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During our three-day visit to Santiago, Chile, we looked for a centrally-located hotel that we could book on points. Most of the chain hotels are located in the modern, business district of Las Condes, far from most of the tourist spots. Fortunately, we found the Crowne Plaza Santiago, right in the middle of everything we wanted to see. In my experience, Crowne Plaza hotels range from sad/run-down to nice/modern. Fortunately, this one is on the latter end of that scale.
- Cash & Point Expense – Hotel costs in terms of cash, points, or both.
- Hotel Overview & Rooms – Overview of the property and room choices.
- Restaurants & Dining – Restaurant and bar choices in the hotel.
- X-Factor – What sets this property apart from others.
Cash & Points Expense
The average nightly price for our dates at the Crowne Plaza Santiago was $175 + tax. For the central location, this price is very fair. However, we still prefer to pay with points.
At 25,000 IHG points for a standard award night, our stay yielded a value of 0.76 cents per point, which is right at the average value for IHG points. Award availability seems to be wide open at this hotel, and I consider it a great use of points.
Hotel Overview & Rooms
The Crowne Plaza is located in the historic, touristic area of Santiago. The high-rise building overlooks the city, and it has some great views of the Andes Mountains. The hotel lobby, restaurant, and bar have undergone recent renovations and feel very fresh.
Room
As is typical with Crowne Plaza hotels, the rooms are a bit dated, but not too bad. We have definitely seen MUCH worse!
Our room was a standard king room on the 16th floor. It featured a comfortable bed, a desk, a sitting area, and a small flat screen TV. The decor was a bit dated, with older curtains and carpet. The bathroom seems to have been updated recently, with new tile on the floor and walls, and a black stone counter top.
Our favorite part of the room was definitely the view. We had a great look at the city, Cerro San Cristobal, and the Andes Mountains through the large window. If you stay at this hotel, be sure to request a high floor.
Restaurants & Dining
The Crown Plaza Santiago features an upscale restaurant and a high-end cocktail lounge, with live music. They also offer daily breakfast in the upstairs lounge.
Urbano 136 Restaurant
The signature restaurant, Urbano 136, features a fantastic Chilean seafood menu. We enjoyed a five-course meal, with wine and cocktails. Everything we tasted was well-prepared and very impressive. The restaurant decor is also quite modern.
Drinks
We started with drinks. I chose the Bourbon Sour Maracuya, a mixture of Bulleit Bourbon, passion fruit, honey syrup, and orange bitters. My wife opted for a mint lemonade, which was ridiculously refreshing. I also paired a local wine (Carmenere) with my meal.
First Course – Bread
Normally, I wouldn’t list bread as a course. However, in Chile, they take their bread very seriously. We learned that Chileans are the #2 consumers of bread in the world.
Second Course – Amuse Bouche
Just a tiny sampler of a few menu items, including the delicious ceviche.
Third Course – Appetizer
- CAMPINONES RELLENOS – Mushrooms filled with Magellanic crab, topped with parmesan cheese and served with cream of leak
Fourth Course – Main Dishes
- CORVINA GRILLE CON MIX DE VERDURAS – Sea bass filet marinated in lime, garlic, coriander, and white wine. Served with mixed grilled vegetables dressed with a balsamic sauce
- RISOTTO ALLA MILANESE – Grilled shrimp risotto
Fifth Course – Desserts
- PASTEL DE CHOCOLATE – Warm, flourless chocolate cake with a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream and berries
- TRILOGIA DE PROFITEROLES – Three puff pastries with chestnut puree, caramel, and lucuma (native fruit), served with a hot chocolate sauce
If you stay at the Crowne Plaza, I recommend taking an evening to eat at Urbano 136.
Trafalgar Bar
The recently-refreshed Trafalgar Bar is a great spot to unwind, after a long day of exploring the city. Swing in and grab a classic Pisco Sour or a Piscola and relax on the comfortable couches and chairs. They also offer a few beers on tap. Try the Austral or Kuntsmann lagers. While you sip, you can munch on the complementary mixed nuts and banana chips or order a more substantial meal from their menu. If you time your visit right, you will get to hear some live piano music.
Breakfast – Upstairs Lounge
Each morning, we started our day with the breakfast buffet in the lounge, on the top floor. You can dine indoors or on the open-air patio. Be sure to ask the breakfast attendant for some “huevos revueltos” (scrambled eggs). He makes some delicious scrambled eggs, with ham, cheese, and onions. He may also toss on some avocados and a veggie empanada!
Buffet item include yogurt, pastries, fresh fruit, and cereals. You can also request coffee, milk, or juice.
The X-Factor
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION! As I mentioned above, most of the chain hotels are in the far-off Las Condes area. The Crowne Plaza is perfectly situated between the Bellavista and La Starria neightborhoods. It’s a quick walk to Cerro San Cristobal, Plaza de Armas, the fish market, and a few local parks. If you plan to explore Santiago on foot, this is absolutely the hotel for you.
Final Thoughts
We were not sure what to expect at the Crowne Plaza Santiago. Reviews were mixed, and our previous Crowne Plaza experiences had been mostly lackluster. Fortunately, this hotel exceeded our expectations. We loved the location and the meals. The staff was very friendly and welcoming, and the refreshed lobby and bar were pleasant surprises. For the price and location, this hotel is my top pick for a visit to Santiago.
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