Hotel Los Frailes, The Andes

Location

1½ hours from Mérida (The Andes, Venezuela)

Description

Built in the style of a 1642 monastery, the hotel sits on the edge of an Andean valley at about 9,000 feet. Without having to venture far from the hotel one can see cobalt-blue lakes surrounded by forests of pine. The local inhabitants still use oxen to plough the impossibly steep hillsides, and stones cleared from the fields to build walls and houses.

Activities

Excellent walking country and horses available for riding.