• 1. Where to Stay
• 2. Where to Eat
• 3. What to Do
• 4. Insider’s Tip
• 5. An Oddball Day

Canaima Chill House's suites are inspired by treehouses.   (Photo: Courtesy of Canaima Chill House)

Find peace of mind at the Nautilus Residential Hotel (from $100), a Zen-like property with design-conscious one-bedroom apartments and two-bedroom villas. The place is situated about 650 feet from the beach, so you can walk to the ocean easily or gaze at the surrounding hills from a poolside seat.

Sleep in the jungle at Canaima Chill House (from $80), a boutique hotel built into the trees above the town and owned by a Spanish entrepreneur who gives surfing lessons ($35 for a 90-minute lesson, board provided). All eight, kitchen-equipped suites accommodate up to four people and come with open-air, hanging bamboo beds where you can hear nearby howler monkeys.

Listen to the waves at Hotel Luz de Luna (from $40 with kitchen), a collection of wooden bungalows situated in a verdant tropical garden just a minute away from the beach. Though it’s backpacker- and budget-friendly, it’s just as comfortable, if slightly less spacious, as nearby hotels, and there’s an on-site café that serves breakfast daily.

Published on Mar 1, 2012 as a web exclusive.