Latin America
VENEZUELA
Caracas | Carribean Coast | Rio Orinoco
 Venezuela has epic proportions: it has South America's largest lake and third-longest river, the highest waterfall in the world, and the longest of all snakes. It also has jaguars, armadillos and some of the most spectacular landscapes you'll ever see.
There are the snowcapped peaks of the Andes in the west; steamy Amazonian jungles in the south; the hauntingly beautiful Gran Sabana plateau, with its strange flat-topped mountains, in the east; and miles of white-sand beaches fringed with coconut palms on the Caribbean coast.
Caracas
The capital of Venezuela is a huge, vibrant and energetic city built on tremendous wealth and desperate poverty. Gravity is equally defied by the city's thrusting towers of steel and glass and the teetering shantytowns that cover the city's surrounding hills.
A combination of earthquake and the rush towards modernisation that followed in the wake of the oil rush has obliterated much of the city's colonial architecture, but there are still some pockets that reveal the past. Musuems, art galleries and parks fill out the list of attractions.
Four Seasons - 5 Star Deluxe
Location:
An ultramodern business and cultural hub that retains its colonial romance. Here, in the fashionable Altamira district, Four Seasons introduces its international standards to one of the Americas' most cosmopolitan cities. A sleek, 21st-century oasis with views of the mountains and the rooftops of this cosmopolitan capital. Thoughtfully complete with the city's finest dining, health club, spa and intuitive, highly personalised service.
Accommodation:
Four Seasons Hotel Caracas is an architecturally stunning, 21-storey tower in the upscale residential district of Altamira. The 212 guest rooms and suites, among the largest in the city, provide views of the city and surrounding mountains.
Furnished for a welcoming, residential feel, Superior Rooms offer a mountain or a city view from the lower floors of the Hotel. Elegant and comfortable, they average 42 square metres (452 square feet).
Deluxe Rooms have a mountain or a city view from the middle floors of the Hotel. Elegant, welcoming and residential, they average a spacious 44 square metres (473 square feet).
All rooms and suites have a full marble bathroom with hair dryer, writing desk, air conditioning, CD player, in-room safe, refrigerator, direct dial telephone with voicemail, fax, and conference call capabilities.
Facilities:
- Spa centre
- Rooftop pool
- Lap pool
- Health club
- Business centre
- Room service
Dining:
- Vivaldi (Italian specialties)
- Coral restaurant
- Seasons Bar
Carribean Coast
 The northeast coast is the place to go for outdoor activities such as snorkelling, scuba diving, fishing, sailing or just lying around and enjoying the sun. The county's beaches are at their idyllic best here - long expanses of white sand lapped by turquoise waters and fringed with coconut palms. Isla de Margarita, 40km (25mi) from the mainland, is a favourite for beach-lovers and a popular holiday destination for Venezuelans. It is easily accessible by ferry from Cumaná and Puerto La Cruz on the mainland.
Margarita Island emerges out of the warm water in the Caribbean Sea, with a surface of 1071 Km2, 315 Km. beautiful beaches, mountains, valleys and deserts. With an average annual temperature at 30 C and together with Coche and Cubagua Islands, they form the State of Nueva Esparta.This group of islands have a similar geological construction and are located at 38 Km from the north-east coast of Venezuela.
Hilton Margarita & Suites - 5 Star 
Location:
The Hilton Margarita is the premier international resort hotel on the rugged, red-earth Island of Margarita. The hotel is facing the Caribbean Sea. A mere 40-minute air shuttle ride from Caracas, Margarita Island is easy to get to, yet has the ambience of a secluded island retreat. The hotel is perfectly located on Moreno Beach facing the Caribbean, only 5-minutes drive from the bustling, duty-free port of Porlamar, and a 25-minutes drive from the Caribbean International Airport.
Accommodation:
Standard rooms are located on ground floor to 2nd floor on the main building. They are spacious and overlook the pool or have a partial or full sea view as well as featuring small balconies. All rooms count with satellite TV and voice mail. Superior rooms are located on floors 3 to 10 on the main building. Recently renovated and comfortable, with a beautiful partial sea view from the top floors. All rooms count with satellite TV, minibar and voice mail. Deluxe rooms are located on floors 3 to 10, plus our hotel rooms on the new tower. All of them renovated and spacious, with a wonderful full ocean view, also offer satellite TV, minibar and voice mail. Other amenities include air conditioning, minibar, telephone, internet access and private bathroom.
Facilities:
- Outdoor pool
- Room service
- Business centre
- Child care centre
- Fitness room
- Tennis court
- Casino
- Sightseeing tours
Dining:
- Las Marinas
- Los Uveros
- Le Chatueaubriand
- Lobby bar
- La Pergola Pool bar
Rio Orinoco
 The third-longest river in South America, the Orinoco covers about 2150km (1333mi), from its source near the Brazilian border in the south of the country to its wide, flooded delta on the northeast coast. The myriad forested islands that make up the delta are home to the Warao people, who live on the riverbanks in houses on stilts, travel mostly by canoe and earn their livelihood from fishing. At the reaches of the Lower Orinoco lies the site of Ciudad Bolívar (formerly Angostura), a hot city that boasts a glorious history and still retains much of its colonial charm. It was here that Simón Bolívar set up his base for the final stage of the War of Independence, and the town became the provisional capital of the country prior to liberation from the Spanish.
Most visitors to Ciudad Bolívar will be en route to Canaima, the spectacular town located on the Río Carrao just below the stretch of river with a chain of seven magnificent waterfalls. Nearby, on a tributary, is Salto Angel (Angel Falls), the world's highest waterfall, with an uninterrupted drop of 807m/2647ft (16 times the height of Niagara Falls). Continuing southeast brings you to the fascinating landscape of the Gran Sabana, with its tepuis (flat-topped mountains) and simas ('sink-holes' of jungle up to 350m/1148ft wide, surrounded by sheer cliffs).
Hato Pinero Los Llanos
Location:
Set within 80,000 hectares of land, Hato Piñero is an authentic working cattle ranch set in the High Llanos, a vast floodplain rich in flora and fauna. With 350 species of bird and over fifty mammal species, the region is arguably one of the most rewarding for wildlife-viewing in South America.
Owned by the Branger family for over fifty years, it has become a model for conservation in Venezuela, and is consequently popular with scientists - it also has its own research centre.
Accommodation:
The ranch building is in the traditional Llanero style of whitewashed adobe walls, mahogany wooden beams and built in seats. The 11 rooms that surround a central courtyard of hibiscus and orchids are relatively simple with private bathroom, cold water showers, and air-conditioning or ceiling fan.
Facilities:
- Excursions to Los Llanos
- Horse back riding
Dining:
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