Santiago Hillside Hotel

First off this is not a hotel but a B&B. You enter the property at a gate at the main road. You use the intercom to request the gate to be opened. You do not get a key to the gate. If you plan to be out after 10PM you will have to make prior arrangements with the manager. We were told by Andrea (the manager and only person me met) there is no food or drinks allowed in the rooms or lobby area. No wine and cheese with friends in our room! They can be consumed in the dining room or kitchen only. The ENTIRE property is nonsmoking. The room details are misleading. Our reservation stated "A coffee/tea maker, a microwave, and a refrigerator are supplied." These amenities are NOT in the room but in the kitchen. You also get free WiFi but you can't get a signal in your room. The TV in our room was smaller than my home PC monitor and I could not watch it from bed. Our room had a door to a patio and pool area but we didn't use the area because of the poor condition it was in. You cannot use the pool. The pool bottom was very dirty and the water was cloudy. The wire mesh seating and tables were filthy. Due to the property access, misrepresentations about the room and food and drink restrictions placed on us we decided it was best to attempt to get a refund. We talked to Andrea and she said "they don't give refunds". We decided to stay one night (it was already after 6PM) and leave in the morning. Our original reservation was for 8 nights. We would take the refund issue up with Hotel.com.

Our family of 4 stayed at the hotel for a week and had such a wonderful time. The hotel has a great location, close to downtown Santiago and about 18 miles from the ski slopes. The hotel is very secure and access is controlled via an intercom system with the proprietors. The lobby has a fireplace and is warm and cozy. The rooms are very comfortable, decorated with lovely linens and include everything you would expect including free wi-fi. Each morning we had a full breakfast that was superb. A big thank you to the owners as everyone was so helpful, this hotel it is a real family affair and absolutley a wonderful place to stay in Chile.

The Santiago Hillside Hotel is situated only a few minutes outside of Santiago, on a country road that features hill with very nice views. The beds are extremely comfortable and the grounds are very well kept. Our experience, however, was very poor - and, depending upon the type of travel you have planned, you might want to heed the following warning. We arrived at the B&B at 8am on a Sunday morning after a very long flight, and managed to navigate our way to the residence using the GPS in the car. When we arrived, we found the outside gate closed. First we rang the doorbell several times. Then we knocked, called the hotel number, and finally used the car horn. No answer. It wasn't until 9am that we were able to get the owner's attention, and that was only when I was forced to climb the wall and knock on the door. The same scenario repeated itself later that afternoon at 4pm. No one answered the door bell. We had to again use the car horn to get attention - I can only imagine what would have happened if we arrived by taxi. Finally, on Monday night when we informed the owners we were going out at 10pm, we were told that we needed to be back by 1am. Why? Well because the owners go to sleep then and they do not share the key for the outside gate. As you probably know, nightlife in Chile starts late - with most Chileans eating dinner at 10pm and going out for drinks at midnight. Unlike just about every other B&B in which I've stayed, the owners do not provide you with an opener or keys for the grounds, and there is a strict warning to be back by 1am. If your plan is to stay on the grounds of the B&B, or perhaps just have light excursions, this is a nice place to stay. If you are like us - younger, interested in experiencing Chile's spectacular nightlife and restaurants (which often open at 10pm), you are going to have significant problems staying here that will adversely affect your vacation.