It’s a challenge to write about Chile without mentioning the many colorful hues that mark its stunning landscape, from the cool south to the deserts of the north. You may have already read some of my blog posts about my recent Chile trip http://www.latinflyerblog.com/search/label/Chile, during which I visited Santiago, Viña del Mar, Valparaíso, Patagonia and…
Tag: Santiago
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…
Santiago’s Quiet Gem: Barrio Concha y Toro
Even though I was pretty much in the center of bustling Santiago de Chile, as I strolled down one narrow, stone-paved street, the only sound I could hear was a mellifluous male voice singing, accompanied by a pianist from some upper window at a small music school. Such is the sense of peace that you…
In Santiago and Valparaíso, Graffiti and Street Murals are Vibrant Works of Art
Street art and graffiti are vibrant in the Bellavista district in Santiago de Chile. BY MARK CHESNUTIn most parts of Chile, citizens and property owners — as in many parts of the world — frown upon graffiti and street murals. But that’s not the case in two of Chile’s most artistically interesting neighborhoods: the Casco…
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…
Quirky Furnishings, an Artist’s Life and a Nation’s History: Pablo Neruda’s Home in Santiago
“A lot of people think that being a writer, a poet, Pablo Neruda would be boring or stuffy,” says Gonzalo, my tour guide at the home of Chile’s most celebrated writer, who won the Nobel prize for literature in 1971. “But that’s not true. He was a cool guy. He was a party guy.” 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…
Traveling to Chile: The Latest
Looking at the Bright Side: Santiago, about 36 hours after the quake. (Courtesy of Santiago Adventures) The earthquake that struck Chile on February 27 has kept the destination in the news for the past few days, as reports of damage and casualties continue to make headlines. So should you cancel your next trip? The U.S….
The Disaster in Chile
My thoughts and best wishes go out to all the people affected by the massive earthquake that has struck Chile. Tragedies like this are difficult to fathom, especially when new information is still coming in. I’m sticking close to the TV and the computer screen. Santiago’s international airport remains closed for now, and LAN Airlines,…