PHOTO: www.facebook.com/lucianokhotel

Fodor's Expert Review Luciano K

Name: Luciano K
Address: Merced 84, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, 8320119, Chile
Telephone: 2-2620 0900
Price range: $$

Merced 84, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan, 8320119, Chile See on Map

Eileen Smith

Well located, perched between Plaza Italia, Santiago's main transportation hub and the Bellas Artes corridor, this hotel was built into one of Santiago's finest examples of Art Deco architecture, a building that dates back to 1928 and still retains much of its original charm, including the first functioning elevator in the country. It is named for Chilean architect Luciano Kulczewski.

YOU SHOULD KNOW The hotel is right on Parque Forestal, which is lovely, but at night this area can be a little empty for late night hotel returns. Best to take a taxi to the front door, even if the distances are short.

room

Triple-paned windows keeps noise from the Alameda (the main street of Santiago) at bay. Quirkily-shaped door openings remind some of coffins, while wooden floors and bright white linens keep a very tidy look. Sconce-style bedside lighting and black and white prints on the walls.

bathroom

Immaculate, white, with a bowl sink, marble fittings and plush towels. Tub with glass shower surround and small mosaic tiles.

lobby

The lovely milk-paint colored tile entryway guides visitors to either a bar/restaurant to the right, or down a hallway to the reception desk. The main seating would be in the bar, which serves coffee, lunch or dinner in a colorful, chic environment with lots of style on the first floor.

pool

A small plunge (or very short lap) pool on the fantastically colorful rooftop is perfect for cooling off on a warm day.

YOU SHOULD KNOW Shyer bathers might feel strange stripping down to the pool at the terrace restaraunt/bar during mealtimes, as it's quite public.

spa

There is a sauna on the ground floor.

dining

Both downstairs at the lobby bar and upstairs on the rooftop deck there are dining options, with the rooftop deck, "Terraza K" specializing in tapas-style dishes and signature cocktails, and the downstairs restaurant bar having buffet-style meals and a daily lunch menu with traditional Chilean food with a few special touches.

drinking

On site is the fabulously beautiful Terraza K, the rooftop deck, outfitted in pink and milk-tile colors, with a partially glassed in floor and spiral staircases. In addition they serve cocktails from new classics like Negronis to Chilean twists on classics like the Maquipolitan, a Cosmopolitan made with Chile's super fruit, the maqui.

LOCATION

Getting Around

This hotel is very convenient on foot to Bellas Artes, Lastarria, downtown and Bellavista, and also to the red and green lines of the metro, but at night most visitors here will prefer Uber, Cabify or a taxi to return to the hotel.

Restaurants

This hotel is very close to the Castillo Forestal, (10-minute walk) a restaurant with French food with Chilean ingredients and a good wine list. Also nearby is Sarita Colonia (12-minute walk) which serves semi-nontraditional Peruvian food in a quirky environment. Assuming that those who stay at LucianoK are into architecture, it's worth a foray to the Peluquería Francesa (18-minute taxi ride) for more French-Chilean food in a knick-knack and mirror-filled opulent restaurant in an old mansion in Barrio Yungay. In Bellavista, head to either the Patio Bellavista (6-minute walk)to choose a restaurant there, or head directly to Peumayén (9-minute walk) with ancestral food from the region in innovative presentations.

Very close to the hotel is Castillo Forestal, (4-minute walk), a converted old castle with French food from Chilean ingredients, which also has a lovely patio. Also nearby is Sarita Colonia, (7-minute walk) a mostly Peruvian restaurant with eclectic furnishings, good food, and an extensive drinks menu. In nearby Lastarria (5-minute walk) choose from restaurants like the newest location of Liguria (3-minute walk) for Chilean food in a bistro atmosphere, Bocanáriz (5-minute walk) the country's first wine bar, Chipe Libre, (5-minute walk) a restaurant focused on Pisco and food from the north of Chile and the south of Peru, or Quitral, (7-minute walk) another quality restaurant at the end of the plaza, closest to the Alameda. Or head into Bellavista (11-minute walk) and try your luck there. We especially like Peumayén, (13-minute walk) serving ancestral Chilean food from the length of the country.

Bars

Close to the hotel is the Patio Bellavista (6-minute walk) where there are many bars, or within the Bellavista neighborhood itself, we suggest drinks at the Aubrey Hotel's (11-minute walk) patio in the evening hours, or to Siete Negronis (11-minute walk). In Lastarria, Chipe Libre (7-minute walk) is a popular bar for Pisco cocktails, and Bocanáriz (7-minute walk) is the country's first wine bar, serving variable pours, flights and verticals of hard-to-find wines.

WHY WE LIKE IT

The architecture of this pink-fronted building is a design-lover's dream and it has been restored with good taste and an artistic touch. It is also in an extremely convenient location, for visits to the Mercado Central, and fronts onto Parque Forestal for lovely strolls in the park.

QUICK FACTS

Rooms 37, 1 suite

Food & Drink

Breakfast yes

Lunch yes

Dinner yes

Bar yes

Cafe yes

Room Service yes

Price $$

Amenities Pool

Wi-Fi throughout hotel

Parking Parking Lot

Accepts Pets? No

HOTEL INFO

Phones: 2-2620 0900

Website: http://www.lucianokhotel.com/

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