cindyj

Looking to spend 3 nights in Valpariso following a trek in Torres del Paine in mid-February 2019. Will need to do laundry, soak up some sun, R&R! Two women traveling together, prefer twin beds but can do a queen in a pinch. Budget: $125- $175/night if possible. Considering Casa Galos Hotel & Lofts, Hotel Manoir Atkinson, Voga Exclusive Guesthouse. Thoughts? Other things to consider? I underestand the hills and that most of these places are small with no elevator.

MFNYC

We just got back from Valparaiso and stayed at the Voga exclusive guesthouse. It was delightful. The staff couldn't have been sweeter, and spoke excellent English. The breakfast was good, location great, room clean, comfortable & quiet with a view. Some very good restaurants nearby.(Restaurant La Concepción and Maralegre, both with outdoor patio type seating with views of the sea). Casa Galos is a few doors down.

While there we did the "offbeat" tour with https://tours4tips.com/, which was very good. Lots of information.

I had also considered Hotel Manoir Atkinson (Casa Galos had no availability). I had asked the driver/guide I had hired (to take us from Santiago airport to Valpo, with winery and other stops along the way), what he thought. He recommended Voga, so that's why I picked it.

sf7307

MFNYC, we are going to Valpo straight from Santiago airport in January (then back to Santiago itself for a few days). We were going to rent a car (we have a place to park in Valpo). If the price is right, a car and driver might be a better option -- can you give me contact information and an idea of what it cost?

MFNYC

Our driver was Michael from here The German Pirates - Tours in Valparaíso Chile, his direct email is [email protected] I was advised to not bother with a car, more trouble than it's worth. We arrived in the morning, Michael picked us up. I had asked if he could take us through wine country, since it's on the way, and also make a lunch stop. He stopped at 3 wineries. We just had a glass at their tasting bars. We did not do formal tours or tastings. He also took a scenic route, over the mountains instead of through the tunnel, took us to some off the beaten path places to see, and lunch at a very "local" empanada place (he gave us option of that, or fancy lunch at winery). We felt it was worth every penny. No way we could have done any of this on our own, certainly not as easily. So on our arrival day, we actually covered a lot of territory, without knocking ourselves out (we had overnight flight, and didn't sleep all that well). He never rushed us, and was completely flexible.

sf7307

Thank you!!

MFNYC

We did take the bus back to Santiago for 1 overnight there, before flying to Buenos Aires. It was pretty straight forward, and very inexpensive, I think about $5.

HappyTrvlr

We had a beautiful stay at Hotel Casa Higueres up in the hills of Valparaiso. You could look out to the port. Beautiful restored historic home, terraces, terrific dining room. We would love to stay there again.