The craggy bluffs, dusty trails and sandy terrain of the desert aren’t usually associated with luxury hotels. But in Chile’s Atacama Desert — by some accounts the driest desert on earth — a remarkable thing has sprouted in the past few years: An oasis of upscale desert lodges that combine amenities and style with a…
Tag: travel
Sun and Sand Take on New Meanings in Chile’s Atacama Desert
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…
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…
Hot, Cold & Blue in Chile’s Patagonia Region
Balmaceda I’ve been in Chile’s Patagonia region since Friday morning, and only late last night, on Sunday, was I able to catch a wave of Wifi, here at the Hotel Loberías del Sur in Puerto Chacabuco. After all, you don’t fly all the way to South America’s far southern reaches in order to Google the…
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…
Glimpsing a Glorious Past in Valparaiso, Chile
Nobel-prize-winning writer Pablo Neruda called Valparaiso “mi ciudad desordenada,” or “my disorganized city,” according to my guide from Chilean tour company Ruta Chile. But don’t think that’s an insult; after all, this city’s wonderful informality — most noticeable in the seemingly random array of fascinating historic architecture on its winding hills — is what makes…
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…
Cecilia Noel’s Favorite Restaurants in Lima — and What You Should NEVER Eat
If you enjoyed Peruvian singer Cecilia Noel’s recommendations for live music in Lima Peru (see my previous post), you won’t want to miss her “quick picks” for best restaurants and drinks.Noel also shares her insider tip on what you should always avoid when dining in Peru. Find out what it is in the full article…
Cecilia Noel’s 4 Hotspots for Live Music in Lima
Peruvian singer Cecilia Noel’s personality is so vibrant and warm that it saturates her telephone calls and e-mail; in my limited interaction with her, Noel’s enthusiastic tones and friendly words like “sweetheart” and “my dear Mark,” made even this lowly writer feel like someone special. It’s no surprise that this positive force works well in…
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…