Valpariaso - Lodging, etc

[Lise Dagenais]

Lise,

 

Thanks, the Ultramar won't be on our lodging list. Did you see any places in Vina where you would like to stay on your next visit?

 

Harvey

 

In Vina del Mar there is many hotels but I'dont know anyone to recommend

What we did is that we took a tour from Santiago ( booked at the hotel) we visited along the tour many site and instead of coming back in Santiago we were drop in Valparaiso at our hotel Ultramar

Good luck in your booking ( I would'nt worry to find a nice hotel in Vina)

[CJsMate]

I am in the area 4 times per year for business.

 

My favorite hotels in the order I like them:

Vina del Mar

Oceanic-full service hotel-European style

Cap Ducal-a weird little hotel built on the seawall in the shape of a ship. Ocean views to die for from most rooms

O'Higgins-older, very Euro style hotel close to the casino and restaurants. The suites are VERY nice. The regular rooms, not so much. But the suite prices are in your budget easily.

 

In Valparaiso (I don't stay there as much as Vina)

Brighton Hotel-the view is spectacular. The hotel-older but exquisitely maintained.

I have driven up to the Grand House (another hotel on top of a hill). B & B style hotel. Only a few rooms and every time I have gone there, they were full. But I looked around and if I ever remember to make a reservation in advance, I am going to stay there. If for no other reason, the view was fantastic.

For a special treat (I don't know how long you are going to be in the area). This hotel is south of Santiago. Vina/Valparaiso are north.

Vina Casa Silva-an EXQUISITE experience in the middle of the winery. Luxury inn with horse drawn carriages and even their own polo grounds. Not as expensive as you would think (about $300 for the night, including dinner and wine tastings.) The polo was free, the carriage rides were only about $25.00pp.

Enjoy!!!

 

Thanks for the great information! I'll look those places up on the internet.

 

hc

[greatam]

Shelly,

 

Yes we have requested our TA to get us onto LAN 603 on the 22nd and will be in a D1 cabin on the 9th deck of the Radiance. We are leaning towards going directly to Valporaiso and spending three nights either there or in Vina.

Did you know that LAN supposedly has a shuttle for their passengers which leaves from the Santiago airport and goes to Vina del Mar? I found from some postings that the shuttle leaves the airport around 8 am, arrives in Vina at 3 Norte and Libertad around 10 am and costs $10 per person. I've sent an email to LAN asking about the shuttle and will post the information in our Radiance roll call.

 

Harvey

 

Yes, there is a LAN shuttle bus to Vina. Very cheap.

 

You can also rent a car one way from Advantage at SCL or in Vina. The drive both to Vina/Val and the Santa Cruz wine areas is very easy. MUCH like driving around California-same type of scenery. You really can't get lost-there are limited roads. And the rental car company maps are good.

 

Don't forget Chilean peso's. They don't like US dollars at the toll booths.

 

Enjoy!!!

[driftychick]

Harvey:

 

We will be in a JS on Deck 10 and will look for you at LAX! We will stay 1 night in Santiago and then 2 nights in Vina del Mar at the Hotel del Mar which is also the Casino. I really want to tour at least 1 vineyard and have linch at Indomita, it is supposed to be fabulous! We did not think of driving from Santiago to Vina and also did not know about the LAN Shuttle. More info to check out before we leave! That is why I love these boards.

[CJsMate]

Harvey:

 

We will be in a JS on Deck 10 and will look for you at LAX! We will stay 1 night in Santiago and then 2 nights in Vina del Mar at the Hotel del Mar which is also the Casino. I really want to tour at least 1 vineyard and have linch at Indomita, it is supposed to be fabulous! We did not think of driving from Santiago to Vina and also did not know about the LAN Shuttle. More info to check out before we leave! That is why I love these boards.

 

Shelley,

 

We are still waiting for our flight confirmation but we are optimistic that we shall get what we requested. Once we have our flight arranged, we can then take care of our hotel. The Hotel del Mar may be on our list as a possible hotel if we can get a room at $200 or less per night.

 

We too want to tour the wine country but have decided to do it from the Vina del Mar side. The Casablanca Valley is only about 25 miles away and has 10+ wineries (including Indomita) so we will probably make a day out of a trip there. Haven't decided whether to rent a car or take one of the tour agencies trips. Leaning towards a rental car as we can then go at our own speed and see more of the countryside.

 

I got a reply from LAN about the shuttle and here is their info:

Dear Harvey,

Thank you for your email. We do offer a transfer from Santiago airport to Vina del Mar. These do need to be pre-reserved with us. Cost depends on date and number of people traveling. You will also need to be flying on a LAN Airlines carrier in order to book with us.

Once we have our flight information, I will send them information to pre-reserve their shuttle. The shuttle leaves from the airport which, for us eliminates a taxi into Santiago. The last cost I heard was 5,000 pesos (about $10).

[CJsMate]

Yes, there is a LAN shuttle bus to Vina. Very cheap.

 

You can also rent a car one way from Advantage at SCL or in Vina. The drive both to Vina/Val and the Santa Cruz wine areas is very easy. MUCH like driving around California-same type of scenery. You really can't get lost-there are limited roads. And the rental car company maps are good.

Don't forget Chilean peso's. They don't like US dollars at the toll booths.

Enjoy!!!

 

Thanks for the info. I have been looking for a car rental in Vina so I checked the Advantage website and there they were on Libertdad. Very convenient.

 

Harvey

[Kiwi Kruzer]

We stayed at the Sheraton Miramar in Vina for 5 days pre cruise and really enjoyed it. We did 2 days tours which we booked at the Hotel desk. One was a tour of Valparaiso that included a walk and funicular rides and the other, a tour up the Pacific coast. Here is a link to a slideshow I put together of the stay.

 

 

 

Click here for slideshow.

http://good-times.webshots.com/slideshow/563518543CKZqdH

[CJsMate]

We stayed at the Sheraton Miramar in Vina for 5 days pre cruise and really enjoyed it. We did 2 days tours which we booked at the Hotel desk. One was a tour of Valparaiso that included a walk and funicular rides and the other, a tour up the Pacific coast. Here is a link to a slideshow I put together of the stay.

 

David,

 

Thank you for sharing those photos. Beautiful shots of the area. I'll share your slideshow link with the roll call for our Radiance of the Seas cruise. I'm sure they will enjoy it as much as I.

 

Harvey

[Pokemomma]

Just a note to those wishing to book the LAN shuttle. If your flight is booked directly through LAN, the charge is $12 for the shuttle. If you booked your flight through any other airline, ie. American, even though LAN is the operator, you cannot use the shuttle....makes no sense to me, but that's the way it is. The LAN agent told me we could take the 'TUR' shuttle to the bus station and then there are 1/2 hourly buses to Vina for $8.

 

We're thinking of renting a car because I don't want to be dragging luggage all over Chile after an 11 hour flight :eek:

[CJsMate]

Just a note to those wishing to book the LAN shuttle. If your flight is booked directly through LAN, the charge is $12 for the shuttle. If you booked your flight through any other airline, ie. American, even though LAN is the operator, you cannot use the shuttle....makes no sense to me, but that's the way it is.

 

Julie,

 

thanks for the info. Even though we are booked directly with LAN we also might do the rental car because we can use it for exploring in Valpo/Vina.

 

hc

[greatam]

Just a note to those wishing to book the LAN shuttle. If your flight is booked directly through LAN, the charge is $12 for the shuttle. If you booked your flight through any other airline, ie. American, even though LAN is the operator, you cannot use the shuttle....makes no sense to me, but that's the way it is. The LAN agent told me we could take the 'TUR' shuttle to the bus station and then there are 1/2 hourly buses to Vina for $8.

 

We're thinking of renting a car because I don't want to be dragging luggage all over Chile after an 11 hour flight :eek:

 

IF the flight is the LAN codeshare with AA, you can use the shuttle.

 

Advantage is the ONLY car rental agency where you can do a one way rental-Vina/Valpo to Santiago or reverse. Hertz states they have one way rentals BUT when you go to drop off the car, they want to hit you with a HUGE (like $200.00) drop charge.

[CJsMate]

IF the flight is the LAN codeshare with AA, you can use the shuttle.

 

Advantage is the ONLY car rental agency where you can do a one way rental-Vina/Valpo to Santiago or reverse.

 

Thanks. I knew about Advantage but have a question about drop off. Advantage shows a location in Vina on Libertad, do they have any other drop off locations in Valparaiso?

 

hc

[greatam]

Thanks. I knew about Advantage but have a question about drop off. Advantage shows a location in Vina on Libertad, do they have any other drop off locations in Valparaiso?

 

hc

 

Use the one in Vina. It is actually a car dealership that rents cars through their association with Advantage and Rosselot (European car rental company). It is at best a 10 minute ride to the pier-$15.00 taxi fare. Unless they have moved it in the last 3 years, the one in Valpo is actually harder to get to the port and they don't speak English as well.

[CJsMate]

Use the one in Vina. It is actually a car dealership that rents cars through their association with Advantage and Rosselot (European car rental company). It is at best a 10 minute ride to the pier-$15.00 taxi fare.

 

Thanks, always love getting first hand info from fellow travelers.

 

hc

[Pokemomma]

IF the flight is the LAN codeshare with AA, you can use the shuttle.

 

Yes, I thought that would be the case as well. After getting a 'no go' from the first agent, I did my usual 'call back and talk to someone else' thing....got the same answer :confused: I'd really like to take advantage of this shuttle since Princess charges $60 pp.

 

Any ideas?

[greatam]

Yes, I thought that would be the case as well. After getting a 'no go' from the first agent, I did my usual 'call back and talk to someone else' thing....got the same answer :confused: I'd really like to take advantage of this shuttle since Princess charges $60 pp.

 

Any ideas?

 

LAN 603 (nonstop-LAX/SCL-AA flight 7709) and LAN 605 (LAX/LIM-AA 5606) continuing on LAN 5530 both count as true codeshares on LAN-all segments are LAN.

 

The AA flights connecting in DFW and MIA that codeshare with LAN to SCL DO NOT count, as the intra USA flights are AA flights UNLESS you booked the flights direct with LAN initially. Then they are counted as true codeshares. LAN does not count just one segment as a TRUE codeshare. Therefore you are not a LAN passenger and unable to use the shuttle.

 

Unless you are on LAN 603 or are arriving a day early, you will be hard pressed to use the LAN shuttle anyhow and arrive in time for embarkation. The last time I used the LAN shuttle (November, 2007), the shuttle times were 8AM, 10AM and 2PM (plus a later one at 6:00PM).

[Pokemomma]

LAN 603 (nonstop-LAX/SCL-AA flight 7709) and LAN 605 (LAX/LIM-AA 5606) continuing on LAN 5530 both count as true codeshares on LAN-all segments are LAN.

 

Unless you are on LAN 603 or are arriving a day early, you will be hard pressed to use the LAN shuttle anyhow and arrive in time for embarkation. The last time I used the LAN shuttle (November, 2007), the shuttle times were 8AM, 10AM and 2PM (plus a later one at 6:00PM).

 

Thank you for the clarification. We ARE on AA7709 (LAN603) leaving LAX 1/31. Any advice on how I go about pressing this issue with the agent at LAN? Do I simply tell them it's a 'codeshare'? I don't have a TA....booked everything ourselves.

 

Thanks again for your help Greatam ;)

[greatam]

Thank you for the clarification. We ARE on AA7709 (LAN603) leaving LAX 1/31. Any advice on how I go about pressing this issue with the agent at LAN? Do I simply tell them it's a 'codeshare'? I don't have a TA....booked everything ourselves.

 

Thanks again for your help Greatam ;)

 

I always let AA handle the shuttle reservation for me. Once, I just went to where the shuttle was and got on. Of course, I am a top tier AA FF, so maybe that is why I have never had a problem. IF your ticket is an AA codeshare ticket, you need to deal with AA, not LAN.

 

The shuttle was NOT designed originally for passengers. It was designed for airlines employees who arrive VERY early AM, then have at least an entire day before they have to report back to work for a late night flight out of SCL.

 

About 5 years ago, the shuttle dropped everyone off at the Casino, as the airlines had contract hotel rooms for their employees there. That has since changed.

 

Really don't know what to tell you except call AA and speak to the international desk.

[Pokemomma]

Thanks, I'll call AA today.

[FranCT]

Hi All:

 

We are taking a cruise out of Valparaiso in April and will be there 2 days pre cruise. Have been looking into hotels. Has anyone stayed at the gran hotel gervasoni? Looks nice from the pics. Does anyone know about shuttles from the airport to Valparaiso.

 

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks

[Pokemomma]

Well, I've gone out on a limb and booked the Robinson Crusoe in Valpariso. Jorge, the owner has been very prompt to reply to all my questions and will arrange for a private car from SCL to the hotel as well as taxi to the ship as only slightly more than the Princess transfers. I'd say 99% of the reviews I've read have been outstanding. This appears to be a very unusual, quirky little inn and we're looking forward to our stay.

 

If anyone is interested, I sent an inquiry through the website and got a better price than any of the 'usual' hotel sites. http://www.robinsoncrusoeinn.com

[BurBunny]

Greatam,

 

Having difficulty finding and booking a hotel in Vina del Mar. Am bringing a group, and both the Cap Ducal and Oceania are booked for my dates (there's an ATP tennis championship I understand). I have been referred to the Hotel Neruda Mar. Do you know anything about this property? Any others you'd recommend?

[marazul]

Go to asiarooms.com

They have an unbelievable deal on the Sheraton Miramar in Viña del Mar.

And yes, the website is reliable. Also check hotels in Santiago,if you need it.

[SelectSys]

Well, I haven't stayed in a hotel in either city but I spent a day looking around both Valpariaso and Vina last week. I really liked the vibe and cleanliness of Vina over Valpariaso.

 

While Valpariaso has been designated a world heritage city, it has a way to go in terms of cleaning up. It appears to be quite easy to get from Vina to Valpariaso on a modern metro link to go down for a day tour to see the sites.

[commodoredave]

W're on the Radiance for the Nov 23 SA sailing. We decided to skip Santiago and spend both pre-cruise nights in Valpo (hope it was a good choice). We're staying at the Hotel Grand Gervasoni which had strong reviews on TripAdvisor (anyone know it?).

Does anyone have any restaurant recommendations for Valpo? Thanks.