Hotel in Santiago

[RASHOPPER2]

Ps. I Booked The Orly On The Website - Got A Good Rate.

[jjmmcc]

Princess1234, I had a very bad experience where I lost a day in Santiago due to weather delays flying out of the US. I would be more inclined to add that day to the embarkation to protect against any potential flight delays. Many people on our cruise almost missed it because of the weather delays and they did not schedule an extra day before embarkation. Keep in mind that, unlike the US destinations, South American flights often only go out one a day from most airports. Also, we are flying out of the US in our winter to visit SA in their summer. Our winter weather can be very unpredictable.

 

In my opinion Santiago is good for an extra day or two, Buenos Aries is a place to enjoy at leisure and to be so close to Iguazu Falls and not see them would be a shame. I agree that you should save Buenos Aries for another trip, if possible.

[robinpow]

Just got home a couple of weeks ago (did the reposition cruise back to FL).

 

I stayed at the Crown Plaza, very nice, was very helpful at setting up my city tours. The down side was... it was Easter weekend and the hotel was short on staff, the restaurant was a negative 5 on a scale of 1 to 10.

 

Good news, one members from the board and I linked up online before leaving and did a city tour together, she was staying at the Orly and only had good things to say about it.

 

As for a 'safe area' there ISN'T ONE! My new found friend had her camera ripped out of her hand. This was in daytime, near the square while with a tour group. Don't be scared, but defiantly keep your guard up when out walking the city. Most of the locals are very nice, but it only takes one 'bad apple' to ruin your day.

 

Extra tip, if you are a dog lover... pack a box of doggie treats. Chile has more than it's fair share of frendly stray dogs. Unlike many countires most appear to be well cared for (locals feed them).

[Mary Ellen]

Thank you for the alert about Santiago. We've read plenty about Rio, but none prior to yours for Santiago. I'd hate to lose my camera - but the pictures on my digital card :( :( :(

[gerena]

We stayed at the Hotel Orly and it highly recommended. Our rooms were small, but we were close to everything. Nice easy walks. See my post of August 7, 2006.

 

"We arrived at our hotel, checked our bags and took off walking to the park where the cable cars were. It was a very pleasant walk through a residential neighborhood just outside our Hotel Orly. ($77US per night) We took the cable car and to the Cerro San Cristobal and the Virgin Mary statue. Fortunately, we had a fog free view. We returned by funicular to the city and walked by the river for several blocks and ate at Donde Agosto at the Mercado Central. Along the way we walked in the area of the lapis shops. We headed downtown via the pedestrian street and the Plaza de Armas, eventually taking the metro back to our hotel. We stopped for a soft drink and then took the city bus to the craft market, Los Dominicos Art and Craft Village. Returning to the hotel, we ate dinner at our hotel and retired for the night. The Hotel Orly was very nice and very easy to get to the metro, bus, etc.

[CruzinNoony]

Gerena, Terpla, and Rashopper2: I am trying to book the Hotel Orly for next Feb 7 and 8th. I am having a little trouble, as they have not responded. How did you book your room? We are on the same cruise as Rashopper2.

[terpla]

I responded on your thread. Check it out.

 

Terpla

[RASHOPPER2]

We Reserved The Hotel Orly Over The Internet On Their Web-site. This Was About 4 Months Ago. Try To Send Them An Email Telling Them The Dates That You Want, Asking For Availability And Rates. Let Us Know What Happens. Good Luck.

[CruzinNoony]

Success with making our reservations with Hotel Orly! I think the reason they didn't respond to my e-mails and the form I filled out was that it was the week-end and no one was there to read them. :rolleyes: But now, we are all set with our hotels. We are staying at the Marriott Plaza for 3 nights in BA and 2 nights at Hotel Orly. Now, we have to arrange transportation from the ship to Santiago on the 7th. Thanks for your help!:)

[goofysmom99]

Based on reviews here in Ports of Call and tripadvisor, we booked the the Hotel Claridge in BA and the Hotel Orly in Santiago for our cruise this December. I wanted to arrange an airport pickup and an early check-in and the concierge at the Claridge called me and we took care of everything over the phone. I'm still stunned by such good service! The rates were so reasonable for both hotels (Orly king rm = $99 incl bkfst), we cancelled our Marriott reservations, even though we were going to use points. We fgured we could stretch the points more in Paris next Spring, where everything is so much more expensive. Still working on the pick-up at the pier in Valparaiso.