Does anyone know of any hotels in Santiago walking distance to things to do there? Also in Valpariso? Also, we are flying to Puerto Montt. Any suggestions on things to do? Should we rent a car?

We stayed at La Nona Bed and Breakfast which is run by a guy called Rene and his girlfriend Carolina. Rene was one of the most hospitable hosts we met on our travels around South America and is a wealth of information on what to see and do in 'Valpo' and the surrounding area. Yo are treated more like friends than guests and immediately feel right at home. The building is located on one of the best hills and is a beautiful example of the local architecture. Much nicer than staying in a hotel. One of the best experiences was to go horseriding for the day in the dunes and forest out by Vina del Mar which Rene organised for us.

http://www.bblanona.com/?page_id=18

Thank you. We will go on the web site. I forgot to mention that we are adventurous 50 year olds and probably most important to us is being walking distance to alot of things to do.

"adventurous 50 year olds " same here!! Valpo is a compact sort of place where you can walk to most places of interest in the town. There is a graffiti trail which takes you past the main sights and, of course the graffitti for which the town is renowned.

Here is a link to our blog which has some photos etc. Entries 78-79 cover our time there.

http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog...9520/tpod.html

In Santiago try the Hotel d'Orly. Its centrally located and right off the metro. A former mansion, its well appointed and breakfast was included!

If you are looking for budget places, I'd recommend the Hotel Paris in Santiago and Casa Liesel in Valparaiso. Both were amazing values (well below the area average) in very central locations. More info and pics in our Chile posts at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/

We enoyed our hotels ( on 2 visits) in Santiago and Valparaiso:
Santiago: Park Plaza and Director El Golf
Valaparaiso: Casa Hugueres

In Santiago I stayed at the Best Western Los Espanoles. It' an easy walk to the Metro near Providencia and you can also walk to Bellavista. Plus they have a Senior Discount, and is easy to book, unlike Hotel Orly.

http://www.losespanoles.cl/portada_eng.htm