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Hotel Zero

Introduction

Hotel zero, as with the other historic, now boutique hotels in Valparaiso, is also a previously, large residential house, that has enjoyed a renaissance as a boutique hotel.

From the exterior, on the Lautaro Rosas street, only a small plaque with the wording Zero indicates that through the door is a hotel, otherwise it is completely discreet.

Here there are only 9 guest rooms, each one different from the other.

Experience Chile Suggestion

ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Zero in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Santiago airport or city centre. We suggest Hotel Zero as a place to start or end your Chilean adventure. What’s more, we can integrate a stay at the Zero with a visit to a winery on the way, or the way back.

About

The Hotel Zero is a large residential house built in the 1920’s. It has different sized rooms located on two floors, a large, classic internal staircase, and wooden floorboards.

There is a modest restaurant, as well as a small outdoor pool with sun terrace, set in the exterior, terraced gardens. In addition, the hotel offers a snug lounge area where there is also a tiny bar.

Considering the hotel only offers 9 guest rooms, it retains a very personal ambience.

Restaurant

Hotel Zero offers a modest sized restaurant for hotel guests, which is also the breakfast room.

Hotel Palacio Astoreca

Introduction

The building, which is a designated heritage site, dates back to 1923, but was renovated into a top-end boutique hotel in the late 2000’s.

Located beside the Yugoslav Plaza, on the Alegre hill, the hotel offers 23 guest rooms.

Experience Chile Suggestion

ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Palacio Astoreca in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Santiago airport or city centre. We suggest Hotel Palacio Astoreca as a place to start or end your Chilean adventure. What’s more, we can integrate a stay at the Palacio Astoreca with a visit to a winery on the way, or the way back.

About

The Hotel Palacio Astoreca, from the outside, looks to be a grand, historical building – a place of previous importance. Its bright, red and white exterior stands out, along with the period architecture.

However, inside, it becomes a modern, 21st Century building with each room having received a modern style interior decoration makeover, accompanied with equally modern facilities. The en-suite bathrooms also radiate a fine attention to detail and are excellently renovated.

In the basement there is a spa with indoor pool; elsewhere there is a wine cellar, piano bar, library, and an exterior terrace overlooking the small, Yugoslav Plaza below.

About Yugoslav Plaza

In 1880 the same plaza was known as the American Promenade. Then, in 1916, a large building, positioned on the south-east side of the plaza, with a Central European-looking architectural exterior, was constructed for the Zanelli family, but later acquired in 1925 by Croatian Pascual Baburizza. It was then named as the Baburizza Palace. However, in 1971 the mansion was turned into the Museum of Beaux Arts and open to the public. Later, in 1979, it was declared a historic monument.

There is a fine, wide terrace that leads off the Yugoslav Plaza and past the front side of the Museum and at the end is the access point to the Peral funicular elevator. This funicular will take you down to the ground level where Justice square is located, just off of the larger Plaza Sotomayor and the headquarters of the Chilean Navy. In addition, there is access to the public area of the port.

Restaurant

Palacio Astoreca hotel offers the Pais Restaurant where there is a varied menu. The name of the restaurant is from the grape variety “Pais”, brought to Chile by Spanish missionaries in the 16th Century.

Hotel Casa Higueras

Introduction

Hotel Casa Higueras is a 20-guest room, boutique hotel situated in the Cerro Alegre sector of the Valparaiso hills.

The hotel is actually a manor house dating back to the early 1920’s, but tastefully renovated in the mid 2000’s, opening as a hotel on the 18 December 2006. From the guest rooms on the bay side there are views down to Valparaiso Bay and port as well the Valparaiso hills.

Experience Chile Suggestion

ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Casa Higueras in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Santiago airport or city centre. We suggest Hotel Casa Higueras as a place to start or end your Chilean adventure. What’s more, we can integrate a stay at the Casa Higueras with a visit to a winery on the way, or the way back.

About

Originally constructed as a manor house in the early 1920’s, today the building is a high-end boutique hotel incorporating seven floors, a number of which open into different exterior terrace levels in order to sit on the steep part of the hill upon which it is constructed. There is a small lift connecting three of the four guest room floors. The interior still retains an internal “private house” feel, even though it is now a hotel.

Offering more than 1,600 m2 of overall space, the 20 guest rooms have each been decorated in a classic Italian style and to a very high standard.

In addition, there is a small outdoor pool and sun deck area, terrace restaurant and jacuzzi as well as a tastefully furnished and decorated lounge.

History
Originally the house was the property of Federico Corssen Deche and his family who were very, local “high society”, throwing memorable parties for the other “well off” residents of Valparaiso. Particularly they threw New Year parties at their house whereupon fellow party goes could stand on the terrace, from where there was a fine view to Valparaiso Bay, and watch, even then, the firework display at midnight.

Restaurant

There is one restaurant, called Maralegre, on a covered, outdoor terrace from which there is a direct view down the hill to the port below. Here the menu is a la carte.

Sheraton Miramar

Introduction

The Sheraton Miramar is the renovated and modernised reincarnation of the historic Hotel Miramar that occupied the exact same site previously. It was in the late 1990’s when the Sheraton group bought Miramar (means sea view) and opened the new version in the early 2000’s.

Often, when a new owner comes along, they do not always improve on what was before, however, in this case Sheraton accomplished a fine job.

Experience Chile Suggestion

ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Sheraton Miramar in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Santiago airport or city centre. We suggest Hotel Sheraton Miramar as a place to start or end your Chilean adventure. What’s more, we can integrate a stay at the Sheraton Miramar with a visit to a winery on the way, or the way back.

About

The Hotel Sheraton Miramar is a rare place whereby intelligent thought has gone into the redevelopment of an original hotel to make optimum use of the one reason why people come to the coast: the sea.

Whereas many hotels will not have large enough windows to offer a good view, or maybe they offer partial or obscured view, the Sheraton Miramar has excelled in securing a stunning, direct view of the Pacific Ocean from every single room.

Should you be wishing to experience a full-on view of the Pacific Ocean and at the same time, receive high-end comforts during your stay, the Sheraton Miramar is the place.
The 142 guest rooms all have balconies and fine views directly to the Pacific Ocean. All rooms are spacious, well decorated, well-furnished and with good-sized en-suite bathrooms.

The main interior of the hotel enjoys a naturally illuminated atrium containing a central staircase and elevator shaft serving all floors. Also on the first floor is the main restaurant and bar.

The ground floor is where the conference rooms are as well as spa, fitness and indoor heated pool are located. In addition, there is an exterior sun terrace where an outdoor pool is located together with sun loungers.

The exterior of the hotel offers a superb terrace for lunch, cocktails and evening meals, from where there is a great view of the sea below.

It is also possible to take a walk along the promenade from the hotel, and even down to the beaches in Vina, and a trip to the casino.

Restaurant

There are two restaurants available at Sheraton Miramar, one internal and one external, on the terrace. In each case the food is International and Mediterranean and to a high standard.

Hotel Isla Seca Zapallar

Introduction

Zapallar is the most upmarket beach-side village in Chile, and located reasonably close to Santiago. For short-term visitors there is, currently, only one hotel that can be considered as having a good location, comfortable accommodation, is well decorated and offers an overall pleasant ambience and this is the Hotel Isa Seca (Isla Seca means Desert Island, by the way).

Experience Chile Suggestion

ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Isla Seca in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Santiago airport or city centre. We suggest Isla Seca as a place to start or end your Chilean adventure.

About

The Hotel Isla Seca first appeared back in the early 1990’s. At that time, it was a very special place. Hardly frequented due to the lack of foreign visitors to Chile and a general lack of Chileans travelling out to Zapallar. What this meant was for those making the trip, the Hotel Isla Seca, along with the village of Zapallar, was all a “well kept” secret. A small “bubble” of a coastal paradise that felt like it was all kind of “private” for those visiting.

However, a decade later the visitor numbers increased, and an annex to the hotel was constructed. This is a separate building located about 50mts from the main building.
Towards the end of 2010 the hotel changed hands and became part of a Chilean, national hotel chain, albeit a very small one. The hotel also underwent a full renovation.
Isa Seca today is very much a boutique hotel. Its interior reflects that of an up-market English country house. Its claim to fame is having the ex-UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher, visit when she came to Chile on a commercially backed private visit back in the mid 1990’s.

With only 40 guest rooms it still retains an element of cosiness. In the main building the rooms on the ocean side have a fine view out of the windows to the swimming pool and garden with the Pacific Ocean beyond. Rooms in the central sector of the hotel on the 2nd floor, along with rooms on the 3 floor on the Pacific side, have small balconies. The rooms in the top floor “roof” of the hotel also have balconies, but very small.

The rooms in the annex building do not enjoy the same views the rooms in the main hotel have. For example, the Pacific side rooms in the annex will have more of a view to the woods, with the Pacific behind the trees.

The restaurant opens access through a set of tall French Windows to an exterior, covered terrace, and beyond the terrace is a small garden with palm trees each end and a swimming pool in the middle. The terrace is an ideal place for an early evening summer cocktail.

From the back of the hotel, there is also access to a route that leads down to a fine coastal footpath that also connects to Zapallar beach, about 15 mins away on foot.

Bikes

One recent addition to the facilities the hotel offers is the use of bikes. These are available for guest use to explore the area.

Restaurant

The Isla Seca hotel restaurant is located one floor down from the lobby floor. Here the menu offers a Mediterranean-style choice of dishes together with a good wine list.

Wyndham Pettra

Introduction

Hotel Wyndham Pettra Santiago is located in a residential sector of Santiago considered to be the most affluent. It is a modern property occupying a modest 6 floors, offering 105 modern guest rooms.

It is not near a metro station, nor any of the “typical” attractions mentioned by other Santiago hotels. However, everything in Santiago is very close by way of the excellent, fast speed highways nearby. For example, to get to La Condes or Providencia is, literally a five-minute transfer ride.

Opposite the hotel is an “outdoor, Mediterranean-style mall”, which means a mall that is not totally covered.

One of the great advantages to this hotel is that it is in a quiet area, yet accessible to everywhere else – only 20mins from Santiago airport too.

About

The Hotel Wyndham Pettra Santiago is a modern hotel in arguably the most affluent residential suburb of Santiago called Lo Barnechea.

Apart from the 105 well-appointed guest rooms, the hotel offers a terrace garden, small pool and Wellness centre. In addition, there is a good restaurant. Free underground parking is beneath the hotel for those who come with their own car.

Pullman Vitacura

Introduction

The Hotel Pullman Vitacura is a fine, modern, mid-level hotel offering 270 guest rooms on 20 floors. Renovated in 2021 and with a striking artistic mural covering the height of the western exterior wall, this hotel is “young”, vibrant and contemporary.
Rooms on the southern side offer fine views to the Los Leones Golf Club fairways and the Andes.

About

The Hotel Pullman Vitacura is the brand that has taken over from the previous “Atton” hotels chain. Pullman has renovated the original hotels and now offers well-located, good mid level hotels in key areas of Santiago.

This particular hotel offers spacious guest rooms, some with striking views to the Andes, a small exterior pool, a good restaurant and bar, and easy walking access to the up-market boutique mall called Casa Costanera, where there are designer stores and great restaurants.

Also, very near to the hotels is the large Costanera Centre mall and Sky Tower with its observation floor that gives a 360-degree view over all of Santiago.

In addition, there is the affluent El Golf district around the corner, offering fine restaurants and then there is the large park called “Parque Bicentenario” for leisurely walks. What’s more, the high-end street called Alonzo de Cordoba is also a short walk from this hotel, where there are designer fashion shops and a “state of the art” restaurant and bar centre “CV Galeria”.

For all of these above reasons this hotel is one of our favourites for our clients requiring a stay in Santiago.

Hyatt Place

Introduction

The Hyatt Place hotel is a modern-style property in the up-market suburb of Vitacura, Santiago. The 13 – storey hotel offers 160 guest rooms, roof-top pool and restaurant with terrace. Fine views to the Andes from the eastern side of the hotel on the upper floors.

Located back off the Vespuccio street that leads to Santiago airport, in beside a residential sector.

About

Hyatt Place is part of the Hyatt family of hotels, however this property is designed to be more of a practical product for the middle sector market.

The rooms are very good, carpeted, which creates an immediate of cosiness and the floor to ceiling windows offer great views to the Andes on the eastern side or to the city on the western side.

On the top floor an indoor pool waits as does a restaurant with fine exterior terrace.

Hotel Bidasoa

Introduction

Bidasoa hotel is a family-owned property offering 87 guest rooms. In the new sector of the hotel the rooms are modern and practical. The restaurant has a Mediterranean style, in keeping with the Italian restaurant the family owns in the El Golf area of Las Condes.

Although the hotel is not near a metro station, it is in a quiet residential area and not far from the top-end Casa Constanera mall and restaurant centre located just off the high-end street called Alonzo de Cordoba.

One of the key aspects to this hotel is that there is an emphasis on reducing the property carbon footprint as much as possible by way of using as many “eco friendly” parts and accessories as possible including energy and food source.

About

Hotel Bidasoa in Vitacura Santiago is a cosy, family-owned boutique “art deco” style property. The hotel has two parts. The original, now older sector, where the older, but renovated rooms are, and the new sector where the modern, cosy, but minimalist guest rooms are located. Also in the new sector is a small, outdoor pool with terrace, an Italian themed restaurant and nice exterior dining area too. In addition, the hotel now has a “Champagne bar”.

Underground car-parking is also a benefit of this hotel.

The are where the hotel is located is residential, therefore offering, perhaps, a quieter stay than other hotels next to busy roads.

There is no close-by metro station, but there are various restaurants and shops all within walking distance, including the up-market Casa Costanera on the Nueva Costanera street where there are high-end designer boutique shops and fine restaurants. Also, behind this small mall is a nice park called “Parque Bicentenario”, which is good for walks.

Hilton Double Tree

Introduction

The Hotel Hilton Double Tree is a modern property occupying the rounded corner of the main Kennedy Avenue and the Santiago ring road called Americo Vespucio.
Offering 225 well appointed guest rooms on 17 floors, plus a good restaurant and terrace on the highest floor that offers fine views over Santiago. In addition, there is an outdoor pool and fitness centre.

Considering that the hotel is adjacent to the Santiago ring road, access to the airport is quick and easy. Also in this area is the very large Parque Arauco shopping mall and the high-end street called Alonzo de Cordoba, which is home to a number of high-end boutiques and restaurants.

About

Hilton DoubleTree hotel has been designed in a curved shape in order to fully occupy the corner space where it sits. This clever design allows for great views from its 225 guest rooms. It is a modern hotel with good sized rooms.

Holiday Inn Las Condes

Introduction

The Holiday Inn Express hotel in the Las Condes district of Santiago de Chile is, like its sister hotels in Chile, an “Express” branded hotel. What this means is that it is designed for the short stay and offers practically over luxury.

The hotel has spacious guest rooms with good facilities and even a gym, but it does not offer things like swimming pools or restaurants.

About

The Holiday Inn Express Las Condes hotel offers 68 good-sized guest rooms on 8 floors. The hotel occupies a corner where the streets known as Presidente Riesco and Vitacura meet. Almost opposite is the U.S. Embassy.

The area in which the hotel is situated is the up-market Las Condes suburb, and on the edge of the affluent El Golf neighbourhood within Las Condes.
The hotel is practical, modern, but with “no frills”.

Pullman Bosque

Introduction

Part of a small, Chilean national hotel chain called Pullman, the property called El Bosque offers 234 modern, minimalist-designed guest rooms on 18 floors.

About

The hotel underwent a remodelling in 2022 whereupon the interior decoration is “young modern”. Each of the 234 guest rooms is spacious, with practical and modern fittings and furniture.

Other services include underground car parking, a restaurant, bar and cafeteria, swimming pool and fitness centre on the 18th floor.

Ritz El Golf

Introduction

The Ritz Hotel of Santiago de Chile enjoys the name of its famous counterparts in London and Paris, however, it is not as large, nor historic as the aforementioned hotels. The Ritz Santiago is a modern 5-start, international hotel, but its interior is in the classic English style.

Its 205 guest rooms are comfortable, “cosy” and furnished with traditional-looking furniture.

Unlike the other large, international hotels in the city, the Ritz offers a much more “homely” environment, and it is very well located too.

About

The Santiago Ritz Hotel is a rather slim building of 14 floors, with an indoor swimming pool on the covered roof. Its interior is “old fashioned” elegance, in the English style, priding itself with an afternoon tea option for visitors.

Among the hotel facilities is a health and fitness centre, restaurant, bar, business services area, bar and a “drawing room” style lounge.

Hyatt Centric

Introduction

Hotel Hyatt Centric is a modern hotel along the lines of practicality. Interior decoration is simple, but welcoming and guest rooms are practical. One of the key benefits to the Hyatt Centric is its location. In the heart of the affluent suburb of Las Condes, but also in the affluent sector known as El Golf. Also, a very short walk to the El Golf metro station on line one, that leads to downtown Santiago and Providencia. Also, in this immediate area are a number of good restaurants and shopping malls.

About

Hyatt Centric hotel offers a total of 166 practical-style, modern guest rooms. Specifically, the hotel is well located, both in an affluent neighbourhood, near the El Golf metro station on line one and around the corner from many restaurants Santiago’s leading shopping mall.

Facilities include a roof-top pool and bistro restaurant.

The style of the hotel is modern, with a young persons “vibe”.

Mandarin Oriental

Introduction

The building that the Mandarin Oriental occupies used to be known as The Hyatt. However, the large, high-end hotel group from the orient has installed itself within the same walls and totally renovated every aspect of the interior to offer the Mandarin Oriental Santiago.

Considered to be the best, or certainly one of the best, international style hotels in the capital, the hotel architecture is a circular 18 storey tower within which are the 310 spacious guest rooms. In addition, there are fine restaurants and a large, outdoor pool with an impressive waterfall.

About

The Mandarin Oriental is the first choice of many of the celebrities who visit Santiago. Indeed, when this same space was occupied by Hyatt, the then President Clinton and his entourage stayed here during his presidential visit to Chile. The hotel offers a large and impressive atrium lobby, spacious rooms, some with an enviable view to the Andes, a fitness and wellness centre, a large outdoor lagoon-style pool with terraces shaded by palm trees, three main restaurants including Italian (Senso restaurant) and Nikkei dishes (Matsuri restaurant)

Sheraton

Introduction

The Sheraton Santiago Hotel and Convention Centre is a large, international five-star hotel. With 499 guest rooms, the Sheraton is one of, if not, “the” largest hotel in Santiago. Considering the type of hotel it is, you will find here all the facilities and amenities associated with such a property, including a large outdoor pool, an indoor heated pool, fitness and spa centre; coffee shop, lobby bar, the “twenty one” bar and lounge (on the 21st floor), barber an beauty shop, and five restaurants, including El Cid and El Bohio (by the outdoor pool),

About

Hotel Sheraton Santiago is part of the Marriot group of hotels. The 499 guest rooms are split between the original sector of the hotel and the later, “tower” added in the 1990’s. This is a large property offering 15 different categories of room, but each one decorated and furnished to high standards. For those who enjoy the international “vibe” of a hotel with a constant buzz and all the facilities that also go hand-in-hand with such a place, Sheraton is a good option.

Le Reve Listo

Introduction

Le Rêve is a boutique hotel that occupies an historic building in one of the remaining few culturally interesting streets of Santiago.
Offer 31 guest rooms on 4 floors (with an elevator), inner court garden, some with a small balcony, or terrace.

It should be noted that the actual building that the hotel occupies is a Chilean National Monument.

As the name may suggest, the hotel has French roots. Originally the building designed in the French architectural style, the hotel follows its French history, and the interior decoration and overall style is based upon the French style, but for today’s world. Classic, high-end interior room decoration offers comfort and cosiness.

About

The Orrego Luco Street, where Le Reve is located, is an architectural “microcosm” of an elegant past life. At a time in Chile when numerous small neighbourhoods sprouted up as the Chilean economy grew in the 19th Century, the properties around the Orrego Lucro street were the town houses for the “well off”.

With European style facades, the buildings in these small areas looked like they had been transported to Santiago from Paris or London.

The La Reve hotel now occupies one of these historical buildings, retaining the exterior European style façade, but with totally renovated interiors to offer 32 quality guest accommodation rooms.

In line with quality-level, boutique hotels in Europe, Le Reve operates an “honesty bar” system in it lounge area.

Singular Listo

Introduction

The Singular Lastarria Santiago is the sister hotel to the Singular Patagonia, however, each hotel is very different to the other.

Singular Santiago is a city hotel, built in a modern, high-end, “New York” style. Very much a boutique hotel pertaining to be at the luxury end of the market with carefully planned interior decoration in the traditional and English classical style from a past century. It offers 62 guest rooms on 9 floors.

About

Singular Santiago is in the historically cultural district called Lastarria. The hotel itself is beside the Merced street and offers the visitor an experience into the elegance of high-end good taste when it comes to guest room style and interior decoration.

Among the hotels facilities is a penthouse terrace bar with great views over Santiago rooftops, and a ground floor restaurant specialising in exquisite menu options such as oysters from Chiloe (in the south of Chile), Patagonian guanaco and octopus among the offerings.

At the hotels café 294 you will fine freshly roasted coffee, teas and a pâtisserie.

In addition, on the top floor there is an outdoor swimming pool. Elsewhere the hotel offers a Wellness Spa and Gym.

Cumbres Listo

Introduction

The Hotel Cumbres in Lastarria, is a modern boutique hotel offering 70 well appointed, spacious guest rooms along with other usual hotel services and facilities.

About

Cumbres Lastarria has been built as a modern hotel occupying the space of where there used to be the original, much older, buildings. Constructing the hotel from scratch has enabled a fresh, modern and clean design to be implemented into the hotel.

This in turn allows for spacious, contemporary guest rooms, but in a classic style.

Antiplanico Listo

Introduction

The Hotel Altiplanico Bellas Artes is part of a small group of boutique hotels located in key touristic destinations throughout Chile. In line with the other Altiplanico hotels, the Bellas Artes is small and personal, offering 24 guest rooms each renovated and creatively designed with contemporary interior decoration in what used to be a 4-storey house.

About

Altiplanico Bellas Artes hotel takes its name from the close by Bellas Artes museum (National Fine Arts Museum), that often show cases renown art exhibitions among its other artistic items.

The hotel is very much in the upper-end boutique category, occupying what used to be a 4-storey 1909 town house in one of historic Santiago’s more affluent sectors - Lastarria. In particular the hotel is beside a city street but facing the Parque Forestal.

In line with other Altiplanco hotels emphasis has been on minimising environmental impact on refurbishing an historic building into a modern-day hotel. With this in mind the original facade of the hotel has been preserved. Another key point is that the interior is of a fresh, modern, minimalist design incorporating high-end interior decoration. This is accompanied with high tech services so that guests have access to the latest comforts in life.

Among the many illustrations of a high-end boutique hotel is the honesty bar for guests who like to have an early evening drink or night cap.

Check In: 15:00 h // Check out 12:00 h

Holiday Inn Santiago Airport

Should Experience Chile be arranging your full Chile travel itinerary we may well be able to include a night or more at this hotel free of charge. It all depends on how extensive your itinerary is.

Introduction

The Holiday Inn group has a number of its hotels located in the key cities of Chile. In this instance, this particular hotel is positioned in the enviable location of being inside the Santiago airport main sector and offers handy, walking distance travel to either the national or international terminals.

The hotel itself is practical and very respectable with good rooms.

About

Hotel Holiday Inn Express, Santiago airport, as the “express” in the name implies, is a hotel offering quick stays manly for logistical purposes for those who need good night’s sleep just after arrival to Chile or with an early check-in prior to their departure flight. It is a 6-floor building offering a total of 224 guest rooms.

Rooms are to a good level and sound proofed. It should be noted that the hotel is ideal for quick, walking access from or to either terminal.

Facilities include an indoor pool, a sauna and a fitness centre and grill restaurant.

Businessmen and women will have access to a Business Centre, four meeting rooms and free Wi-Fi access.

Hotel Altiplanico – Easter Island

Should you select Altiplanico Easter Island and wish to have a bed and breakfast stay along with your own rent a car, or a fully all-inclusive stay with all transport, excursions and meals included please ask ExperienceChile.Org to sort it out. We have good relations with key local people in Easter Island who can show you the “jewels” of the Island and talk about its history.

Introduction

Along with its sister Altiplanico lodges in Chile, the Altiplanico at Easter Island offers a unique, independent, boutique style small hotel, but to high standards. The owners have made a specific effort to reflect local Rapa Nui culture in the design of the buildings, as well as involving music, art, and history depictions into the exterior and interior decoration.

About

Altiplanico lodge buildings and facilities occupies 1.5 hectares of land and comprises of a main building with open lounge and restaurant, and a number of individual villas that home the 17 guest rooms. In addition, there is an outdoor pool, gardens, and open spaces in-between the guest villas.

The complex is in an area known as the Hiniere sector, about 2km from Hanga Roa village. It is also on the coast with views to the Pacific Ocean.
Considering the location of the hotel, it offers a quiet place to return to after a day of excursions.

Restaurant

With a seated capacity for 48 guests, the Altiplanico restaurant is a great place to enjoy a fusion of Polynesian and Easter Island Cuisine.

Local ingredients include tuna, lobster and sweet potatoes among other specialities such as the typical fruits like cassava, taro, guava and mango.

One of the unique aspects to dining here is the setting. Three sides of the restaurant are open to the exterior and one full side has a direct view of the garden and to the Pacific Ocean.

Hotel Hanga Roa – Easter Island

Introduction

The Hotel Hanga Roa is a property that occupies a position previously held by another hotel that was called Hanga Roa. Most recently it has been acquired by, or joined, the Nayara brand.
The new hotel was built from scratch and developed into a high-end, modern “island hotel”, emitting a style similar to what one would find on other Pacific islands such as Tahiti. It has an island up market “resort” ambience.

It offers 75 guest rooms, a large outdoor pool area, Pacific-side restaurant, and easy access to all areas of the village.

About

In the middle of Hanga Roa village, in front of the Pacific Ocean is the Hotel Hanga Roa.

This is a high-end hotel offering 75 spacious guest rooms, a spa, large open-air pool sector, a modern, half “al fresco” restaurant, and an overall ambience normally associated with a resort hotel on a Pacific Island like Tahiti.

For those who like to walk around the local Hanga Roa village, that is easily done because the village is around the hotel.

Architecturally there is nothing like this hotel on Easter Island. Notably no building is higher than one floor, and the exterior of all the units is “robust”, with thick-looking walls, coloured with ascetically, natural earth colours. In addition, a number of the buildings are circular with grass-covered roofs, replicating the ancient stone-built and grass-covered dwellings at Orongo, on the rim of the crater at Rano Kau Volcano (the large volcanic crater next to Hanga Roa village). Thereby, trying to create a hotel that emulates actual history of the Island.

Around the pool sector the boundary walls are built from volcanic rocks as well as areas where lose volcanic rocks and stones are used as a decorative way to fill in spaces in the garden.
The interior of the hotel, in all areas, is modern, with curved, split-level ceilings and plastered walls, both coloured in white and almost white colours accompanied by “mood” lighting.
Like other top-end hotels Hanga Roa Hotel offers all-inclusive programs with guided tours and excursions throughout the Island, meals and transport included in the rate.

Restaurant

The Poevara restaurant faces the Pacific with one side open to the elements. Here the hotel offers international cuisine created from local ingredients.

Hotel Explora – Easter Island

Introduction

The Explora group offers high-end, boutique “adventure” lodges from where guests can embark on various, daily excursions to experience, understand and know the local habitat. And, at the end of the day, return to a comfortable room, enjoy great food, with top wines and relax in a nice atmosphere.

This lodge, in line with its sister lodges in Torres del Paine, San Pedro de Atacama and elsewhere, follows a unique exterior architectural design, but a minimalist interior design with exposed raw cement walls in guest rooms, offset by some wooden panelling, modern furniture, lighting and warm fabrics.

All Inclusive Program

In line with other hotels of this high-end category, Explora offers all-inclusive programs. These include everything you need during your stay, such as all meals, transfers in and out, tours and excursions with educated guides, lodge facilities and, of course, accommodation.

About

The Explora group of adventure lodges has manged to mark a presence in the key “naturally-dramatic and beautiful” destinations of Chile. These are: Easter Island, San Pedro de Atacama, Carretera Austral and Torres del Paine. In each case, the main lodge is architecturally unique, minimalist, and different to the normal hotel or lodge style that travellers are accustomed to.

The Explora Easter Island lodge is, possibly, the one which is “the simplest” of the group. The exterior design comprises a number of units spread in “open fan” shape, each with a flat roof, protected by earth-coloured tiles, exterior walls are covered in dark wood panelling from halfway up, and natural stone from the ground to where it meets the wood.

On the side of the lodge that faces the countryside and Pacific Ocean (in the distance), there are numerous tall windows so guests can enjoy great views of the natural surroundings.
The interior communal areas are naturally welcoming, courtesy of modern, light-coloured wood panelling on walls and ceilings. However, in the guest rooms, there is a mix of exposed raw cement walls, with a small amount of natural wood panelling.

In the lodge grounds, connected by an exterior boardwalk, there is an outdoor swimming pool with sun lounge deck.

There are only 30 guest rooms at Explora Easter Island, which enables for a more “intimate” stay experience.

Restaurant

The lodge offers a restaurant for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food served here is of haute cuisine involving local, flavoursome ingredients.

Altiplanico Atacama

Introduction

Hotel Altiplanico was one of the original boutique desert-style lodges in San Pedro de Atacama. It offers simple, but bohemian-decorated style rooms, some with protected outdoor showers. There is a restaurant and small outdoor pool as well.

The location of the hotel is about 1km away from the centre of the village, at the entry to the Quitor Canyon, which offers a degree of quietness.

Altiplanico is part of a small, family network of Altiplanico hotels at key Chilean tourist destinations. Each hotel is unique and personal, the objective being to create a “homely” ambience, as well as being individually designed to blend into the local environment.

About

For ExperienceChile.Org the Altiplanico has always been one of our favourites. At San Pedro de Atacama the Altiplanico design concept has been to create a building that blends into the natural surroundings, both inside and out. Walls are constructed from adobe, meaning clay bricks mixed with stones, wood and straw. They are then coloured in a deep red, or brown-orange, reflecting a natural earth colour of the desert, combined with interior straw, or wood-beamed ceilings, and indigenous decorations on some of the walls and around the lights.

Rooms are also individual, some larger than others with en-suite bathrooms, some with exterior showers with no roof, but where the user can enjoy bathing under the natural sky. However, there are walls all around providing privacy at ground level at least.

This hotel is definitely “cosy” and an ideal place to receive the Atacama experience, but at a lower cost than some other lodges.

When standing outside the hotel entrance, to left is the impressive Quitor Canyon, with is steep walls and San Pedro river flowing through the canyon floor, which is also a nice place to explore on bikes. On the horizon opposite the hotel is the dominant, perfectly conical and sometimes snow topped Licancabur Volcano keeping watch over San Pedro de Atacama village.

Restaurant

In the main reception building (which is small, and a mix of a lounge with small eating area) is the restaurant, where breakfast is also served. Altiplanico’s ethos is to provide a “homely” ambience and to this degree the restaurant offers food more in line with home cooking, based upon Peruvian, Chilean and Atacameñan dishes rather than “haute cuisine”. Typical ingredients used are purple-coloured potatoes, quinoa, scallops, chañar and indigenous-cultivated corn.

Cumbres Atacama

Introduction

Hotel Cumbres one of the largest hotels in Sa Pedro de Atacama, with 60 guest rooms.

It is located in an area almost opposite the Tierra Atacama, but on the “other side” of the small, dusty road. This is an area on the periphery of San Pedro village.
Overall, this hotel radiates more of a commercial feel due to its large size, and its meeting and conference facilities. There are more people, larger spaces, even T.V.s in the guest rooms, therefore, if this is what you are after then it is a good option.

Facilities include outdoor swimming pools, a gym, massage and even two saunas, plus a restaurant of course.

As with the other higher-end hotels, or lodges in and around San Pedro de Atacama, Cumbres offers excursions with their own vehicles with guides.

About

Cumbres Atacama is a “desert-designed” hotel, but with a “city-like” hotel feel. It offers spacious guest rooms, each one located next to the other in long “wings” of the hotel. Within the rooms are TV’s with cable service – something the other higher-end lodges do not offer, and exterior, private patio areas outside each room.

Upon entry to the main reception area, one is greeted by a sense of space. The lobby is spacious, the restaurant with many tables, long exterior paths off which are the individual room entrances.

The hotel occupies a large chunk of land within which are native trees and desert plants.

Restaurant

The Kunza restaurant offers “Atacama” gastronomy using ingredients form the area. The actual place where the restaurant is located is in the main, reception sector of the hotel, where quite a number of tables are waiting for guests for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Awasi Atacama

Hotel Awasi in San Pedro de Atacama prides itself as being the only luxury lodge offering custom, private tours and excursions with a dedicated driver/guide allocated to each guest suite.

In San Pedro de Atacama the Lodge is located either side of a side street in the centre of the village. In total there are 12 suite rooms, each one is spacious, decorated both externally and internally with the natural colouring of the surrounding desert.

About
The Awasi hotel, or lodge in San Pedro de Atacama has positioned itself as a unique product. What is meant by this is that unlike a typical hotel, here, when you book a guest room you will receive a dedicated vehicle with driver, who will also be your personal guide for all excursions and tours that you decide to take during your visit.

The lodge is boutique in style. The buildings relating to the lodge are situated either side of a small village road, with some rooms and the reception on one side and the other rooms, restaurant, terrace and small pool on the other side. Don’t worry, each side is sealed off from the street by a wall and for all intents and purposes no one realises that either side there is a hotel.

The main area, where the restaurant is located, is where people can relax in chairs and around tables in an exterior terrace area. The restaurant is also on the edge of this terrace, open on one side, but also under cover. In addition, the kitchen is adjacent to the restaurant and visibly open to the eye.

Gastronomy is a key piece to the Awasi offering, with each plate crafted to haute cuisine levels accompanied by the best Chilean wines.

In the middle of this outer terrace is a small swimming pool.

One thing, however, that guests should be aware of at Awasi is that there are no particular views to any of the Atacama landscape from the rooms nor any other part of the hotel. However, it is positioned smack bang in the middle of the village and therefore it is easy walking to look around San Pedro de Atacama.

Awasi, like other top-end lodges in the area, specialises in offering an all-inclusive program whereby guests will book 4 and more, on the basis that everything is included. Therefore, transfers in and out, all meals, accommodation, tours, excursions are all included during your stay so all you need do is relax and enjoy.

If you see privacy and discretion, Awasi is a good option.

Restaurant
The Awasi restaurant is located in an outdoor terrace area, but with roof covering leaving one side open. The resident chef has only one mission, which is to provide guests with what they desire and to a level of high gastronomic delight.

Nayara Alto Atacama

Introduction

Hotel Nayara Alto Atacama began life as a high-end family-owned hotel and opened its doors in 2008. Today it managed by Naraya hotel group, along with the Hanga Roa Hotel on Easter Island.

The hotel, or lodge, itself is an excellent product. Architecturally it radiates high-end design, with large guest rooms, some with equally large outer terraces, a number of exterior bathing pools, its own observatory for star gazing, a fine outdoor restaurant, spa and inner gardens.

All buildings are coloured with tones of the natural, surrounding desert which camouflages excellent into the sand-coloured surroundings.

Another aspect to this lodge is that it is located on an elevation in the entry sector to the Quitor Canyon, offering a certain amount of tranquillity and quietness not found in the centre of San Pedro village.

All Inclusive Program
In line with other hotels of this high-end category, Nayara Alto Atacama offers all-inclusive programs. This means that during your stay everything you need such as all meals, transfers in and out, tours and excursions with educated guides, lodge facilities and, of course, accommodation is included. All you need to do is relax and enjoy.

About

For ExperienceChile.Org the Nayara Alto Atacama lodge is right up there as being one of the best desert lodges in San Pedro de Atacama, if not in the entire Atacama.

What makes this hotel so good is its uniqueness and attention to detail. All the guest rooms offer a good amount of space along with an exterior, covered, private patio area.

The overall interior decoration of the buildings compliment, in a harmonic way, to the exterior colours of the desert and, the exterior of the buildings has almost the same colour as the orange and red of the desert canyon walls.

The leisure facilities are also finished to a high degree of quality, both the spa and exterior bathing pools.

In addition the is an interior corral where native llamas wander.

Finally, and perhaps the greatest surprise here is the hotel’s own small observatory for star gazing.

All-Inclusive
Like the other top-end lodges in San Pedro de Atacama, the Nayara Alto Atacama lodge specialises in “all-inclusive” programs. This means that you book, for example, four nights, or longer, and pay for everything that will include accommodation, meals, facilities and tours that are guided by educated guides, along with transport and, when required, high-end picnics.

Restaurant

The main restaurant at Alto Atacama is located near the main entrance and covers and indoor and outdoor area. The menu offers crafted dishes that use locally grown produce, accompanied by a quality Chilean wine selection.

Explora Atacama

The Explora brand began in Torres del Paine in 1993 with an objective to offer those who love the outdoors. Aimed at people who want excursions, and experiences into the natural world, accompanied by educated guides and be able to return to a high-quality lodge each night and sleep in comfort, enjoy good food, good wines and relax in a place offering luxury facilities.

Five years later, in 1998, Explora launched its Atacama lodge. Perhaps ambitiously, the San Pedro building, like its sister lodge in Patagonia, tried to be a pioneering architectural accomplishment. The idea was to have a main building that reflected the immense space of the Atacama Desert with incredibly high ceilings, walls painted white and a minimalist feel. Rooms, too, were designed to mix high-end quality with a minimalist design.

Taking note that many guests did not appreciate the “cavernous” stye of the main building interior and simple guest rooms, Explora adjusted these elements and today the main building is much cosier, rooms are not so minimalist and the overall product is one of the best in San Pedro de Atacama.

Indeed, as with the Explora lodge in Torres del Paine, their Atacama Lodge concept went on to be copied by all the other high-end lodges around the village. However, as pioneers they set the standard and continue to innovate, opening other lodges in key natural areas where guests and enjoy what Mother Nature has provided.

All Inclusive Program
In line with other hotels of this high-end category, Explora offers all-inclusive programs. These include everything you need during your stay, such as all meals, transfers in and out, tours and excursions with educated guides, lodge facilities and, of course, accommodation.

About
Explora Atacama is a uniquely designed set of buildings that are minimalist on the exterior, but full of life and luxury amenities in the interior. The grounds within which the lodge is situated occupies 17 hectares (42 acres), which was originally 20 indigenous fields. Some of these lands still have the original foot paths and buildings from historic times. Admirably, in line with the Explora ethos to respect culture, these interesting and important marks of history are preserved.

Swimming Pools
Around and within the lodge grounds is pampas grass and other local flora. Placed among this natural vegetation are four long swimming-lane pools, and, close by are outdoor hot tubs, steam baths and a sauna.

Observatory
The Atacama Desert is renowned for having the clearest skies on Earth. This is due to the air being dry and the high altitude of the Andes. Consequently, the area is a haven for professional, international observatories, as well as the more “hobbyist” telescopes.

Explora is fortunate to have its own observatory for star gazing. The dome contains an advanced optics telescope offering a high degree of potency for viewing the solar system and stars. It is a Meade 16” f/10 LX200R Advanced RD, and a main mirror of 40 cm in diameter offering extraordinary resolution and sharpness.

Restaurant
In line with the Explora ethos to connect people as much as possible to the natural environment and cultures, the gastronomic offering includes local ingredients and “pure flavours”, within each dish. The chef will provide crafted meals that are light and healthy. In addition, Explora offers top Chilean wines to accompany your meal.

Tierra Atacama

Tierra Atacama, like its sister lodges in Torres del Paine as well as Chiloe Island, has, again, managed to pull off a wonderful, welcoming surprise here in the Atacama. The hotel is located on the extremities of the village, allowing for magnificent views of the Licancabur Volcano and Atacama plains.

The outdoor pool area offers a wonderful place to relax and cool off, whilst also taking in the jaw-dropping background view.

In addition, the restaurant, apart from providing excellent cuisine, also offers the incredible Atacamanian view from the window side.

All-Inclusive Program
In line with other hotels of this high-end category, Tierra offers all-inclusive programs whereupon you pay for a certain number of days and nights, and everything is included, such as all meals, transfers in and out, tours and excursions with educated guides, lodge facilities and, of course, accommodation.

About
The Tierra brand is associated with uniquely designed hotels set in stunning locations. The emphasis is to provide the guest with not only quality accommodation, food and overall services, but also with incredible views of the natural landscape.

Tierra Atacama has accomplished this incredibly well with the location and set up of the lodge at San Pedro de Atacama, offering 32 guest rooms.

There is a stupendous view of Licancabur Volcano and the desert plains from the terrace of all the guest rooms, as well as from the restaurant and outdoor pool area.

Rooms could be considered simply furnished, but beds and cotton sheets are of the highest quality.

The restaurant offers high-level gastronomy, accompanied by a nice bar.

For those seeking to be “pampered” during their stay there is also a fine spa with small indoor pool.

Restaurant
In the middle of the main reception area of the lodge is the restaurant. Here, breakfast is served as well as lunch and evening meals.

The chef uses local produce to infuse into the cuisine of northern Chile. Typically, there will be fresh salads, Peruvian corn, quinoa and meat or vegetarian options. The aim is to provide food that is not too heavy and offers great flavour.

As previously mentioned, outside the floor to ceiling glass walls of the restaurant is the dramatic and stunning view of Licancabur Volcano and the dried-up lava-flow canyons.

Casa Molle

In the Elqui Valley is the town of Vicuña is where most accommodation is located. However, these options are simplistic and often rustic. Therefore, we work with our accommodation partner, located about 20km before reaching Vicuña (coming from La Serena), and only a few km prior to reaching the Puclaro Reservoir Dam - the Hotel Casa Molle.

This is a family owned, constructed, and manged high-end property offering 24 guest rooms.

The hotel is an up-market boutique lodge whereupon a considerable amount of thought has gone into creating an aesthetically pleasing design, spacious guest rooms, attractive inner gardens, indoor swimming pool as well as a well-package menu of daily excursions to all the key places of interest in the valley as well as water activities on the reservoir.

About
The Casa Molle lodge is an independent hotel offering 24 well-appointed guest rooms. The owners Karim and Marisol have invested their minds, spirits, and souls over a four-year period into the project creating a high-end, boutique lodge in the middle of the charming and beautiful Elqui Valley.

The property sits on its own 17 acres (6.8 hectares) of land, a “stones throw” from the Elqui River.

Along with 6 outdoor hot tubs the lodge offers a good indoor swimming pool.

Architecture
Casa Molle combines low, wide, adobe walls in such a way to enclose large interior spaces like a fort, along with pyramid-shaped roof tops, made from a local material called Totora, as well as natural stone embedded into walls and on paths. The emphasis during design and construction was to use as much local and natural material as possible.

In line with this ethos, the owners capitalized in the rich, fertile soil and regular Mediterranean climate to create fruit-bearing orchards, and diverse gardens full of native plants in order to construct a harmony with the environment.

Within the lodge simple materials such as wicker and wood have been utilized along with pastel colouring.

At the point where the lodge is located the valleys walls are steep and this, combined with low light pollution and the clearest night skies on Earth, add to provide wonderful star gazing opportunities for guests.

In addition, Casa Molle has its own amphitheatre decorated with hand, loom-woven blankets, sheepskins, ceramic stoneware and lanterns, adding to the overall natural ambience of the lodge.

Day Excursions and Tours
The lodge offers daily tours to practically all the key places of interest in and close to the Elqui Valley. For example: Visit to the Gabriela Mistral Museum in Vicuña, visits to small, local villages including Pisco Elqui with a lunch stop at a Pisco distillery. Horse back riding. Day trip to see Humboldt Penguins on an island in the Pacific; excursion to the Valle del Encanto, the Fray Jorge Forest in the Limari Valley among many other options.

Restaurant
The Casa Molle restaurant offers, principally Mediterranean food with regional flavours and local ingredients.

Holiday Inn Iquique

Holiday Inn Express operates a chain of hotels located in most key cities throughout Chile. The concept of these hotels is to offer a “no fuss” accommodation option, but the guest rooms that are quite spacious, with good beds, clean, simple decoration, and practical en-suite bathrooms. Their design and style are very much based upon the same hotels that are found located throughout the U.S.A.

Experience Chile Suggestion
ExperienceChile.Org will be pleased to include Hotel Holiday Inn Express in your travel itinerary together with the required transfers to get you here and back from Iquique airport or city centre.

About
The Iquique Holiday Inn Express offer 116 rooms, all in the same style. Following the standard design of all other Holiday Inn Express hotels in Chile, the hotel has 3 floors, and the building is shaped in a “U” if looking down from above. There are rooms that have windows looking out to the exterior and other rooms that look into the inner garden court area and pool.

Rooms have heating, air conditioning, flat screen t.v., work area desk and Wi-Fi.

Close to the reception area and lobby is a small café-like area where breakfasts are served and also where guests can eat their own bought meals. There is no restaurant in the typical sense.

Also, in this ground-level entry zone there is a lounge and access to an outdoor terrace, inner court and pool.

Car parking is situated around the hotel in its own grounds.

Restaurant
There is no restaurant at this hotel. Only a breakfast area with tables and chairs.

Vina La Playa Hotel

This hotel derives its name from the small Tinquiririca riverbank beach borders the hotel garden. Beach in Castellano (Spanish) is “playa”, therefore, “vineyard by the beach translates to “viña la playa”.

It is, in reality, a private house that is operated as a hotel with 11 guest rooms, a small dining room, common living room and a games room with a bar.
The gardens are at the back of the hotel where there is a nice, outdoor swimming pool, tennis court and outdoor terrace adjacent to the hotel. At the front is a runway to receive small planes and then there are the vineyards.

For those who sign up for a wine “education” and tasting there is also a cellar with tasting room.

About

The Viña La Playa hotel is located west of Santa Cruz, in a rural setting, beside a river and fronted by 321 acres of vineyards. The main wines processed here are young and fresh.

The 11 guest rooms offer simple, rustic style accommodation with a colonial influence.

This is an ideal place for a group of friends or large family. It is also a good option if there are not too many other people around because when it is full, depending on who the other guests are, it can be a little noisy and less “exclusive”.

Options here include bed and breakfast, half board and all-inclusive.

Viña Vik Hotel

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Approved By Experience Chile

The Vik hotel radiates the impression that it is the private home of a very wealthy person, which effectively it is, especially when you consider that the roof is made from titanium.

It is unique, inspiring, and decadent with 22 rooms individually designed and decorated in a different theme, together with paintings or other artistic expressions from renown artists.

In addition to the rooms in the main building, there are also 7 individual villas, or bungalows as they are named.

The main building sits upon a small plateau from where there is a view down the valley on one side with the exterior pool and lake at the opposite end. From the other two sides are views of vineyards or hills.

Within the centre of the main building is a zen garden, filled with plants and colourful flowers. Then, in the common living room area there is no expense spared when you see paintings by Roberta Matta and a diptych from Anslem Kiefers the “secret life of plants”.

The restaurant is small, set within glass-sided walls on two sides, and a place where gourmet food accompanied by great wines is served.
One thing is for sure, everything about Vik is high end, modern and exclusive, to an exceptional degree.

About

The Hotel Vik dominates the valley from a small man-made plateau offering an elevated view down to the valley, lake, vineyards or across to the nearby hills.

The accommodation and overall product offering here is unique. There is nothing similar in Chile and we doubt anywhere else. It is a top-end “design” property, the ultimate in modern boutique, operating as a hotel for those guests who wish to experience something new and receive high-end personal attention.

It is a mix of modern, minimalist design, peppered with sophisticated sculptures and artwork. It will not be everyone’s “cup of tea”. It is not “cozy”, for example.
There is a granite, infinity pool at the back of the hotel, overlooking a lake, as well as relaxing spa area and back up from this sector is the hotel restaurant that also overlooks the lake and where gourmet-level gastronomic food is served and accompanied by excellent wines.

Guests here can enjoy a visit to the “James Bond”-like wine processing unit down in the valley, horse ride, trek, bike or just relax.

We would suggest that you let ExperenceChile.Org build in a stay at Vik if you wish to visit wineries, or just “pamper” yourself for a few days, perhaps before departing back to your home country.

However, this is a high-end place and that means the cost is not at the low end.

Santa Cruz Plaza Hotel

The Hotel Santa Cruz Plaza is a 116-room hotel located beside the plaza in the middle of Santa Cruz town, in the heart of the Colchagua Wine Valley.

Owned by wealthy Chilean entrepreneur Carlos Cardoen, who has his roots in Colchagua, it is a hotel offering a flavour of the Chilean colonial past with a heavy Spanish influence.

Adjacent to the hotel is an excellent, World-class history museum with archaeological artefacts discovered in the area showcasing a link back to prehistoric times as well as around the Spanish colonial period.

Another aspect to this hotel is that there is a gambling casino about one block away, but also part of the hotel complex, should trying your luck at the roulette table be your thing.

About

The Hotel Santa Cruz “looks pretty” from the outside and the interior emanates the flavour of Spain during its colonial period. It is also very much a showcase of Chilean, rural, “huaso” (cowboy) style whereupon staff use uniforms that are in the style of Chilean national “huaso” attire, which not only adds some “flavour” to the overall ambience but is something different.

There are 116 guest rooms on a number of levels, plus other rooms at ground level in the interior courtyard. Room sizes are moderate, with en-suite bathrooms as you would expect, and decorated in line with the colonial Spanish theme.

It can be a popular hotel during Chilean long weekends and often occupied by Chilean families, which, on occasion, can make the breakfast hall rather busy and noisy.

There is a nice restaurant, bar, small outdoor swimming pool, sauna, gym and massage room.

The hotel is a good base from which to venture out to see the various wineries in the valley, as well as walk around the plaza and enjoy Santa Cruz.

Clos Apalta La Postolle Hotel

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Approved By Experience Chile

The La Postolle vineyard is a project of the French owner Charles de Bournet Marnier Lapostolle and his wife. Together they have created a winery as well as a luxury-level home that they share with guests who wish to experience this wonderful spot in the Apalta valley.

Located at an elevated position in the eastern sector of the Colchagua Wine Valley in the “tributary” valley of Apalta is the wine making unit that has been designed in a unique and fascinating way that could easily pass as a set on a James Bond movie.

Located on several floors, tremendous thought and care has gone into the presentation, design, and functionality of every aspect of this unit. For example, the tall wine storage barrels are not just metallic tanks standing in a line, no, here they are positioned in a circle and have a wooden façade. Then there is the lower-level cellar room where wine barrels are positioned in a circle and the room illuminated by soft back lighting. In the middle of the cellar is the tasting table, which is elongated and lit with subtle lighting.

In addition to the above, the entire wine-production facility has purposefully been built “into” the hill side so that one entire back wall of the building is natural rock, which, hidden from the sun is continually cool. The cold rock keeps the ambient air temperature cool and this heavier, cold air, sinks down into where the cellar is located, thus maintaining the required cool temperature in the cellar for wines to settle and mature in their barrels.

Adjacent to this marvel of wine producing style is the Clos Apalta Hotel. Without doubt the accommodation offered here is in the exclusive category because there are only 4, private, luxury equipped units (villas, or suites).

About

The four, individual and private La Postolle Clos Apalta accommodation units, or small houses, are each located in the hill side, surrounded by natural vegetation, but with elevated, unspoiled views down to the vineyards and the Apalta Wine Valley below, with the snow-covered Andes also visible beyond.

Each, spacious unit of 90m2 enjoys a private terrace and small garden too.

The interior decoration is totally in line with quality, taste, and design, including hi-end technology sound equipment for your phone; quality bed linen, beautiful, natural wooden bathroom units, a long bathtub in the bathroom, soft lighting and expensive-looking furniture.

Close to the private, small houses (“casitas”), is the main building where there is a common living room and dining area where meals are served, and from here is the panoramic view over the vineyards and valley. Also close to this area is the outdoor infinity pool, offering a terrace and the same, beautiful views.

Casa Real Hotel

In the Maipo Wine Valley, close to Santiago, is the Santa Rita winery and here is one of Chile’s oldest, traditional 19th century “land owner” houses, converted into a hotel in the mid 1990’s.

Designated a Chilean National monument, it sits within a 40-hectare park, which was landscaped by Frenchman Guillaume Renner.

Today there are 16 guest rooms in the main building, as well as Neo-Gothic chapel, built in 1880, and designed by the German architect Theodor Burchard.

In Chile, there are very few “older” buildings that are still standing, let alone useable, and so Casa Real is a rare opportunity to experience some real Chilean nostalgia, as well as enjoy the beautiful natural surroundings.

About

The Casa Real was originally the summer house for the Santa Rita winery founder Domingo Fernández Concha. The building is located amid a park of 40 hectares which was designed in the style of large gardens or parks that usually accompanied large European estate houses. For example, ornamental fountains, box hedge mazes, avenues with walking paths and large lawns.

Then there is the chapel. This is a fine building that has a Gothic style exterior, but the interior show cases Norman arches and Roman style vaulted domes. The renown Chilean artist of the day, in 1885, Alfredo Valenzuela Puelma, painted the saints on the chapel walls. Once completed, the chapel was the principal Catholic place of worship for everyone on the Santa Rita estate.

The hotel offers 16 guest rooms plus a terrace, from where there is a fine view of the park and lake, a tranquil inner courtyard, a pergola, outdoor swimming pool and indoor gym.

The hotel still has large, high-ceilinged salons that have not changed since the late 19th century. These nostalgic spaces, that ooze tradition and elegance, can be used by hotel guests and include the entry hall, dining room, billiard room and inner colonnade.

Las Majadas Hotel

The Las Majadas hotel was opened in 2016 and is a modern property in a minimalist, boutique style. The interior shows raw cement walls and floors, for example, with modern, practical furniture in the rooms and throughout the other parts of the property.

There 50 guest rooms with views to a park, which is also open for guests to walk through.

For those wishing to explore the Maipo Wine Valley and the wineries located here, this hotel is a good base from which to do this.

In addition, here at ExperienceChile.Org, we would suggest Las Majadas as a base for your Santiago stay, pre or post the rest of your itinerary with us, instead of staying in built up Santiago.

About

Las Majadas hotel opened its doors in 2016 with a view to offering guests an accommodation base located in a “green” area, next to a park of 8 hectares, as well as options to venture out and explore the pretty Pirque area of the Maipo Wine Valley.

Also in this sector where the hotel is located is a “palace” dating back to 1907, that looks like a French chateau from the outside, but renovated for today’s world with modern interiors and fittings and used as an event centre.

The aforementioned park is planted with over 1,000 species of trees and is a pleasant place to relax and walk through.

The 50 guest rooms can be configured as single of double bed set up. Each room is spacious, modern, and minimalist regarding the style. However, natural oak and elm wood has been utilized withing the overall interior decoration of the exterior connecting room landing areas, for example, as well as on the façade of the building to offset the cement and create a more natural ambience but retaining the modern look.

La Casona Hotel

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Approved By Experience Chile

There are not many wineries that have got the right balance with the accommodation, location, ambience, comfort and an overall “good feeling”. The Viña Matetic has manged to create all the aforementioned with their La Casona Hotel.

The winery itself is located in the valley about 3kms from the hotel, along the picturesque Rosario Valley, which is a sub valley of the San Antonio Valley. Here, are the storage tanks, wine-producing equipment, and a very unique wine cellar. At this facility hotel guests will be given a tour, after which they will be able to taste some wines before returning to the hotel to relax and enjoy.

Guests on this program can stay for one night, two nights or longer and enjoy other activities such as horse riding, biking or just walking.

About

The Viña Matetic La Casona Hotel is a small, boutique hotel, that has been renovated from a previous property at the location, dating back to the early 1900’s. It has, effectively, been rebuilt in the original colonial “hacienda” design along with a country-themed interior decoration and furnished with elegant, colonial style furniture to replicate the period of its original construction. The main structure comprises a one floor building in a square format around a central, inner garden, which is open at one end.

From the open space at the end of the inner garden is an exterior garden with swimming pool and barbecue area.

In the main body of the hotel is a common use living room, tastefully furnished, and decorated as you would expect to find in someone’s private home, as well as a pool table at one and a small bar, operated under the “honest bar” concept.

In another area is a restaurant for interior dining, again, furnished with traditional-style furniture from a colonial time.

Restaurant

Apart from the hotel’s own, interior restaurant there is a separate unit, about 100m from the main hotel, beside its own, small, fish-filled pond and ducks, with a quaint walk-over bridge, and in this building is a top-end restaurant for day trippers as well as hotel guests. In the area between the restaurant and main hotel is an exceptionally well landscaped garden, which is a delight to walk through.

Apart from the comfort of staying over at La Casona, there is, of course, the option to explore the rural Rosario Valley and visit the Matetic winery production unit and cellars which are 3km away, after which is a tasting of some of their wines.

In addition to the above, La Casona offers various programs whereby guests can stay overnight on a bed and breakfast program, or a full day including various activities, or a two, or three night all-inclusive program where all meals, wine tours, tastings as well as activities are included.

Here at ExperienceChile.Org, as always, we will include a stay at La Casona if it fits into your itinerary and it is something you would like. We have often built into clients’ itineraries a first night arrival at La Casona (it is only 1hr from Santiago airport), and / or a final night at this hotel prior to departing Chile.

However, if you have the budget, we highly recommend at least two nights at this great little wine hotel.

Hotel Tres Puntas

Valle Nevado Hotel Tres Puntas is designed specifically with the skier who does not want to spend too much on their accommodation. Typically, this will mean younger people who do not demand much in the way of more comfortable surroundings, when all they want to do is ski.

Tres Puntas offers 82 guest rooms. The hotel building is physically located about 150m from the central, and main Valle Nevado hotel complex.

About
Hotel Tres Puntas is a simple hotel with no frills. It is designed totally for the younger end of the market where guests are not particularly demanding with regards to accommodation comfort and facilities.

It offers 82 guest rooms, each one with “sufficient” space and en-suite bathrooms.

Guests will receive half board when they stay here with breakfast served in the Sur Restaurant and dinner, with a reservation, in the Mirador del Plomo restaurant.

Physically the hotel is built into the mountain side, running off horizontally from the main car park in front of the principal Valle Nevado complex, from which it is about 150m from.

There is a Tres Puntas bar, open from 17:00hrs for after ski drinks. However, on the top floor there is a pub with pool tables.

Ski guests in Tres Puntas will also have free access to the fitness centre with sauna as well as aerobics and stretching classes. In addition, guests can use the small, outdoor, heated pool the other side of the Hotel Puerta del Sol.

Other services include a child day care for kids between 3 to 7 years of age (open between 09:00hrs – 13:00hrs and 14:00hrs – 18:00hrs).

WiFi is available throughout the hotel and in the rooms, there is cable television.

Ski Lift Tickets
Lift tickets are valid to the end of the day BEFORE check-out day. However, if you ski on the final day you will be given a day pass for that day as long as you check-out before 10:00hrs on check-out day.