Chile

Collect Moments, not Things…

Chile, a country located entirely in the southern hemisphere, was our holiday destination. Due to its location, our cold winter would be their summer. Given how much there is to see in Chile, we decide to visit only the northern part of the country. We flew into Santiago and from there we headed to Atacama and La Serena. We also spent a few days on a Brazilian island called Florianopolis to celebrate New Year’s.

Hotels:

Santiago: 

NH Ciudad de Santiago: This hotel is located on the other side of the river, within walking distance of the Bellavista neighborhood. We paid a total of $240, an average of $80 per night. For the holiday season, I would consider this an attractive price. The hotel is old, but clean, and the staff are nice and friendly. The hotel was not super fancy and the breakfast was average (and not included in the room price), which we did not know until checkout. Would I stay here again? Probably yes, because of its location and clean rooms. I usually don't spend a lot of time in my room and I like to venture out and explore. My demands for hotels are relatively low: clean, comfortable, and a good location. This is not a fancy hotel, if you are looking for pampering.

Four Points Sheraton Santiago: After our side trip to Brazil, we returned to Santiago and ventured over to the Sheraton -- to explore a different side of town. Depending on your reasons for visiting Santiago, the location may be great. It is in close proximity to many restaurants and is within walking distance of the shopping malls. But, sadly, it is far away from some of the tourist haunts. But, these are only an inexpensive Uber ride away. We stayed in the suite. I was lucky enough to see a junior room as well. Both rooms were great, but the suite was definitely more spacious. We arrived January 1st, and usually most restaurants (with the exception of hotel restaurants) are closed. The food here is decent, but it is definitely not fancy. The food quality though is good. And breakfast features a huge variety of options, including: eggs, different kinds of cheese, ham, and bread. My favorite part was the fresh squeezed orange juice machine. I indulged with a few glasses every day. So delicious!

Valparaiso: Hotel Boutique 17: Our last minute change of plans worked out perfectly. We visited Valparaiso, a harbor town 2 hours from Santiago. Valparaiso, in my opinion, is an absolute must visit! We booked this hotel, with a great location and spectacular views, when we arrived in Valparaiso. It was super clean and the staff was very friendly and helpful. I would definitely stay here again.

Atacama: Poblado Kimal: This was such a cool and fun hotel. We spent two nights here. Most of our days were spent on tour. The rooms are cute and separated individually. Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to take a photo. Or more accurately, I forgot to take pictures.

La Serena, Elqui: Elqui Domos: My favorite part of the trip was staying at this fun and unique domed hotel. The hotel offers breakfasts and drinks, but nothing else. Keep in mind, this part of Chile is relatively remote. There are no taxis or Ubers, so you have to walk or ride a bike wherever you want to go. We were lucky because we had an organized tour to drive us. 

Restaurants:

Tambo Patio Bellavista: As soon as we landed and checked into our hotel, we headed to Bellavista which was within walking distance of our hotel. The shopping center has numerous restaurants and we randomly selected one. It was quite good.

Matilda: It is a great place with outstanding views. The restaurant is on a rooftop in the Bellavista area.  And the food is also great. We went as soon as they opened for lunch and drinks on our first day in Santiago. We picked this for the rooftop restaurant that we wanted to experience, because it was in Bellavista and close to our friends’ hotel.

Mestizo: One of our friends who lives in Santiago took us to this restaurant. It is far away from all the tourist attractions, but definitely has a great park view. We got a table outside and arrived when the restaurant opened and left when it closed. We had a great time, excellent weather, outstanding food, and oh my, get the white sangria … it's delicious.

Meson de la Patagonia: This was another restaurant that our friend from Santiago picked for us. This place is definitely more for locals and you won’t find it in any online search. The inside is amazing, especially if you are a meat lover. They make lamb al asado, which is a Patagonian style of cooking lamb over an open fire. The food overall was pretty tasty and the side dishes were super delicious. The restaurant also has a great wine collection.

Restaurant la Concepcion: On our visit to Valparaiso, we happened across this place with great reviews and we had lunch here. It has an outdoor patio so that you can enjoy the view. We ordered ceviche as an appetizer and fish as our main course. The location was great. It is close to everything. And the food was absolutely wonderful.

Pasta e Vino: it is rated as one of the best restaurants in town and is quite fancy. However, there is no need to dress up. The staff are really friendly and helpful. We loved everything on the menu, so we had our server pick out a few dishes to surprise us.

Giratorio: This restaurant is on the 18th floor and is within walking distance of the Sheraton. It is yet another great place with a great city view. To my surprise, it was a revolving restaurant. During our 90-minute lunch, we completed one full circle. The food quality was exceptional and I would recommend it as a destination for any tourist.

Sintra Colonia: Our last dinner in Santiago was at this amazing Peruvian restaurant. I had a chance to meet the owner and talked to him about his restaurant and his vision for this unique place. The restaurant was opened in 2014, in a location traditionally known as a place where immigrants settled. Jose, the owner, explained to us that he “then came up with the concept of “Cocina Peruana Travesti” which translates into English as “Cross-dressed Peruvian Food.” The idea behind the concept is that as immigrants ourselves at Sarita Colonia we wanted to show the importance of immigration in Peruvian gastronomy today. Perú has historically been an important melting pot of Spanish, West Africans, Chinese, Japanese, Italians, a few French and more recently, Colombians and Venezuelans. All these people have introduced their bold flavors and unique takes into Peruvian cooking. So, we at Sarita Colonia take traditional Peruvian flavors and recipes and bring in ingredients from other cultures.

He added that they have a wide pantry of ingredients to access, allowing them to change and update their menu (both kitchen and bar) three to four times a year.” it is always nice to hear from an owner, and speak to them about their vision behind the restaurant. For me going to restaurants is not always about eating and satisfying my hunger, sometimes it is about knowing the history and what inspired the owner to design such a unique place. This knowledge makes the entire experience more enjoyable.

Sightseeing: 

Bellavista: This neighborhood in Santiago has streets that are filled with arts. You can enjoy good food here and maybe some souvenir shopping.

San Cristobal: This is an uphill hike that will take you about 45 minutes to an hour, if you don't stop to take photos. Alternatively, you can be to the top in just minutes if you ride the cable car. We went early to hike up and down the hill. It offers beautiful panoramic views of Santiago, and it is certainly a great place to pray and enjoy a little peace and quiet from the city.

Centro Artesanal Pueblito Los Dominicos: I spent hours here. Not only is it fun to chat with the locals and ask them about their work, but it is also a great place to buy your souvenirs. 

Atacama: This desert is part of the Andes Mountains, which is the longest continental mountain range in the world. As one of the driest places in the world and with an elevation of up to 14,000 feet, you can imagine how difficult it can be to hike in this part of Chile. The first day was hard, and some of my friends did not feel well. However, by the second day, everyone had acclimated. 

We hired a private tour guide and a driver to show us around. I would highly recommend doing the same. You can tell them where you would like to go and what you would like to see and they will take you. We visited Laguna Verde and its surroundings, and for sunset, the guide took us to Luna Valley. On the next day, we were up at 4 in the morning to make it to the geysers and the amazing geothermals  of the Andean volcanoes. We were able to have a nice swim in the thermal pool. From there, we headed back to our hotel to relax so we could go for a desert hike.

At night, we headed out to stargaze, which honestly was not that exciting. And, I will tell you why. I  went to another one in Elqui and comparatively this one in Atacama was super boring. No one talked and everyone was super quiet. The stars are not going to run away if we talk and have fun. Right?? 

We then flew to La Serena, and from there, our guide picked us up and we drove about 2 hours to our destination. There is so much to see in La Serena, but I only had 2 days and I had picked this remote town for several reasons. First, not that many tourists know about this town, so it is not commercialized. Second, it is where they make Pisco. And, finally, it is known for both its meditation and stargazing.

Our stargazing was on the first night. I had had a bad experience in Atacama, and I was about to cancel this one. Good thing I didn't. Keep in mind, this is a small town so there is only one tour agency and one star gazing trip. The town is small enough that if you stay for a few days everyone will know you! We had an amazing and fun time with our guide during the star watching. He explained everything and gave us Piscos to drink and took photos with the stars as souvenirs. On the second day, we relaxed by the pool and then headed out for some sightseeing. For more relaxation, we visited our guru for sound meditation. They invited us to their house and showed us around. They even let us play with the musical instruments a little after meditation. People here are super friendly and nice. This town was so relaxing and my experience was so great that I would like to visit again. Our last day was Pisco tasting. There are many that you can choose from. Here are the one where we went: Cavas del valle ,Pisco Mistral.

On our last days in Santiago, we decided to go to Valparaiso, a harbor town that is about 2 hours away from the capital. There are many ways to reach this town, such as getting a tour, renting a car, or travelling like a local on the bus. We got an Uber from our hotel to the Alameda bus station, where we bought our tickets to Valparaiso. It was super easy, and the buses were clean and comfy. It is also the cheapest option. On arrival, it was a long walk to the actual colorful town. I recommend picking a destination, such as a hotel or restaurant, around the area where you want to go and start exploring from there. We had the driver drop us off on Paseo Gervasoni, where the restaurants and street art are located. Another great way to explore is to head to La Sebastiana Museo de Pablo Neruda (Neruda was a famous Chilean poet) and from there head back to Paseo Gervasoni. Make sure to take the Ave. Alemania. It is a longer walk, but definitely worth it because of the amazing views.