Santiago – Eating and Sleeping

We really enjoyed the restaurants, food and bars in Santiago. This is a major city so there is plenty of choice in cuisine and price. On two evenings we went to places which were quite different to each other but we thoroughly enjoyed both and would like to suggest either if you are planning a Santiago visit and want to eat at very reasonable cost.

El Indio Picaro restaurant is one of a huge number of restaurants in the Providencia region of the city. We were looking for something nice but not expensive and we found that here. The food is a mix of international and Chilean, the service was fine and the total experience was pleasant. If we had known what Indio Picaro meant we may not have gone here but ignorance is bliss.

The Indio Pícaro is a traditional wooden statuette of a Mapuche Indian with a long penis or a vagina (Guacolda). It is found in traditional artisan shops in south-central Chile. It is usually made of wood, used primarily as decoration or for jokes. It consists of an image of a traditionally dressed Mapuche painted with a broad smile that, when lifted, shows an erect penis or a vagina.

Some sources say that it was created in 1980 by Jorge Medina Ramirez, a self-taught artisan who along with his friends, and as a challenge to their boss, copied a Apache doll that hid its attributes under a tapabarro. It was then sent as a joke to a friend of Santiago. The joke worked and it has since become a world-wide success.

But back to the restaurant. As far as we were aware there were no Indio Picaros here, just good food and pleasant service. The cost of our dinner here was P12,900 (a very reasonable

The other place we recommend is on the corner of Paris and Londres in the area behind the San Francisco church. It really is a little bar with some fairly basic food. The attraction is in the area which at night is extremely romantic and the place itself which is frequented by young trendies and has both indoor and outdoor seating. We had had a superb seafood lunch at the central market so were only interested in something to drink and a snack. This place was ideal. There were friendly people, perfectly adequate food and good prices. What more did we need? Unfortunately, I was so taken by the atmosphere that I didn’t record its name but it is easy to find and I don’t think you will be disappointed.

This has been a Santiago institution for ages and it is not difficult to see why. Although the building is not new and the decor is somewhat dated the atmosphere when you walk into the lobby is similar to an English club. It is comfortable, friendly, relaxed and very dignified. It would be difficult not to feel ‘at home’ in such a place.

This same atmosphere extends to the rooms. The 155 suites and apartments combine hardwood panelling, exclusive tapestries, works of art and period furniture. But this doesn’t mean they are not modern. Each has special soundproofing (why don’t some modern architects understand how important this is?), individual climate control, two telephone lines for national and international direct dialing, wifi connection for fax and PC, cable television, safety deposit box, and mini-bar.

The hotel receives many repeat and regular visitors and many of these are business people. It is no surprise to find that there is a full business centre which includes fax, internet, and photocopying facilities and the service of bilingual secretaries. I was not aware of the hotel’s restaurant, The Bristol, but plenty of local are and this turns out to be the most highly awarded restaurant in Chile. The menu shows a wide range of international and Chilean cuisine but unfortunately I was not able to eat here. Perhaps next time!

Other features of the hotel are the lobby piano bar, 24-hour room service, 120 underground parking spaces, wireless broad-band internet in all the hotel’s public areas and a fitness club where you can have a massage or a swim in the heated pool. The hotel likes to think it provides a ‘full service experience’ and with this in mind a full buffet breakfast is included in the room rate, the fitness club can be accessed without charge, there is free transfer to Santiago’s premier shopping centre and free tickets are given to the historic San Francisco Museum.

The hotel has a full-service hair and beauty salon and an art gallery and souvenir shop where you can see the art of promising and renowned Chilean talents and buy everything from regional handicrafts to postcards and souvenirs.

We didn’t stay at this property but I was keen to check it out because it is regarded as one of the best hotels in Santiago. Fortunately I had this opportunity because it was within easy walking distance of the Radisson.

The Ritz-Carlton is strategically located in one of the Chilean capital city’s most prestigious neighborhoods, El Golf and is adjacent to a metro train station. It has 205 luxurious guest rooms including 49 Club Level rooms, 3 Club Suites, 12 Executive Suites, and a Presidential Suite. In addition there is a Health and Fitness Center overlooking the Andes Mountains and the city and an indoor pool and Jacuzzi.

The building is clad in brick rather than mirror glass which seems so popular in this area and this helps it achieve classic European elegance. This extends to the lobby area which is spectacular but somehow refined. Clearly this is a full five-star hotel and I found the personnel of the same calibre. Showing me a room and the restaurant facilities was no problem to anyone. I was impressed.

Most rooms have mountain or city views and one king-sized bed or two double beds. As expected there was an in-room safe, high-speed internet access, 37 inch plasma TV, computer and fax connections, multi-line speakerphones with voice mail and 24-hour in-room dining. Non-smoking rooms and connecting rooms are available. The rooms were spacious and elegant. No surprises here.

Adra is the hotel’s fine dining restaurant. Marble and Lapizlazuli makes the right ambience to enjoy the superb Mediterranean style cuisine of Chef Tomás Olivera. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday Brunch are served here. Wine 365, with its white wood ceiling has an exceptional wine menu, featuring 365 Chilean wines and unique and exclusive Premium vintage French wines. I was told that Wine 365 is all about combining the flavor of the renowned Chilean wines with the food of your choice, and the hotel sommelier will join you to help with this adventure.

The rooftop health club has a spectacular glass cupola that offers a magnificent view of the Andes Mountains and the city of Santiago. The emphasis is on luxury, pleasure and rejuvenation in this relaxing environment. In addition to sports equipment, there are spa treatment rooms for massages and special beauty treatments, a steam bath, whirlpool, sauna, indoor heated swimming pool and a sun deck on the terraced roof.

Conveniently located in the heart of city's business district, the Radisson Plaza Santiago Hotel has the superb service and state-of-the-art technology that you would expect from this operator. It would be a perfect spot for many business travellers but the location is three or four kilometres from the old city centre where most of the tourist interest is and to get there you need to change trains at Baquedano station.

This Santiago hotel's spacious rooms and suites are comfortably appointed and feature a wealth of amenities to provide a relaxing stay. Our room included wireless Internet access, a spacious work desk with a lamp, dual-line telephones, coffee maker, hair dryer, safe, mini-bar and iron/ironing board. There was cable TV, complimentary buffet breakfast, radio/alarm clock, 24-hour room service, self-controlled heating/cooling, and smoke detector and sprinklers were fitted. The bathroom was just what you would expect from this 5-star property.

A nice touch was the welcome drink at reception. This allows you to slow down and relax and sets the pace for a good stay. You also enjoy complimentary access to a full-service Health Club with an indoor swimming pool, sauna and Fitness Center. Other conveniences are concierge service, on-site car rental agency, full-service Business Center and on-site beauty salon.

Wining and dining is not forgotten. Fine international fare and traditional Chilean dishes are available at Brick, the on-site restaurant. It opens from 6.30am to 11pm for breakfast, a healthy lunch or gourmet dinner. You can relax with a Chilean Pisco Sour at Trader's Bar from 6pm to midnight from Monday to Saturday or try a variety of mixed coffees, local wines and snacks at the Cocktail Lounge from 8.30am to 11pm.

The hotel has several restaurants, bars and nightspots within easy reach if you want to indulge outside. This area of the city appears to be very safe so walking around was no problem to us.

Room rates are around US$200 but there are various specials available on occasions. I think it is reasonable value for what you get.

I have to say that this hotel was a complete surprise. We had pre-booked so knew where it was (an excellent position within Santiago) and that it was a 3-4 star standard. What we found was a slightly funky full 4-star hotel with heaps of character and charm which had just been taken over by a new management group. The Fundador had just become a Blue Tree hotel and on our second day there, all the staff were wearing Blue Tree t-shirts to emphasise the occasion. The history of the Blue Tree Hotels brand goes back 12 years to Brazil.

The Blue Tree banner appeared in 1997 from the hands of entrepreneur Chieko Aoki. It became a benchmark in the Brazilian hotel market for its elegance, unique style, innovation and excellence and is now expanding to other South American countries. This was the first Blue Tree property that we had stayed in and we were impressed.

The Hotel Fundador offers 147 comfortable rooms with cable TV, air conditioning, minibar, hair dryer, a safe and other amenities. Our room was a good size and had some funky paintwork which immediately made it distinctive. This style also extended to the corridors so even before we reached the room we had a talking point. Did I like the funky stripes? Well no, not particularly, but it made the property unique and now five months later we still remember it well.

Our time here was short so we were determined to see as much as we could of the area so we didn’t use any of the hotel’s amenities. There was a heated indoor pool, a fully-equipped fitness center and a dry sauna. Among the others offerings were 24 hour room service, wi-fi in all the rooms, laundry services and a full business center.

The restaurant is quite spectacular and it offers contemporary international cuisine with emphasis given to Latin American dishes. In addition to the excellent food, there is a wine menu with the best options of the region. The included breakfast has a varied buffet table with more than 55 items. This was probably the best and most comprehensive breakfast offering we had in South America. On our last morning we had an early departure before the restaurant opened at 6am but we were delighted to find that there was coffee and cookies set up in the lobby from 5am. It was a final nice touch from a hotel that we really enjoyed.