The first thing you’ll notice when searching for a hotel in Santiago is that most of them are arranged along a line from the center of the city to the east, parallel with the river. This is actually quite convenient because the #1 subway line runs along roughly the same path.
Often visitors want to stay in the city center, near museums and attractions. Downtown Santiago is lively, clean and safe. There are a number of decent hotel options there like Diego de Almargo, Mercure, and Sommelier. However most visitors will probably prefer and be better served by a stay in the more posh areas to the east.
In this post we’ll look at hotel options in Providencia, Las Condes & Vitacura.
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Providencia, Las Condes & Vitacura
The landmark Costanera Center building is located in the middle of the map above, near Tobalaba Station. The large mall and observation deck are a major attraction in Santiago and form a sort of second city center where the areas of Providencia, Las Condes and Vitacura all converge. These are upscale suburbs, but not suburbs the way we think of them in the US. Locals call the area around Costanera “Sanhattan” because they believe it resembles New York.
It doesn’t. It’s actually much nicer, and is very dense and full of offices, apartment towers and of course, hotels. At the Tobalaba subway station the Mercado Urbano Tobalaba is still under construction, and is similar to Ponce City Market in Atlanta. Once it’s complete MUT will be a significant tourist draw as well.
There’s an AC Hotel included in the Costanera Center complex. At around $150-200 a night it’s fairly priced for a Marriott brand with a rooftop pool in a premier location. But hotels in Santiago are generally not that expensive and it doesn’t take much searching to pay less nearby.
Hotels Near Tobalaba Station
There are three hotels clustered together near Tobalaba which are located in a kind of Goldilocks situation. The Novotel, Olá by Hilton and Diego de Almagro are all within a block of each other and present a great neighborhood feel. You’ll pass lots of amenities walking through the area or the short distance to the metro. It won’t take long to start feeling like a local as you’re popping into the small supermarket attached to the Novotel or picking your favorite spots for coffee and dinner.
I stayed five nights at Novotel and six at Olá and they both provide outsize value for around $90 a night.While I didn’t get a chance to check out the Diego de Almagro, I feel comfortable recommending it based on its location and appearance. The Diego de Almagro chain is popular all around Chile and of course it competes directly with these offerings from Hilton and Accor.
To my mind this is the best location in Santiago and it would be difficult to commit to staying anywhere else. There are other good choices in Providencia as well, closer to the Los Leones and Pedro de Valdivia stations. It doesn’t make a lot of difference if you choose one of these. It’s easy to walk from Pedro de Valdivia to Tobalaba and takes about 20 minutes if you’re not riding the train. Any of the hotels in this highly walkable area along Avenida Providencia would be a fine choice.
Hotels in Vitacura
In this post it sounds like I’m discussing three distinct areas, but they all converge in the “Sanhattan” district. From Providencia and Tobalaba station you just need to walk across the street to find yourself on Avenida Vitacura and, technically, in Vitacura.
I stayed at both the Doubletree and the Holiday Inn Express on Avenida Vitacura, just a few blocks from Costanera Center. There’s an Intercontinental between these properties as well. These are all fine hotels but as you might expect the Holiday Inn Express is a touch more basic than its competition.
Isidora Goyenechea is a broad avenue with a lot of fine restaurants and some more upscale properties like the W Hotel and the Ritz Carlton. At around $250 a night these brands come in much less expensive in Santiago than in peer cities. For travelers looking to treat themselves or stay on points these could be a great opportunity.
When I return to Santiago I’ll definitely be keen to check out the NH Collection Plaza right next door to Costanera Center and the Pullman El Bosque adjacent to the MUT. Having stayed at a beachfront Pullman in Viña del Mar I can tell you it’s downright luxurious for the price.
Las Condes Hotels
During my stay in Santiago I also spent a weekend at the Doubletree Kennedy because I wanted to access a top tier pool. In that respect the Doubletree was fantastic. But while the location is beautiful and upscale it was also not my favorite. Kennedy Avenue is essentially an expressway and walking in this area can be sort of a pain in the ass. Driving isn’t any better if you have a rental car.
The area feels like it’s better suited to business travelers or tour groups. You can walk to many good restaurants fairly easily. But for a cheap, quick and casual bite your options are more limited here. There are a number of fine hotels worth considering west of the golf club like the Wyndham Garden, Renaissance, Courtyard, Hyatt Place and Novotel.
Most visitors will find it more convenient to stay closer to the Manquehue metro station at either the ICON, Best Western or Hampton by Hilton.
