Puerto la Cruz

Buy

Paseo Colon at night becomes a very busy spot for locals to walk and for craftmen to sell their stuff. This will be your best option to find cheap, locally hand-made souvenirs. Lately there have been a big influx of Made In China mass produced items, but you should still be able to find local souvenirs.

During the daytime there are a few souvenir shops along Paseo Colon but prices can be inflated for tourists. If you go to El Acuario and ask for Mario, he can get you a good deal depending on how much you spend.

If you like malls then you need to check out the Caribbean Mall and Plaza Mayor, which are the biggest mall/shopping center in Puerto La Cruz and you can pretty much find anything you may need. You will find many brand name stores and good restaurants.

For the risky ones, you can go during business hours to downtown Puerto La Cruz and you will find a lot of street vendors and shopping.

Eat

Venezuelan food is really good and flavorful, nothing spicy. Make sure you try everything. You can also find really good authentic Italian, Mediterranean, Spanish, Chinese restaurants. Mexican food is not very popular so eat your burrito when you go back home. Among the most popular Venezuela meal or dishes you should try:

Empanadas: These are made of corn flour based dough and are deep fried. The stuffing varies according to the region; most common are the cheese and ground beef empanadas. Other types use fish, "caraotas" or black beans, oyster, clams and other types of seafood popular in the coastal areas.

Arepas: The arepa is a corn-based dish from the northern Andes in South America, now spread to other areas in modern Latin American countries. It is basically a flat (the flatness varies) cake of cornmeal which is then grilled, baked or fried. It is often split in half and filled with cheese, deli meats, and a great variety of fillings, in which case it is known as arepa rellena. This more elaborate version may be eaten closed like a sandwich, or dressed with toppings and eaten open-faced. This is the most frequent form it adopts in Venezuela.

Pabellon Criollo: Pabellón criollo is a traditional Venezuelan dish. It is a plate of rice, shredded beef and stewed black beans. Optionally, one may request Tajadas (fried plantain slices) or a fried egg as additions. Because of the frequency of these requests, they have both gained name in Venezuelan slang. A Pabellón con baran…

Drink

Don't miss the opportunity of drinking real fruit juice. Whether you go to a restaurant or in the streets is always safe and healthier to drink juice. There are many options. Just ask for your favorite tropical fruit.

There is also malta. Malta is a type of soft drink. It is a carbonated malt beverage, meaning it is brewed from barley and hops much like beer. However, malta is non-alcoholic. It is similar in color to stout (dark brown) but is very sweet, generally described as tasting like molasses. Unlike beer, ice is often added to malta when consumed. Malta is high in B vitamins.

Venezuela is also recognized for its high quality rum. The best brands are Santa Teresa and Pampero Aniversario.

A great barto stop by in Puerto La Cruz or its neighboring mini city Lecherias is Bambuda bar it's a great sushi bar with a huge variety of drinks to try. Bambuda is great to visit anytime of day and is a main attraction for clubbers as it has its lounge area and a dance area.

Manssion is a great nightclub located in, El Morro area of lecheria.