My entire post deleted for some reason, but in short:
It's a beautiful country with beautiful women - people are scared of it because they've heard it's dangerous, which just benefits guys like us.
I went to: Barquisimeto, Merida, and Maracaibo and had a hard time spending the full $400. I came back with around $200USD to Canada. My Ex-girlfriend from Venezuela hooked me up with friends down there who showed me the spots, but everything is so cheap. My biggest expense (outside of the hotel, airbnb) was paying 500 bolivares to bribe the bouncer. Alcohol in clubs is cheap, food is cheap (again, all relative to us). If you really wanted to, you could live like a king In Venezuela. That's what happens when the country gives away Oil for dirt cheap, ignores tourism, and suppresses its economy.
I'd recommend not showing off your money, for obvious reason. I did find, however, that girls in clubs loved foreigners. They did everything short of jumping on me - maybe it's just the cities I was in, who knows. I loved Barquisimeto though. They seldom get tourists, so it was great for me.
A caveat is that 5-star hotels know about the black market rate, so you won't be able to get the $9USD rate per night that you used to be able to get. However, I'm planning a trip back to Venezuela for March and found some 4-star hotels quoting me a two-week price of 25,000.00 bolivares (around $30 USD based on a 1:750 exchange rate).
I was never robbed, harassed or anything while there. It's just my experience, but as long as you don't walk around in a $5000 suit, don't act obnoxious, you'll be fine. Take taxi's, avoid busses, stay in a good area of town and you'll love your stay in Venezuela.
It's a beautiful country with beautiful women - people are scared of it because they've heard it's dangerous, which just benefits guys like us.
I went to: Barquisimeto, Merida, and Maracaibo and had a hard time spending the full $400. I came back with around $200USD to Canada. My Ex-girlfriend from Venezuela hooked me up with friends down there who showed me the spots, but everything is so cheap. My biggest expense (outside of the hotel, airbnb) was paying 500 bolivares to bribe the bouncer. Alcohol in clubs is cheap, food is cheap (again, all relative to us). If you really wanted to, you could live like a king In Venezuela. That's what happens when the country gives away Oil for dirt cheap, ignores tourism, and suppresses its economy.
I'd recommend not showing off your money, for obvious reason. I did find, however, that girls in clubs loved foreigners. They did everything short of jumping on me - maybe it's just the cities I was in, who knows. I loved Barquisimeto though. They seldom get tourists, so it was great for me.
A caveat is that 5-star hotels know about the black market rate, so you won't be able to get the $9USD rate per night that you used to be able to get. However, I'm planning a trip back to Venezuela for March and found some 4-star hotels quoting me a two-week price of 25,000.00 bolivares (around $30 USD based on a 1:750 exchange rate).
I was never robbed, harassed or anything while there. It's just my experience, but as long as you don't walk around in a $5000 suit, don't act obnoxious, you'll be fine. Take taxi's, avoid busses, stay in a good area of town and you'll love your stay in Venezuela.