Everything is within easy walking distance in Caraballeda, and during the day many of our guests walk around and explore the town on their own if they're not fishing.
Petty street crime is a problem nearly everywhere these days, and Caraballeda is, unfortunately, not exempt. We suggest that guests do not walk around wearing expensive jewelry or flashing large bankrolls at any time. At night, we can help you arrange a cab to go to one of the local restaurants, or stay in and eat your fresh "catch of the day" at our Club Sancocho!
There are lots of excellent restaurants with good local seafood offerings and a variety of cuisine- including Argentine, Chinese, "Continental", Italian, Spanish and Mexican! We haven't heard of anyone having any problems with the food or the water in Venezuela, but we usually drink mineral water just to protect our sensitive stomachs....
Probably our favorite restaurants are El Porton and El Bodegon, both on the main street in town. La Gabarra and El Gran Farallon are also very good, and are only a 5 minute drive from the house. All four of these offer a Continental menu. El Paso Tres is the Argentine Grill, about 300 yards east of the Melia Caribe hotel. The Hong Kong Chef is an excellent choice if you like Chinese food, and you'll find many of the crews there every night. The Italian restaurant (on the lowest floor of the Sheraton) is also quite good, and El Grand Paella lives up to its name.
Or you can try the Club Sancocho Bar & Grill (on the premises) for a full American meal– breakfast, lunch or dinner.
We haven't had time to do a lot of "power shopping" in Caraballeda, but the reports we've received have been favorable, particularly for shoes and other leather goods. For really serious shoppers we suggest an expedition to Caracas (about a 1 hour drive). We can help you arrange for a guide, if you'd like. If you're going up to Caracas, they have several "world class" malls, excellent art museums, and lots of other activities.
Many of our guests schedule an extra day into their trips, to permit some further exploration of Venezuela. Several "side trips" offer interesting possibilities: Colonia Tovar is a small, isolated German village nestled in the mountains not far from Caracas; Angel Falls (a full day trip by plane, car and boat) is magnificent.
Los Roques offers excellent year 'round bonefishing; it's supposed to be the second best place in the world (after Christmas Island) to catch large numbers of these scrappy fighters.
Rio Chico (a three hour drive) has lots of hungry tarpon.
The peacock bass fishing (in the interior) is truly "world class".
We'll be happy to introduce you to several tour guide services who can make arrangements for you to sample these other great fishing opportunities.
Both the Melia and the Sheraton have tennis courts, which you can use for a small fee. There also is a pretty good local golf course (or so we're told).
The Melia also has a fully equipped gymnasium for you fitness fanatics....
You can change dollars into bolivares at either of the hotels, or at the souvenir stand on the corner. The local banks will only change $200 at a time. When we have the cash, we'll be happy to change money for you in order save you the trouble of standing in line at the Cambio.
More FAQsIf you have more questions, please call our Reception Desk at 58-416-833-9038 (don't forget your international access code!) Or dial direct to:
or email us at marina01@telcel.net.ve.
Tight Lines!