Sleep stylishly: The Condesa DF is one of Latin America’s best boutique hotels. BY MARK CHESNUTWhether your idea of a Latin America vacation is rubbing shoulders with rock stars, indulging in gourmet cuisine or being pampered at every step, there is most likely a boutique hotel to cater to you. I’ve sampled quite a few…
Category: Chile
With Multiple Hotels Opening in Latin America, Hilton is in Growth Mode
Historic proportions: The new Hampton Inn & Suites in Mexico City. BY MARK CHESNUTHilton Worldwide, which owns a variety of hotel brands beyond its familiar Hilton moniker, is in growth mode — and that means more options for Mexico travel and beyond. In my Orbitz business travel blog, I recently wrote about Hilton’s global growth…
Ski Specials in South America, as Peak Snow Season Begins
Hit the slopes: Valle Nevado is one of South America’s top ski resorts. BY MARK CHESNUTAshes from Chile’s Puyehue-Cordon Caulle volcano range this month may have thrown a monkey wrench into some flight plans, but that hasn’t stopped avid snow skiers from heading to South America for the peak season. June is the beginning of…
InterContinental Santiago Unveils New Club Tower
The new Club Tower at the InterContinental Santiago has 81 guest rooms. Travelers looking for luxury in Chile’s capital have a new option, thanks to the debut today of the new Club Tower at the InterContinental Santiago hotel. The 16-story addition to the existing property features 81 guest rooms, two swimming pools, a VIP lounge, a…
Tired of Coach? Fly Around the World by Private Jet
Smithsonian Journeys offers private jet tours around the world, aboard a Boeing 757. Globetrotters with strong wallets and plenty of free time take note: Smithsonian Journeys, the Smithsonian Institution’s travel program has added a new departure of its “Around the World by Private Jet” tour. This 22-day private jet adventure (slated for November 1-22, 2011, in…
Abandoned: The 6 Best Hotels You’ll NEVER Stay In
These classic mid-century modern hotels still stand, but they’ve been abandoned for years.
Travel in Chile, After the Earthquake: My Final Summary
Following the major earthquake in Chile, what can you expect as a traveler? Here’s a sample.
5 Hot Hotels in the Atacama Desert, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile
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…
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…
Diverse Traditions, Diverse Costumes in Chile
Chile culture is on view in these photos of beautiful traditional costumes, from Easter Island to the Atacama Desert.
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…