The Atacama Desert in Chile offers postcard-perfect photo opportunities. On Wednesday, I flew from Santiago de Chile to Calama, the main airport serving the most tourism-friendly region of Chile’s northern deserts. After the two-hour flight, we took a one-hour van ride to San Pedro de Atacama, where a growing number of luxury desert resorts have been…
Category: hotels
HOTEL REVIEW: W Santiago
It’s late night at the rooftop bar at the W Santiago, and a woman who claims to be a baroness is tugging on my hair, telling me that it was destiny that she would meet my colleagues and me tonight. “No really,” she says when I laugh. “It was destiny, and I am so happy…
HOTEL REVIEW: Grand Hyatt Santiago
Walking into my guestroom at at the Grand Hyatt Santiago was a rather impressive experience. The gently curved windows provide a wide-open, sky-high view of the soaring modern towers that populate the upscale Las Condes district in Santiago de Chile. The Grand Hyatt Santiago is, in fact, one of the areas most recognizable modern towers…
HOTEL REVIEW: The Aubrey, Santiago de Chile
I’m staying for four nights as a guest at Santiago’s hottest new boutique hotel: The Aubrey. Set in a mansion built in the 1920s in Santiago’s now Bohemian Bellavista district, the Aubrey (which just made Conde Nast Traveler’s 2010 “Hot List“) sits at the foot of the Parque Metropolitano’s funicular railway and just around the…
Arriving in Santiago de Chile, and all is well
Santiago’s airport is up and running fine. It’s 8am, and I’m sitting on a private balcony at the foot of the Parque Metropolitano, a verdant, hilly city park in Santiago de Chile. I’ve just checked into the Hotel Aubrey, a new luxury boutique hotel set in a former private mansion. I’ve just landed in Chile’s…
My Guatemala feature, in Business Traveler Magazine
Interesting angles at the recently refurbished La Aurora International Airport, in Guatemala City. If you’ve been following my blog since I started it earlier this year, you know that I spent several days in Guatemala back in January, on assignment for multiple media outlets. I posted several stories, photos and videos about Guatemala right here on…
7 Interesting Hotels in Uruguay
During my recent visit to Uruguay on a trip with Borello Travel & Tours, I checked out a bunch of noteworthy and interesting small hotels set in various interesting locations — many in and around Punta del Este, the chic, sun-drenched getaway that’s sometimes called the St. Tropez of South America. Here are a few…
Montevideo’s Architectural Treasures: Headed for Landmark Status?
The glistening tower of the Comando General de la Armada, with the Mercado Central in the foreground. Uruguay’s capital city may be smaller than Buenos Aires and carry less of a jet-set image than Punta del Este, but it’s laden with interesting and diverse architecture that some feel should warrant UNESCO World Heritage ranking. Peek…
HOTEL REVIEW: Trompe L’Oeil at the Novotel Buenos Aires
You’re not seeing things: Patio 378, the restaurant at the Novotel Buenos Aires. If perhaps you’ve had a few drinks at the hotel bar, you might be forgiven for thinking that you’re seeing things when you stroll over to Patio 378, the restaurant at the Novotel Buenos Aires. But what you see is what you…
HOTEL REVIEW: Faena Hotel + Universe (part 2) After Dark
El Bistro. On Friday night, the Faena Hotel + Universe proved to me that you don’t need to leave the property to have a night out on the town (and also why locals and celebrities alike flock to this stylish hotel; recent guests include Beyonce and Cold Play, and we’re missing the arrival of Guns…
HOTEL REVIEW: Faena Hotel + Universe (part 1)
The dramatic entry gallery. It seems like there is a reason why Faena Hotel + Universe calls itself not just a hotel, but a “universe.” It is, at the very least, a different world. I checked in yesterday afternoon, as part of a group with Borello Travel & Tours, and from the start you can…
HOTEL REVIEW: Design Suites, Buenos Aires
The city of Buenos Aires, Argentina, is home to a wide array of hotels, including everything from humble bed & breakfasts to posh palaces of luxury. During this most recent visit, I’m staying first at Design Suites, a mid-priced property in the bustling Barrio Norte neighborhood. Set in a narrow 10-story building, Design Suites is a minimalist…
VIDEO TOUR: Cartagena Hotels & Dining
The center of Cartagena, Colombia, is more than just a place to explore historic sites. It’s also home to stylish small hotels set in landmark buildings, as well as a variety of tempting cuisine. Check out my latest video for some great visual samples of what’s in store for you here.During my recent visit, I…
VIDEO TOUR: Cartagena Hotels & Dining
The center of Cartagena, Colombia, is more than just a place to explore historic sites. It’s also home to stylish small hotels set in landmark buildings, as well as a variety of tempting cuisine. Check out my latest video for some great visual samples of what’s in store for you here.During my recent visit, I…