SANTIAGO

Un bello paisaje, una hermosa jornada, un libro selecto... ¿Qué más necesitas para ser feliz? El sol resplandece por dentro


Gabriela Mistral

 

 

The Andes mountains that line the city are stunning, even though there is a lot of smog and it can get a little blurry. Everything is good in Santiago, specially the Chilean people who are nice and attentive.

WHAT TO DO

 

A LITTLE BIT OF TOURISM...

Do your own walking tour of Colonial Santiago in the city center!! You can start off at the Palacio de la Moneda, then continue to Plaza de la Constitución that is right across. From there take the  Paseo Peatonal Ahumada up to the Plaza de Armas.  If by that time you become hungry, don't miss the Mercado Central where you will find a lot of small places mainly serving seafood ready to offer you lunch.

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And if you still have energy after lunch, go to the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, houses in the neoclassical Palace of Fine Arts. There is a beautiful permanent exhibition of Chilean arts.

Of course, as in any big city, Santiago also has its fair share of other amazing museums; there are about forty art galleries and thirty museums with a varied offering.

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Still within the perimeter of what is considered the center, in Lastarria you will find the house called Casa La Chascona once owned by the poet Pablo Neruda. The house reflects Neruda's quirky style, in particular his love of the sea.

To me, the visit to the house of Neruda unexpectedly turned out to be a highlight. 

 

The city’s multiple parks are also very pleasant for a stroll. The nicest is in the trendy Barrio Lastarria, where you will find the Cerro Santa Lucia, the park is adorned with ornate facades, stairways and fountains. It'sa must-visit site that offers a nice view of the city if you walk up to the top.

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You can also live a unique experience from the top floor of the Sky Costanera. In less than a minute you will be at the highest point in Latin America. The cost is around $20 per person.

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From Santiago you can easily travel to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso. It is about a 100 km car ride driving by vineyards. In less than two hours you can hit the Chilean Pacific coastline. For me it wasn’t that great, and personally it is not a place that I plan to visit again. The two towns close location to Santiago is very attractive, but they are both over crowded and full of concrete that cover the views of the coast.

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Of all I saw while I was there, my favorite place was the Museo Fonck where there is a good collection of objects from the Precolombine period. In the museum’s garden there is an authentic Moai, brought in from Easter Island. Along with the one in the British Museum in London, these are the only monoliths that are exhibited outside of the island itself.

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SKIING
Finally, if you go during the winter season you can visit the ski resorts: Valle Nevado, La Parva and El Colorado.

The possibility to go skiing adds a lot to the city’s offering making for a very complete and varied travel itinerary. However, similar to my opinion of the beach towns, the ski resorts were not too great even though the slopes in Valle Nevado are wonderful but I can't say the same about the food nor the lodging. I would never choose these resorts as my first option to go skiing, but that is a long topic that I will expand on in another post.

 

WHERE TO STAY

HOTELS

I have stayed in all five hotels I'm recommending. The first three are about $230 and $330 per night depending on the season. It is very common to find discounts for staying multiple nights, make sure you enquire directly with the hotel when you are making a booking.

THE AUBREY BOUTIQUE HOTEL

The hotel is like a little hidden treasure in the Bellavista neighborhood. It is an spectacular colonial house transformed into a hotel. The breakfast is good and the bar is even better, specially if you go during summertime and get to enjoy a refreshing swim by their pool. It is conveniently in the center right next to the Neruda Museum and below the Santiago Zoo, but the rest of the neighborhood is not visually appealing. 

I didn’t like that all rooms within one category cost the same but some are considerably better than others and they are assigned randomly. This means that one person could have a much better room and pay the same as another. We were lucky to get a large one located in the main house, but other people traveling with us got smaller one farther away from the restaurant and lobby.

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MANDARIN ORIENTAL

Large hotel with thirty floors and  around 300 rooms with see through elevators  going up and down at all times. The rooms are perfectly clean and have beautiful mountain views, which grants the hotel that special touch along with its reputation for style. Buffet breakfast, Mandarin Oriental fine quality.

It isn’t cheap, but  it ended up costing us less than the Aubrey.

NOI VITACURA
NOI is a Chilean hospitality chain. I liked the location and the decoration of the rooms. The bathroom  full of details and amenities, as well as robe and slippers. They upgraded us to a premium room, with lots of space and a private balcony. Regardless, I asked the managers to show me a standard room and still found it lovely. I liked that the hotel chose to give me an upgrade even though I had made my reservation using an online platform.  I didn’t have breakfast there, so unfortunately I won’t be able to compare their menu with the others. 

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THE SINGULAR

Located at the heart of the artistic and urban of the city, The Singular Santiago Lastarria Hotel neo classic architectural style was designed as a tribute to the cultural and historic surrounding. Lovely boutique hotel.

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BW PREMIER MARINA LAS CONDES
They admit pets!! (Always a great plus in my ratings) I think they charged me around $200 for a one night stay. This hotel costs half than all the others and it is as well located as the last two. It has a heated pool on the top floor with an open terrace. Rooms are very good, clean, with bathroom amenities. Breakfast offers a very complete set of options. However, at half the price there are obviously some details that could be improved; the pillows are a bit hard, towels are a little over used… well, you get what you pay for.

But I wouldn't doubt staying in this hotel again. As I always say, it is a matter of budget, if you can do better of course go for it! But if you are a little limited with your budget, this one is the way to go.

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WHERE TO EAT

 

We had dinner in several nice places around the Parque Arauco Shopping Mall, a small local restaurant with live music in Bellavista, another in Lastarria. However, I’m going into details only with those at the top of my list:


Cevicheria La Mar Peruvian food. Same restaurant concept as the Cevicheria La Mar located in Lima and Bogotá, full of people and good food. Their piscos have a Chilean touch. Bear in mind that it can be a little expensive.

Boragó An exceptional place than I’m going to talk more about in another post.



 

Mercado Central A very casual place that is a must visit for anyone going to Santiago for the first time.

There are small restaurants  that mainly serve fish and seafood. It is located near the Plaza de Armas.


Ichiban Sushi prepared with great dedication in a two floor house with terraces that are open during the summer.


La Biferia Steak House. Meat cooked just like we requested it. Great variety of wines.

Ox Another Steak House located in Nueva Vitacura (where you’ll also find La Mar, Rubaiyat y La Biferia)
 
Reservas
 +56 2 2799 0260

 

NoSo It is located at the  W hotel. You'll find traditional French delicacies with a modern twist.