4 Best Hotels in Santiago, Chile

From the gorgeous baroque facade with balconies to the original ceiling medallion from which the chandelier in the giant salon and living room hangs, it's clear that Happy House Hostel is something special. Spacious and clean, the remodeled mansion with wooden floors has loads of comfortable common space and a pool in the back with a waterfall. Three dorm-style rooms have six and eight beds each, but the remaining 23 rooms, named for different parts of Chile, are private, with or without bathrooms. A dorm bed costs 12,600 pesos and a private room just 75,000. The real prize is the private double with private bathroom for just 40,500.

Staying in this seven-story hotel across the street from Cerro Santa Lucía is like visiting an elegant old home that has seen better days. Even though the decor is dated and tired, staying here is still a good deal, and if you want a view, the best rooms are those on the upper floors overlooking Santa Lucía Hill, while rooms at the back are quieter. The rooftop restaurant and bar is also a great place to enjoy the view. Most rooms are small, but matrimonial rooms (suites)—those with a sitting area and a double bed instead of two twins—are just a few thousand pesos extra.

This colonial-style building, adorned with a bullet-shaped turret, sits in the heart of the charming Barrio París-Londres. Rooms here are spacious, filled with comfortable modern furnishings, and have plenty of windows—ask for one of the two double rooms with a sitting room inside the turret, for a view of gently curving Calle Londres. The hotel also rents apartments, for a maximum of three people and minimum of three nights, in a newer nearby building.

Stay in one of Santiago's most interesting design neighborhoods at this cozy B&B in Barrio Italia, a vibrant subsection of Providencia known for its design shops and antique stores. Run by Viviana and her husband, Felipe, this inn is set in an old brick house with polished wood floors and airy rooms with comfortable beds and tasteful furnishings. One two-room suite sleeps three. There are loads of shopping and restaurant options nearby, and it is five blocks from the closest metro.