I lived with a family here for a month attending the local language institute. As an excursion, you can take the teleferico to the top of the Andes and stay the night in an eco B&B for $5.00, including breakfast the next morning. It wasn’t the Ritz, I was in a surplus army bunk with chickens running in and out, but it was one of the coolest experiences ever.
The beer there is good too, “Polar”. And in Merida, there’s a Guiness Book of World Records winning ice cream shop, famous for carrying the most flavors. One is ‘trucha’ trout :( I didn’t try that one.
I’m dying to go back to see Angel Falls and Margarita Island. If you go, leave valuables at home.