Condé Nast Traveller - Where to Stay: Santiago
October 2012
Room Service: Michelle Jana Chan chooses four of the best hotels in Chile’s buzzing capital.
Design - Noi Vitacura
Location: In an exclusive district beside the new Bicentenario Park, maps in the rooms show the best jogging trails.
Look: Glass, timber and brushed steel outside; tactile handmade pottery and landscape photos on the inside.
Crowd: Cleverly attracts business people and holidaymakers hopping between the group’s four other Chilean properties.
Rooms: 87 rooms, some with rain showers; Cosmopolitan Suites have hot tubs looking onto the Andes.
Eating & drinking: International nosh at Noi Restaurant; homemade pasta at Piegari.
Best thing: The stand-out spa (request masseuse Carla’s divine digits).
Worst thing: The area is sleepy on Sundays and you’ll need to head downtown for urban buzz.
Price: Doubles from US$269.
Good-value - Lastarria
Location: Lastarria is the name of the city’s loveliest neighbourhood, with stylish restaurants and trendy wine bars.
Look: Romantic 1920s features such as prettily-painted ceramic tiling and a marble staircase.
Clientele: Smug couples who know they’ve found the city’s best-value small hotel.
Rooms: 14 rooms, some for families; number 11 has a gorgeous terrace.
Eating & drinking: Italian seafood at a new outpost of award-winning Pasta e Vino.
Best thing: The walled garden and sprays of fresh daisies in the rooms.
Worst thing: Street-facing rooms can be noisy (the owners say they’re working on sound insulation).
Price: Doubles from US$160.
Splurge - W Santiago
Location: The Isidora financial district is best for business travellers but there’s a handy metro station for swift exits.
Look: An extravagant mix of oriental excess with a fashion-forward soundtrack.
Crowd: Businessmen from Brazil and the USA, and Santiago hipsters.
Rooms: Some of the 196 rooms have baths with views at the end of the bed.
Eating & drinking: Six great options which include NoSo for modern French food and Osaka for Peruvian-Japanese fusion.
Best thing: The heated rooftop lap pool and the alfresco bar.
Worst thing: Staff can exhibit a bit too much attitude.
Price: Doubles from US$559.
Boutique - The Aubrey
Location: At the base of San Cristobal hill in studenty Bellavista, which is chock-full of cafes, restaurants and bars.
Look: Classic Tudor style with exposed beams, freshened up with modernist furniture.
Crowd: Well-heeled couples from Australia and the UK, the home countries of The Aubrey’s two owners.
Rooms: One of the most coveted of the 15 rooms is the Cerro San Cristobal suite over the cobbled courtyard.
Eating & drinking: The evocative piano bar serves Pisco Sours (the first one is on the house) and there’s free afternoon tea.
Best thing: The leafy pool area, waterfalls and cool breezes off the hill.
Worst thing: Service is hit-and-miss, and the hotel is beneath the zoo (which can be rather pungent).
Price: Doubles from US$240.
Going plural: After its successful debut in Patagonia, sleek design hotel The Singular will open a Santiago outpost in 2014. The owners of Lastarria are also launching an eagerly awaited second hotel in the city.