Grand Hyatt Santiago

Grand Hyatt Santiago standard room
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I was warmly welcomed to Santiago by my colleague Alvaro del Campo and our tour guide Mr German. I experienced a three hour tour of this beautiful city which, features amazing architecture a mix of modern and historic with various influences which include German, Belguim, French, Italian, British and Spanish. I have many pics of this gorgeous city in my photo log. It was nice to see the various districts within Santiago from uptown where the Grand Hyatt is located to downtown. The city spreads along and across the valley of Mapocho river and is surrounded by high mountains blanketed in snow during the winter season. There is a picture of Santa Lucia Hill in my photo log, formerly known as Huelen-Mapudungun for pain and sadness by the native people, it was renamed Santa Lucia by Pedro de Valdivia in 1540 and as of 1872 it has become a beautiful promenade with spectacular views of city. I also have pictures of Palacio de la Moneda which is considered one of the most important neoclassical buildings in Spanish speaking Latin America. It was constructed in 1784 and in 1848 it became the presidential residence as well as housing for certain ministries. Today it is the Government Palace and houses the Presidency of the Republic. I also have pictures of Forest Park which was constructed in 1900 by landscaper Jorge Dubois, this project is an imitation of the design of European parks of the turn of the century. In 1930 it became the most relevant promenade and gave way to the construction of luxurious houses and palaces in its surrounding areas. There is an area names "Barrio Paris Londres", meaning: Paris London Neighborhood. This area includes a set of small mansions set along narrow, winding streets, with continous facades of various architectural styles, built between 1922 and 1925. This area today is host to artist studios, cultural centers, boutique hotels and restaurants.

Grand Hyatt Santiago standard room
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Following our city tour we returned to the hotel and I was treated to a 50-minute massage at Ako Spa. I received an aromatherapy massage and it was truly wonderful and relaxing. A huge thank you to Grand Hyatt Santiago for this wonderful treat as well as the warm welcome and my amazing suite!!!

The Santa Rita winery is a gem perched below the Andes Mountains.

I was given the diplomatic suite which, is extremely spacious featuring a gorgeous deck that looks out unto the city with plenty of space for breakfast, lunch, dinner or just to relax. The room also features a work area, living space, dining area with seating for eight, a large bed area and huge bath with seperate bath and shower. The spa is a spa tub with a window which, looks out unto the bed area. There are plenty of pics in my photo log.

View of Chile from the plane
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In the evening I dined in Anakena which, features Thai and Chilean grill. I enjoyed a mix grill of filet, rib eye, lamb, chicken and sea bass... needless to say my experience there was amazing... a huge thank you to the entire staff for their warm welcome and treatment!!!

On day two I met my driver Mr German for a tour of the Santa Rita winery. The driver Mr German who is a permanent hire of Grand Hyatt Santiago speaks very good english as he's lived in New York and Miami and has detailed knowledge of the city and country. The Santa Rita winery is a gem perched below the Andes Mountains. The owner of the winery built a museum which, is home to his private collection of Latin American historical artifacts. I was amazed by the art and more amazed by the fact all of it is his personal collection. Unfortunately I could not take pictures however, there are a few of the building and interiors. Following my visit to the museum I joined a group for a tour of the winery and then lunch in the gorgeous dining room, there are pictures in my photo log. This is truly a remarkable place, I highly reccomend it to travellers who are planning to visit as, its one of the oldest and most beautiful.

View from the plane
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I took an opportunity to get to know the walking area outside of the hotel which, includes a great park, restaurants and shopping. The shopping plaza featured a good mix of department stores, smaller boutiques, electronics and on the third floor home furnishings. It was a really nice escape from the cold outdoors.

Later that evening I dined in our Italian restaurant "SENSO". I had a comforting bowl of Minestrone soup and for the main course ribs that were cooked slowely to perfection.

Gorgeous mountains blanketed in snow surround this lovely city
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On my last day I met with Alvaro for a tour of other hotels within the vicinity. The first hotel we visited is the Sheraton Hotel and Convention center. This hotel is planning to renovate this year, it is truly a convention hotel featuring over ten thousand square feet of meeting/event space. Next we visited the Ritz Carlton a smaller size hotel in comparison to the others, it has a boutique vibe. We then visited the Marriott located within walking distance to Grand Hyatt , this is also a meetings hotel and they are also planning a soft renovation.

View from the plane
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A huge thank you to our entire team for their very warm welcome!