Why Santiago is the capital of flavour – where to indulge in Chile’s top tables and boutique hotels
Santiago, Chile is often considered the destination between destinations: travellers whizz through the city en-route to the icy wilds and glacial fields of Patagonia and the parched dunes, flamingos and rainbow valleys of the Atacama Desert, the world’s driest. But that approach is changing. Now folk are staying longer in Santiago, lured by its gastronomic and cultural offerings and its cosmopolitan, energetic, sophisticated feel. Add to that that the city is encircled by the Andes and just 75 miles from the Pacific — meaning that, in just one day, you could potentially ski in breathtaking mountains then wander along a beach — and what’s not to like?
THE HOTEL: Hotel Magnolia is a 40-bed gem so secret that even many locals don’t know about it. Located downtown in El Centro, the city centre, it’s in the former financial district now cultural area. A unique boutique hotel in a historical townhouse built in 1929, it bagged a UNESCO conservation award. Formerly a family home (now belonging to the Caffarena family, giants of the fashion manufacturing world), it retains its family atmosphere. The vibe is historical-meets-contemporary: think 1920s Art Deco alongside steel, glass and concrete. (Its promotional video sees sales manager Gabriel Maestracci — a Venezuelan who doubles as a comedy act and has played to audiences of 3000 — dancing energetically around the period building, Christopher Walken-style.) You’ll rub shoulders with thirty-to-fifty-something leisure travellers: from Chilean artists to a Bolivian dancer and American sound engineer, Josh Rogosin, of Tiny Desk fame (some of whom feature in the hotel’s “40-Room Podcast”). The service is personal: instead of leaving wine for a non-drinker, perhaps there’ll be a gift of maté (a South American herbal brew) and maté cup. This is a hotel sometimes so buzzy and with service so friendly, it’s possible you won’t want to leave.
WHAT TO DO: Santa Lucia Hill, a park with 19th century fort, is bang next door; go there to puff to the top for a bird’s eye city view. (Or visit Cerro San Cristóbal for cable car and funicular vistas of Santiago or the Costa Nera Centre, Latin America’s tallest skyscraper, for a sky-high perspective.) All within short minutes away from the Magnolia by foot are: Plaza de Armas, the city’s main square and symbolic heart since 1541; Palacio de la Moneda, Chile’s 18th century presidential offices; the neoclassical Catedral Metropolitana; and Centro Gabriel Mistral, a striking performing arts centre. Be brave and visit the Museum of Memory, which records the human rights violations, torture and “disappearances” under Pinochet’s military dictatorship. Elevate your spirits in the Pre-Colombian Museum with its feathery Andean textiles, Mayan figures and Mapuche totems. Pueblito los Dominicos, an artisans’ village (at the end of the Metro line, just 20 minutes from the Magnolia, and more convenient than sitting in traffic) offers everything from carved wooden fish to hand-knitted ponchos.
WHERE TO EAT: Chilean cuisine blends cooking styles and ingredients from its mixed and complicated heritage. You’ll find soups, stews and ceviches of flipping-fresh pescados (fish) and mariscos (shellfish) from its 2600-mile coastline. Try also pasteles, a traditional and hearty casserole of corn, meat, crab and potatoes. Chef Pedro Chavarría’s pop-up, DeMo, in the Magnolia— only five tables, open evenings-only and with another outpost in the Franklin neighbourhood — serves gastronomic Chilean cuisine: a tasting menu of traditional dishes with a contemporary twist using the best seasonal, local ingredients (think popcorn in seafood sauce to rockfish). Chef Rodolfo Guzman’s Boragó offers another elaborate tasting menu, 700 or so dishes each year (plus bottled water culled from Patagonian rain) and is rightly one of the world’s 50 leading restaurants. There’s chic Osaka for a bank-breaking (by local standards) Peruvian dinner that’s as pretty as it’s tasty. Visit Bocanáriz wine bar for its 344 Chilean vinos and pairings with fish in the hip boho neighbourhood of Las Tarrea — an area chokka with bars, restaurants and people partying until 3 am. Or Chipe Libre for a disco vibe, freshest ceviche and its famous Pisco Sours — grape brandy mixed with fresh lemon juice and sugar — served from what it dubs the Independent Republic of Pisco. Go to Ambrosia Bistro for atmosphere and homemade pasta to high-end food in a family-owned house. Bar Liguria serves Chilean family dishes — the empanadas, croquettes and chicken pil pil are winners (and they even sent a waiter to walk me back safely to my hotel).
WHERE TO ENJOY THE GREAT INDOORS: You may prefer just to sit with a book in the Magnolia’s cosy library and quaff vino from the bar, open 24/7, and guzzle the free candy. But the hotel’s also big on events for guests and locals: this is a house where people connect. If you hit an Ecstatic Dance night, you’ll be bopping to a silent disco in the restaurant. You may enjoy live music, DJs, and Chilean singers on the rooftop or a winter concert in the library. There are wine tastings in the wine room and rooftop bar. The Magnolia’s Guilty Tasting sees a cheeky pairing of vino with fast food: think fried chicken with Chardonnay then glazed donuts with Pinot Noir. Or bag a place on the hotel’s upcoming retreat: three days of personal growth and finding your life purpose with Francesc Miralles, personal psychology and spirituality guru and co-author of Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long Happy Life. (A Catalan writer holding a Japanese retreat in Chile just about sums up the ethos of this quirky hotel.) To enjoy more wellness, there’s a spa, gym that’s open 24/7, plus a Sound Healing Room with a Sky Lounge: a fancy massage-style chair with sound vibrations created by Dr. Jeffrey Thompson, a man considered the world’s premier sound healing researcher, brainwave and high-tech personal transformation innovator. After an hour, you’ll have switched off from the buzz of the city. Or fallen asleep.
WHERE TO GO NEAR SANTIAGO: You can hike in the Andes at Cajón del Maipo beside a turquoise lake; hang out in the mountains waiting (and waiting and waiting) for condors; and mustn’t miss Ski Portillo — South America’s oldest ski resort and boasting nursery slopes to black pistes — all just two-ish hours’ drive from Santiago. But many make the pilgrimage to Chile for its world-renowned wine regions. The country’s diversity results in Andes bolds to coastal light wines; and wine buffs wax lyrical about the Carmenère, a rich red that originated in Bordeaux. Just 45 minutes from Santiago’s centre is Concha Y Toro, a ginormous, family-run estate considered by many to produce some of the area’s best wine, from Devil’s Locker (£5 a bottle) to Don Melchor (£100 a bottle). Around 90 minutes South of Santiago is Valle de Colchagua, one of Chile’s most important vineyard areas. Visit Clos Apalta and luxury winery and architectural wonder Viña Vik. If you want to stay in a 100-year-old estancia in the San Antonio valley and do a wine tasting and winery tour, there’s La Casona in the Matetic vineyard. Or Casablanca, one of Chile’s newest wine-producing regions, boasts Kingston — with its tip-top view and Pinot Noir — while Villard Fine Wines bags its spot for precision wines. Sample hacienda-style living at Casablanca’s Casona El Refugio, the country’s newest lodge, and a mere hour from Santiago. The refugio combines rustic charm with a communal dining table; and winery visits (guided, if you wish, by the brilliant and knowledgeable Cristian Aguilera) can include nearby Casas del Bosque, one of Chile’s most sustainable estates and where you can be a wine maker for a day; then hop over to Valparaiso for the seashore and Pablo Neruda’s wacky house.
Hotel Magnolia is a member of the AML luxury hotel association. Visit www.hotelmagnolia.cl.
Journey Latin America specialises in holidays throughout Latin America. A tailormade luxury visit, staying 2 nights at Hotel Magnolia in Santiago and 2 nights at La Casona at Matetic in the Casablanca Valley, including a walking tour in Santiago and wine tasting at Matetic winery, starts from £3,326 per person. The price includes international flights, transfers, excursions and luxury accommodation, on a bed and breakfast basis in Santiago and half board at La Casona at Matetic. Visit www.journeylatinamerica.com.
Caroline Phillips is an award-winning freelance journalist who contributes to publications from Sunday and daily newspapers to glossy magazines and various luxury websites. To see more of her work, go to www.carolinephillips.net.
