TV sets with premium cable, and 3 telephones. Dining: 1. Sur New World Fusion: the hotel’s primary eating spot, this restaurant offers a unique blend of local and international flavors for all meals. Special on the menu: the buffet breakfast. Casual ambience. Phone: +58 212 957 6070. 2. Casa del Café: a small bakery and delicatessen offering mouthwatering pastries, confectionery, beverages, and light snacks. A variety of visually appealing salads are on display during lunch hours – do try one or two during your stay, or order your own custom-made salad! Casual atmosphere, open all day. Phone: +58 212 957 6071 3. Nori Sushi & Ceviche Bar: a pleasing variety of authentic sushi and spicy Japanese soups at lunch and dinner. Phone: +58 212 957 6081 4. Lobby Bar: enjoy finger snacks, sandwiches, tea and soft drinks, all the way from 1130am to 1130pm. Phone: +58 212 957 6012 Health Facilities: This five star hotel houses a modern, adequately equipped fitness center, containing a gymnasium with cardiovascular machines, and specialized masseurs for guests. The hotel also contains a solarium, a sauna, and a heated outdoor swimming pool with complimentary towels. Meetings & Events: Marriott includes thirteen meeting rooms of varying sizes, with the maximum capacity Conference Hall seating 600. Each meeting space is equipped with high speed internet, in addition to audiovisual aids like projector systems, sound systems, and stage setups. A group of trained professionals is ready to assist you, right from the initial planning out of your event, to the eventual execution, catering to all the technical requirements. The Business Center provides computers, faxing and printing, and posting/parceling services. An on-site exhibition area is also available for small expositions and displays. Catering for business and social events is provided within the hotel’s premises, from reception services to breakfast, high tea, and the main meals – a wide variety of dishes from all around South America, Spain, and generally the world over.
Caracas
Embassy Suites Hotel
Address: Avenue Francisco De Miranda En Avenue El P - Caracas Phone: +58 212 700 4200 Fax: +58 212 267 3761 Lying in close proximity to the major tourist attractions and shopping malls of Caracas and surrounded by the modern commercial and business district of the city, this luxurious five star hotel is the ideal choice for first class leisure and business tourists. Keeping in mind the needs of its target clientele, the hotel provides high speed wireless internet in the lobby and all the rooms, free of charge. The lobby also contains an ATM machine and money changer, an air ticketing booth, storage for extra luggage, a small gift shop (good for picking up souvenirs), and also arranges for transportation to and from the hotel to various destinations within the city. Pets are allowed in the hotel. Rooms: The hotel contains Standard Rooms and Suites, in addition to two Special Accessibility Rooms for the disabled. The rooms are categorized into smoking and non-smoking ones. The Standard Rooms are spacious, charmingly furnished, and equipped with 32” color TV screens, coffee machines and microwaves, ironing facilities, and dual line telephones. On one corner is placed an adequately illuminated working desk. The Suites are much grander, and contain, in addition to the basic facilities, their own refrigerators and mini bars, an additional television set, and a comfortable sofa bed. All Bathrooms have hair dryers and bidets. Daily newspapers and breakfast are delivered to each room free of charge. Cribs are available on request. Room service is available 24 hours. Dining: Every morning, treat yourself to a complimentary made-to-order breakfast service, with items ranging from sliced vegetables, freshly prepared fruit shakes and juices, to eggs, meat and dairy products. A variety of local as well as international options are available to choose from. The hotel’s own restaurant, the Atrium Café, provides a casual ambience for lounging around all day as you sip on local beverages and treat yourselves to the exciting lunch and dinner menus. At night, as you prepare to retire to your room, be sure to spend a few minutes at the Manager’s Reception in the lobby, just letting go of the day’s exhaustion as you grab a few complimentary drinks and light snacks. Health Facilities: A fully equipped fitness center, as well as an outdoor swimming pool, a spa and a whirlpool, is available for the guests to splurge on. The hotel also contains its own hair salon. Meetings & Events: Embassy Suites houses a state-of-the-art business center located on the 18th floor, complete with photocopying, printing, scanning and faxing facilities. The trained multilingual staff will provide the necessary technical assistance you require to make you event roll smoothly. In addition to the general 12-16 seating meeting rooms, the larger, flexible conference halls can be adapted to provide for a greater seating or reception. Audiovisual equipment is available on request. Express mail and a cargo service can also be arranged for.
Caracas
Hotel Coliseo
Address: Avenue Casanova, Sabana Grande Phone: +58 212 762 7916 Fax: +58 212 761 7333 With an ideal location that gives you access to the best restaurants, bars, cinemas, clubs, and fashion outlets dotted around the alluring tourist district of Sabana Grande, Hotel Coliseo is the one of the first places that fills up during peak tourist seasons. The presence of helpful multilingual staff makes sure that you never experience a communication gap during your period of stay. The hotel provides free, secure parking for guests, and access for wheelchairs. Pets are not allowed inside. Rooms: Coliseo contains 68 air conditioned Guest Rooms spread over five floors. All rooms have attached baths, and are equipped with satellite television, direct landlines, high speed internet at a fee, and a secure in-room safe. Laundry service can be called for at reasonable rates. Dining: Complimentary breakfast is not a tradition at this place, but the hotel’s own restaurant, Nerone, serves genuine Italian delicacies for all meals of the day. With a seating capacity of 150 people, Nerone attracts not only guests staying at Coliseo, but a considerable crowd from outside as well. Nerone also operates a bar that serves refreshing drinks 24 hours a day. Meetings & Events: Coliseo offers air conditioned conference halls, with seating capacities for 50 to 150 people. The in-house business center provides high speed internet service, projectors and rollaway screens, and related audio-visual tools. Printing and faxing are available at request. A small meeting room is available for private sessions.
Caracas
Hotel Dallas
Address: Avenue Guaicaipuro, El Rosal, Caracas Phone: +58 212 953 1313 Very convenient for its rates, being located in one of the most expensive neighborhoods in town, Dallas offers a taste of the high life in Caracas at quite affordable prices. Out of the lobby and into the city, you can visit some of the trendiest upscale diners, boutiques and malls that the El Rosal district has to offer. Secure parking is available for the guests’ cars. Rooms: Dallas contains 60 comfortably furnished Guest Rooms, all air conditioned. Rooms contain cable television and telephones. High speed internet can be provided on request, at additional charges. Laundry service is not provided by the hotel. Dining: The hotel contains an elegant bar, and a charming restaurant that serves three meals a day, mostly from a selection of local delicacies. Meetings & Events: A small conference room with basic facilities is available at the hotel, but this should not be seen as a prioritizing factor when selecting a hotel to host your event. More of a last resort option, the business center offers paid internet and faxing services on request.
Caracas
Hotel Las Americas
Address: Avenue Casanova, Sabana Grande, Caracas Phone: +58 212 951 7133, 951 7387, 951 7985, 951 7596 Fax: +58 212 951 1717 A 40 minutes drive from the international airport, Las Americas is another modestly priced hotel within the main Sabana Grande Boulevard that offers excellent value for the rates of the services it provides. The hotel has a secured car parking for guests, and also arranges for rental cars. Helpful information for tourists unfamiliar with the city is also available on the front help desk. Rooms: Containing 170 Guest Rooms spread across two tall landmark towers, Las Americas delivers variety when it comes to inexpensive lodging. Single, Double, and Triple Rooms, all air conditioned, well kept, well illuminated, and with satellite channels and direct landlines. All rooms have clean attached bathrooms, and an in-room safe. A 24 hour room service is present on call. Laundry services also available. Dining: The hotel’s own restaurant serves up an assortment of local and international cuisine in a bright, semi-casual ambience, appropriate for quiet families as well as groups of chatty travelers. The bar is a hangout space offering delightful local drinks and finger snacks. Meetings & Events: A basic business center, with free wireless internet access, in present within the hotel. Faxing service available on demand. The hotel does not have a separate conference hall per se, but can adjust its multifunctional event space to cater to various kinds of small gatherings.
Caracas
Nelson’s Place
Address: Sabana Grande, Caracas Not a real hotel, this is in actuality an apartment owned by a local by the name of Nelson, a multilingual college teacher. A very friendly, welcoming person, quite knowledgeable about his city, Nelson makes sure he goes that extra mile to help his guests settle in and enjoy Caracas to the full, all on a tight budget. From the moment his driver Luis picks you up at the airport, you can feel the air of hospitality that surrounds this dynamic young man. Nelson will personally see to it that your stay in Caracas is as pleasant and comfortable as possible. He gives priceless tips on how to navigate the city, what time to visit which site, and arranges for travel packages and currency exchange. The apartment provides easy access to Sabana Grande’s top tourist sites, including El Recreo Plaza, a shopper’s delight. Rooms: Nelson rents out the entire apartment for $60 per night, or a single room for $40. Not comparable to the inexpensive hotels, but the price includes a lot of unacknowledged value-added services that Nelson personally puts in. The apartment is spacious, well lit, and conveniently furnished, containing rustic vintage décor. There is no air conditioner, however, but the place is well ventilated. Nelson even provides a free internet connection in the apartment, and room service occurs automatically whenever you leave the house!
Caracas
Kursaal Hotel
Address: Avenue Casanova, esquina salle El Colegio, Sabana Grande Phone: +58 212 762 2922 A convenient 3-star hotel located on the central avenue in the Sabana Grande district, close to the most happening clubs, restaurants, and shopping outlets. A secure parking lot is available within the hotel premises, as well a taxi stand right across the road. Pets are not allowed at Kursaal. The hotel accepts cash payments as well as major credit cards. The front desk offers a 24 hour service. Kursaal is recommended for small student groups, couples on a budget, and upcoming entrepreneurs. Rooms: A total of 77 air conditioned Guest Rooms, all quite well-furnished, with direct dial landlines, cable television, and a kitchenette. Rooms have their own baths with hot and cold water lines. Laundry service is provided at nominal rates. Dining: Kursaal contains its own restaurant offering local as well as a blend of foreign cuisine. Nothing spectacular, but satisfyingly fulfilling at times of real need. A lounge bar offers light snacks and beverages all day. Meetings & Events: Kursaal provides a handy multifunctional space that can be modified to be used as a large conference hall. Services like internet connections, faxing, and printing are included at request.
Caracas
La Florista
Address: Avenue Ávila, Plaza Sur Altamira, Altamira district, Caracas Phone: +58 212 263 1955 Take a break from all the glitzy, overrated, and ridiculously expensive hotels around Caracas, and enjoy value at La Florista. A small but decently furnished hotel, La Floritsa is the perfect place to head to for tourists on a budget, or when all the other mid-priced hotels around the city are full. Pets are not allowed at the hotel. The hotel contains its own secure parking lot, as well as offering a cab call service with pickup form the airport. Across the street is a basic grocery store where you can purchase essentials as well as bottled water. Rooms: Relatively small, but very tidy and well-maintained, the 82 air conditioned Guest Rooms at La Florista are divided into single and double beds. All rooms contain a refrigerator and a mini bar, a balcony that provides splendid views over the Altamira area, direct dial telephones, and cable television. Bathrooms, for a hotel at this price, are surprisingly satisfactory, with hot and cold water lines at good pressure. Room service is available all day, and laundry service can be requested at a minimal additional cost. Dining: A complimentary breakfast is included with every night’s stay, consisting of fresh fruit juices, eggs and toast, and a coffee. The hotel does not include its own restaurant or bar. Meetings & Events: A multipurpose hall is available for renting out as a conference venue.
Caracas
Hotel Limón
Address: Avenue Lecuna, frente Parque Central, Parque Central, Caracas. Phone: +58 212 571 6457 Small and barely noticeable, Hotel Limón is located right in the middle of the modern urban district of Caracas. Proximity to two of Caracas’s most popular museums, monumental government buildings, trendy diners and boutiques, and the splendid Central Park make this hotel a first stop for travelers who want maximum sightseeing on a shoestring budget. Pets are not allowed at Limón. The hotel contains a small parking lot for its guests. The front desk is accessible 24 hours, and payments can be made in cash or by credit card. Rooms: Limón has 96 air conditioned rooms with basic furnishing. Rooms contain satellite television, direct dialing telephones, and a radio. Dining: Limón has its own little bar which serves up refreshing juices and local beverages. A small lounge restaurant offers inexpensive local dishes.
Caracas
Hotel Madison
Address: Truco a Balconcito, Avenue Baralt, El Silencio Phone: +58 212 815 481 Located in an old part of town, Madison offers an insight into the true, unmasked façade of cultural life in Caracas. Great place to stay for social anthropologists who would love to take long walks observing life on the rambling streets of the surrounding neighborhood. Parking is available for guests staying at the hotel. The staff is polite, and can understand English. Pets are not allowed. The front desk is open for service 24 hours, and also provides useful tourist information. Rooms: Madison contains 55 air conditioned Guest Rooms. All rooms contain cable television and telephones. Rooms are very well-kept. Laundry service can be arranged for on request. Dining: The hotel has its own diner that serves exquisite local dishes. Meetings & Events: A conference hall and a smaller meeting room are included, and high speed wireless internet is available. Faxing services can also be arranged for on demand.
Caracas
Hotel Beethoven
Address: Avenue Beethoven, Sabana Grande Phone: +58 212 751 3280 A satisfactory place to spend the night and re-energize yourself for a walk through Sabana Grande the next day. The hotel’s advantageous location makes it an ideal choice for early morning excursions through the neighborhood, which can go on till late in the night. However, due to the current issues of security, it is advisable that you wrap up all your sightseeing latest by dusk and get inside the security of the hotel premises. Secured parking is available on the hotel’s own lot. The front desk accepts cash as well as credit cards. Rooms: Beethoven contains air conditioned, comfortably furnished Single-, Double- and Triple-Bed Rooms at modest prices. All rooms contain a television and a direct line telephone. Laundry service is available for guests at a nominal rate. Dining: The hotel’s restaurant and bar serve up energizing meals and drinks to charge you up as you make a little rest stop during your sightseeing adventures. Meetings & Events: Beethoven contains a reasonably sized conference room which can be rented out for personal or business meetings and social events.
Caracas
Hotel El Pinar
Address: Avenue Páez, front of El Pinar Zoological Garden, Caricuao district Phone: +58 212 461 6011 Another small, quiet hotel located close by the city’s major tourist attractions, this place derives its name from the El Pinar Zoo right across the road. Venture outside the lobby and onto the street to enjoy some of the finest tastes around Caracas, both culinary and aesthetic, as the neighborhood is full of some of the finest eateries, boutiques, and historic landmarks around the city. Pets are not allowed inside the hotel. A free of charge parking is available on the hotel’s own lot. Rooms: There are a total of 97 Guest Rooms with attached baths, cable television, and landlines. The rooms are well-lit and naturally ventilated, and most contain air conditioning. Laundry service is provided on request. Dining: The hotel’s primary diner serves a variety of pleasing international cuisines. A lounge bar quenches your thirst with tasty local beverages and fizzy drinks. Meetings & Events: A small meeting room and a reasonably sized banquet hall are available on demand. Catering services are also provided for events
Caracas
Centro Commercial Paseo
Address: Avenue Principal de Las Mercedes, Las Mercedes district Phone: 212 991 3164 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 8pm Paseo is for Caraqueños living the high life! Aptly situated in one of the city’s most elite neighborhoods, Paseo is an old mall that the citizens have come to trust when it comes to authentic jewelry, especially gold and silver bracelets, designer labels in apparel, cosmetics and accessories, and charming interior décor. The mall offers, apart from the high-end, not-so-inexpensive garments and electronic gadgets, a commendable bookstore with a large international collection, a splendid cinema house, the mall’s own health and beauty salon, a well-stocked pharmacy, and a collection of some of the city’s tastiest diners and cafés. Hotel Paseo Las Mercedes, a high-end hotel that offers excellent service to guests, is included within the mall’s premises. Also within the mall, Transnocho Cultural, a very happening place for intellectuals and postmodernists, attracts a sizeable audience to its regularly held musical programs, art exhibitions, and performances. For the party loving horde, the mall includes its own nightclub – you can experience a subtle shift in the kind of crowd as the hours start setting in. Parking is available in the mall’s own garage.
Caracas
San Ignacio
Address: Avenida Blandín, La Castellana, Caracas Phone: 212 263 3953 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 3am Two splendid elliptical towers with seemingly infinite terraces, resembling an ultramodern space station or a high-income futuristic elite colony, the San Ignacio is a visual marvel in itself for its visitors. The mall offers ridiculously expensive designer garments and footwear, fashion accessories, both locally crafted and internationally branded, and the latest in electronic gadgetry including computers, cell phones, and video games. The mall also contains a number of popular diners and coffee shops, perfect for that break in your tiring shopping day. An incredible cinema with VIP seating adds another dimension to the mall. Thus, San Ignacio forms a multi-faceted entertainment complex. As dusk falls, San Ignacio makes a smooth transition from a shopper’s paradise to a partygoers’ haven. With its numerous clubs and late-night bars serving up all kinds of shots to heart pumping music, San Ignacio entertains the city from morning till the very early hours of the morning again. Underground parking with valet service is available for up to 2000 cars.
Caracas
Centro Commercial Ciudad Tamanaco (CCCT)
Address: Avenue Principal de Las Mercedes Phone: 212 959 2169 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 9am to 9pm, Sundays 1pm to 7pm Situated in Las Mercedes, the hip and happening part of Caracas, the CCCT is the perfect place to head to if you have a sizeable wallet or a collection of credit cards that actually work! The inverted half-pyramidal shape of the mall attracts many an unsuspecting tourist from a long distance, who wanders inside unaware of the outrageously expensive goods on display. CCCT is famous for its more than 500 shops and boutiques that sell anything from garments to undergarments and all in between and beyond. The stores contain toys, electronics, high end décor, and authentic artwork, apart from the mundane groceries and items of daily use. CCCT houses two nightclubs that rage on all night, a charming variety of international diners arranged around an artistically designed food court, and a splendid movie theater. The mall contains an indoor parking space for 6000 cars. Weekends get especially crowded, when people come not only to shop, but to eat, watch movies, and dance all night!
Caracas
Centro Lido
Address: Avenue Francisco de Miranda, El Rosal district Phone: 212 952 7196 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 8pm Located in another elite neighborhood within Caracas, Lido presents a shopping experience marked by authentic serenity and comfort that many other malls fail to provide. Firstly, the mall is not very crowded – this may be due to the fact that its prices are WAY too high for common Caraqueños to even window-shop. The mall is actually complementary to an already existing office space, containing facilities like beauty salons, perfume and cosmetics stores, and fitness centers, which cater exclusively to its stinking rich corporate clientele. The mall offers high-end designer gear, accessories, jewelry, and footwear. It also houses two incredible movie theatres, more than a dozen authentic international diners, and a five-star hotel. Even if you do not shop, the mall offers an exciting insight into the lives of the city’s elite.
Caracas
Centro Commercial El Tolón
Address: Nicholas Copernico Road, south of Plaza Alfredo Sadel, El Rosal disrtict Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays and holidays 12noon to 8pm A lavish upscale mall that has recently entered the shopping scene in Caracas, El Tolón has quickly become one of the most popular malls around Caracas, as can be witnessed by the sheer number of people that swarm it each day. The mall contains a very diverse range of products, including, apart from garments and footwear, gifts and toys, the latest in electronic items, high end cosmetics and perfumes, opticians, pharmacies, two cinema houses, and a host of trendy diners serving up delectable local and international menus.
Caracas
Centro Commercial Sambil
Address: Avenue Libertador intersection at Los Ángeles, Chacao district Phone: 212 263 9323 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 11am to 9pm, Sundays and holidays 12noon to 8pm Sambil is believed to be the largest mall in all of South America. It is not uncommon, especially during the first weekend of every month, to see people from all around the country who just come to spend a full day of shopping at the mall before returning to their own cities towards the evening. A visit to the mall on any such day is sure to be filled with exciting, enlightening, and sometimes even amusing moments. The mall is a visual treat in itself, fusing elements of formal, modern architecture with the city’s rich cultural heritage. Spread over five floors, its dozens of elegant boutiques are a pleasure for any kind of shopper. Come here for the designer apparel, shoes, and fashion accessories that are hard to find anywhere else around the city – at such good prices, anyway. Sambil is one place where you can get ridiculously expensive items at somewhat reasonable prices. The large variety of items on apparently permanent year-round sales, coupled with the Caraqueños’ inherent love for shopping, make this mall a first choice for everyday shoppers as well as window-shopping social anthropologists. The mall contains two small cinema houses and more than a dozen decent restaurants serving up Asian, French, Spanish, and Italian cuisine. The top floor also houses an arena for the game-loving shopper. Word of advice – always keep your valuables in a safe place, especially your ID’s. Lots of people means lots of pickpockets!
Caracas
Centro Plaza
Address: Avenue Francisco de Miranda, Los Palos Grandes neighborhood Phone: 212 507 8800 Timings: Mondays to Fridays 9am to 12noon, 230pm to 630pm You will easily recognize this tall, slim office block with its glittering glass façade and the golden colored “Centro Plaza” sign on the front. The Centro Plaza is tucked away on the lower five floors of a 20-floor office building, and is a relatively unknown shopping center considering the shopping craze of the Caraqueños. This might be because it specializes mostly in office goods, electrical equipment, audio visual gadgets, videogame stores, and quite affordable designer clothing and footwear for youngsters and teens. The mall also contains a sizeable fitness and sports equipment section. For this reason you will often find, as opposed to the families and couples at other malls, groups of local teenagers rambling around its premises, ogling and whistling at girls passing by, sitting in one of the many courtyard cafes sipping away on simmering coffee, and enjoying the slower pace of city life. Centro Plaza has a large underground parking lot (owing to the fifteen floors of office space it also houses), a mini-theater, and a grocery mart.
Caracas
Metro Center
Address: Avenue Baralt and Avenue Universidad intersection, El Silencio district Phone: 212 482 7646 A relatively new and stylishly designed mall, Metro Center has yet to achieve the attention of the crazy Caraqueño shopper crowd. The mall is located in a fairly secluded part within the old central district, almost devoid of traffic when compared to the highway rage Caraqueños have to face every day. Metro Center offers a general collection of garments and accessories, everyday items, and home décor. The mall is more popular with the tourist crowd, however, for the sheer number of fast food outlets it contains – it is the perfect spot to stop for a quick bite during a tour of the old city. From Asian to American and all that is in between, topped with juices and shakes from around the world, you can find anything to your taste in these more than three dozen diners even if you do nothing more than window shop.
Caracas
Centro Commercial El Recreo
Address: Avenue Casanova Sabana Grande Phone: 212 761 2740 Timings: Mondays to Saturdays 10am to 9pm, Sundays 12noon to 8pm Located a few walking steps from the Hotel Gran Melia, El Recreo offers affordable recreation for locals and tourists alike. With its numerous boutiques selling garments, accessories, and groceries and its selection of fine delicatessens, El Recreo is one mall that will introduce you to the most mundane shopping scenes of the city – ones that start with a fine day of shopping for everyday items, go on to delightful afternoon meals, and end with a movie or two at the in-house cinema.