We chose the Paseo Las Mercedes over the few surviving major chain hotels in Caracas for our two days there (passing through to elsewhere in Venezuela), based on TripAdvisor and Lonely Planet, and were glad we did. It was our first trip to the country, we were tightly scheduled, and our Spanish was guidebook-basic.

The hotel and rooms were clean and pleasant, offered good food and TV (even some channels in English), and we were a few steps to shops, restaurants, etc. The staff were friendly and helpful in person, though hard to contact from the US except by phone. The one drawback was that the closest metro stop was a taxi or bus ride away.

For a first-time American visitor, the city's two major hurdles were money and the airport. Luckily, Venezuelans were happy to help us negotiate these things.

Hotel Internet rates in dollars are based on the official exchange rate. But if you pay in cash it is far more favorable to the visitor. However, this requires coming into the country with enough cash for your whole trip, because it's very hard to find a Venezuelan bank ATM where a US debit or credit card will work. (We finally found one, a 15 minute walk from the hotel.)

Departing from the Caracas airport, the lines at the gate and security are extremely slow-moving. Even having allowed a couple of hours, we would have missed our flight had it had not been late. Given that the airport is quite a drive from Caracas, and that there are frequent traffic backups, if you are departing at evening rush hour or on a weekend or holiday, you might need to leave for the airport hours before your flight.

The Mercedes offers a great location in a very safe area with a supermarket less than a block away, attached to one mall and three blocks from another. There are many restaurants in the area, including a great local arepa place. The staff was very friendly and helpful. The price was very reasonable. The only problem with the Mercedes is that it's off the Metro line. But if you're wlling to taxi around (taxi stand directly in front)- I highly recommend.

Nice location, well-secured,sanitized rooms, good food,very professional hotel ambiance and more importantly, for non-spanish speaking guests like us, the hotel has friendly and really helpful staff, to help us survive Caracas, giving us tour referrals and giving tips on where to shop for the best buys. Sergio and Angelo are both commedable. Too bad we cant be extended, due to previous reservations.

A first timer and solo traveler to Caracas, I had considered staying at the Hilton. I am glad I didn't. The location of Hotel Paseo is great for being on the edge of a nice area and safe for walking. Paseo is, by all means, a business class hotel. Not luxurious, but solid. Not new, but acceptable. The rooms were generous in size, albeit a little worn. The room service menu was expansive and reasonably priced. Check-in was a little slow, but more the fault of the previous difficult customer. The concierge was helpful and interesting. They recommended an excellent English-speaking private tour guide, and were more than willing to offer other services.

You can save a substancial amount of money if you exchage your Dollars on the street, then pay in cash Bolivares (this is not legal, of course). Doing so maybe uncomfortable, but a $125 bill was reduced to $65 when converted.

From the hotel, walk 5 minutes to a restaurant called Caracas. It has a to-go counter or seated-service. It is open 24 hours and is great people watching. Service was great, prices are affordable.

All-in-all the hotel was a great value, especially for a first time solo visitor to Caracas. I would recommend to a friend, and stay here again.