I stayed at this hotel in the July of 2008, for I was doing research in Venezuela. This hotel I found was comfortable, the service was relatively good, the rooms were also clean. Although, there was no air conditioner in the room and therefore was hot alot of the time. If you want a hotel that is actually without at night in Caracas, this is the place to be and it is quiet pleasant with all its gardens. They have a small internet facility, this can be annoying if you want to actually want to do something in a hurry, however it is better than nothing. The reception staff are English speakers, so it is good for when you get stuch with your Spanish and I found the concierage helpful when I ever needed a taxi into town. However, when you go to the restaurant I took a book with me, for you will need to actually do something while waiting for your food and if you order something please be prepared to ask again for it. The hotel quite a while away from the city, therefore there is not a lot of choices in terms of food. The travel agent at the hotel, named Jose Maria did not give me the correct amount of money needed, she gave me only 2 Bolivares for 1 US$, instead of 2.15 Bolivares. She also charged my mother and I double the normal rate to travel to Los Roques. Therefore, I would recommend that you not use the travel agent in the hotel. The hotel overall was relatively well priced.

If finding a cosy yet reasonably price hotel is a real challenge in Caracas (this seemed to be our impression based on all the hotel reviews), then we must say we were rather pleased with our choice on Avila. However, but for the black-market exchange rate, we would probably feel this place is over-priced (or anything in Caracas for that matter). The hotel is situated in a crescent, kind of up the top of the hill, far away from the big streets and traffic. So it is indeed very peaceful (a little oasis as other reviewers described). However, this also means that you are not really close to anywhere on feet, or near the metro - taxi is the only choice. The room is spacious, with a long balcony, but the furnishing is still like in the 70's. The breakfast is in open terrace next to the pool which is sunny and airy, and where the wifi works the best. [For $$-exchange, the travel desk in the hotel may help you with that, despite the fact the rate may not be the best (i.e., $1: B$5). Alternatively, there are plenty at the airport before you approach the offical exchange counters, even some of the trolley-guys working there may well as you for exchange... So no matter what, get some $$ changed before you step out the airport as the govt ex-rate is just a joke!]

We started off a Venezuelan escorted tour by spending two nights in the Hotel Avila, Caracas.
We arrived late afternoon after a long flight with a several hour stopover in Madrid airport.
Caracas is a huge city set in a valley surrounded by hills. Shanty towns climb up the slopes, with shacks literally built one on top of the other.
The Avila Hotel is set in a lush garden protected from the hustle and bustle of the city outside.
Our original room had a wonderful view over the city skyscrapers, but unfortunately we had to move when the toilet cistern flooded the bathroom, and we ended up in a room on a floor lower with the view obscured by trees.
There is a very welcoming bar in the hotel where we got to know the rest of our party who were going to be spending the following fortnight with us.
Dinner and breakfast was included in the hotel rate and both were plentiful.
Unfortunately Caracas is not the type of city where you can wander around looking for somewhere to eat, as we were in fact warned not to venture outside of the hotel gates. Even if the area appeared safe, within a few steps you could be stepping into a highly dangerous shanty town where gullible tourists like us are an easy target.
Unaccustomed as were to this type of warning, we heeded the guide and spent both evenings in the hotel.
We did spend a day touring the city with a guide, however there were not too many memorable sights and we were all looking forward to getting on with the tour of the country.

Beautiful, comfortable rooms. Although Caracas gets hot, you can keep screen doors open for cross ventilation. We rarely used the ceiling fan. Amazing breakfast buffet. Safe location not far from downtown (accessible by a short bus or taxi ride). An oasis in the chaos of Caracas. Our only complaint was that we had asked the hotel to arrange for a taxi to pick us up at the airport. The hotel does not arrange this formally; instead, one of the employees asked a friend of his to do it - and the friend forgot. Given the reputation of airport cab drivers - including the official ones - nice hotels would do well to arrange airport pickup. Guests would be willing to pay more in order to feel safe.