Like many large South American cities, there are plenty of accommodation options to suit most budgets. Many of the upmarket hotels are located in the Providencia and Vitacura districts, which is a short taxi ride (or subway ride) to the main tourist sites.
Hotel Director
We opted to stay at the Hotel Director, which is located in the heart of the residential area of Vitacura, within a few blocks of one of Santiago's upscale business districts, complete with high end shops and restaurants. The Hotel Director's target clientele are international business men and women. The hotel's rooms are large with decor that is somewhat tired looking. There is a nice pool out back. A rather ordinary buffet breakfast is served each morning in the dining room, with many business men and women getting ready to head upstairs to the hotel's conference center. Two pleasant things about our stay at the Hotel Director: the view of the Andes from our room, and the complimentary welcome drink---a Pisco Sour, which is the national cocktail of Chile.
The Pool at the Hotel Director
Having a Pisco Sour (and a Good Time)
Sunset View of the Andes from Our Hotel Room
Dining
Al Fresco Dining
Enough Meat for Three (and Then Some!)
Things to Do
In addition to the tourist highlights within the downtown area of Santiago, a visit to the Chilean capital also offers a number of good day excursions. We opted to take a side trip to the coastal cities of Isla Negra, Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar. If you visit during their winter, some of the best skiing in South America is just 90 minutes away in the Andes at Portillo.
Visitors can also take half-day, full-day, and multiple-day excursions from Santiago to some of the wineries in Chile. A couple hours south of the capital is the Central Valley, home to the "Ruta del Vino" and classic Chilean haciendas. On our day trip to the coast, we drove through the fertile Casablanca Valley, which is one of Chile's up and coming wine regions. Perhaps on my next visit to Chile, I will have time to visit some of the bodegas.
The Casablanca Valley
Viña Indomita in the Casablanca Valley
Shopping
From the upscale designer boutiques in Vitacura, to the fish stalls of Mercardo Central, and the artisan studios in Bellavista, the variety of shopping in Santiago is sure to please all visitors. At Patio Bellavista, I was able to find a good number of souvenirs to bring back home, as well as jewelry made from lapis lazuli. One final note: the duty free shop at the Santiago airport is a great place to buy those last minute gifts you forgot to purchase. You can't miss it; you have to walk through it to get to the international departure gates.
Shopping for Gifts at Patio Bellavista
The Fish Stalls at Mercardo Central
The Santiago International Airport
Sunset View of the Andes from Our Hotel Room
Dining
Barrio Bellavista is the epicenter of Santiago's eating-out scene, with a wide variety of excellent and innovative restaurants. We ended up eating in this area on two separate evenings. Our first night's meal was at the excellent Azul Profundo, which is a mecca for seafood lovers. The restaurant is a cozy, nautical-themed dining experience, complete with fish nets, a wooden siren hanging from a mock ship's bow, and bathroom doors that look like they lead to a sailor's bunk.
Everything on the menu looked fresh and appealing; therefore, deciding what to eat wasn't an easy exercise. My dad had the octopus and my mom and I shared a mixed, grilled seafood platter which was simple and delicious.
Mixed Grilled Seafood Platter at Azul Profundo
We decided to skip dessert at Azul Profundo; instead, we walked over to Patio Bellavista for a gelato at Il Maestrale, which is one of the top gelaterias in Santiago. Our second meal in Bellavista was a late afternoon/early evening dinner at De Tomo y Lomo, which is also located in Patio Bellavista. The speciality here is meat. The three of us shared a mixed grill platter which included steak (which was not quite as good as the steak we ate in Argentina), chicken, pork sausage and blood sausage, along with a salad, roasted potatoes and a bottle of red wine. The meal was quite tasty.
De Tomo y Lomo
Mixed Grilled Seafood Platter at Azul Profundo
We decided to skip dessert at Azul Profundo; instead, we walked over to Patio Bellavista for a gelato at Il Maestrale, which is one of the top gelaterias in Santiago. Our second meal in Bellavista was a late afternoon/early evening dinner at De Tomo y Lomo, which is also located in Patio Bellavista. The speciality here is meat. The three of us shared a mixed grill platter which included steak (which was not quite as good as the steak we ate in Argentina), chicken, pork sausage and blood sausage, along with a salad, roasted potatoes and a bottle of red wine. The meal was quite tasty.
De Tomo y Lomo
Al Fresco Dining
Enough Meat for Three (and Then Some!)
Things to Do
In addition to the tourist highlights within the downtown area of Santiago, a visit to the Chilean capital also offers a number of good day excursions. We opted to take a side trip to the coastal cities of Isla Negra, Valparaíso, and Viña del Mar. If you visit during their winter, some of the best skiing in South America is just 90 minutes away in the Andes at Portillo.
Visitors can also take half-day, full-day, and multiple-day excursions from Santiago to some of the wineries in Chile. A couple hours south of the capital is the Central Valley, home to the "Ruta del Vino" and classic Chilean haciendas. On our day trip to the coast, we drove through the fertile Casablanca Valley, which is one of Chile's up and coming wine regions. Perhaps on my next visit to Chile, I will have time to visit some of the bodegas.
The Casablanca Valley
Viña Indomita in the Casablanca Valley
Shopping
From the upscale designer boutiques in Vitacura, to the fish stalls of Mercardo Central, and the artisan studios in Bellavista, the variety of shopping in Santiago is sure to please all visitors. At Patio Bellavista, I was able to find a good number of souvenirs to bring back home, as well as jewelry made from lapis lazuli. One final note: the duty free shop at the Santiago airport is a great place to buy those last minute gifts you forgot to purchase. You can't miss it; you have to walk through it to get to the international departure gates.
Shopping for Gifts at Patio Bellavista
The Fish Stalls at Mercardo Central
The Santiago International Airport
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