Santiago is, at its essence, a happening place full of modern energy combined with a storied past. After it was named the top city to visit in 2011 by the New York Times, it has enjoyed an influx of visitors from around the world.
The city feels like a fusion of South America and Europe, with its 19th century Beaux-Arts buildings next to colorful Latin barrios. One of the funkiest, most lively and interesting neighborhoods in Santiago is Bella Vista, full of trendy restaurants, bars, shops and art galleries. One of Pablo Neruda’s homes, La Chascona, is also in Bella Vista.
Another one-time private residence is The Aubrey, a quietly beautiful boutique hotel in the heart of Bella Vista. The main house was built in 1927 for Domingo Durán Morales, an influential Chilean politician and businessman of his day. For several decades the dining room of the house was the scene of “Legendary Thursday Political Lunches”, where every week was an open-house for leading figures in Santiago’s political and social life, afternoons spent in heated discussions that helped build the discourse of the Chilean middle class of the day. The family continued to live in the house until 2001.
The Aubrey is truly an urban retreat that
lets one escape from the buzz of the city.
Purchased in 2006 after some years of neglect, the house soon benefited from three years of painstaking restoration that created The Aubrey Hotel. Combining the original mansion with a neighbouring house, built in the same year by the same architect, The Aubrey is a transformed space with 15 beautifully appointed guest rooms, each with a unique character.
Besides the inclusive Brazilian breakfast and views of the exuberant nature of Cerro San Cristóbal, the rooms have luxurious private bathrooms, free Wi-Fi, LCD cable TVs, mini bars, safes, Hansgrohe showers, fine cotton sheets and feather beds. Rooms are relatively small but comfortable and spacious enough. There is a design difference between the old house and new addition, with the newer building offering more modern decor and the original house more traditional. I stayed in rooms in each wing, and am hard-pressed to say which I liked better.
But the common areas are as elegant and stylish as the rooms. The second-floor lounge with a decadent purple velvet sofa is an inviting place to have a drink. The play of light over the different style elements of the hotel make a stay at The Aubrey a work of art. The old Mission style outdoor patio terraces provide an outdoor oasis, overlooked by exotic landscaped gardens, where you can relax by the heated jacuzzi swimming pool and cascading water arches.
The Aubrey is truly an urban retreat that lets one escape from the buzz of the city, situated at the foot of the Cerro San Cristóbal Hill within the Parque Metropolitano, one of the six largest urban parks in the world. Here you can ride the cable car and enjoy the panoramic vistas of the city, taste and experience the traditional Chilean life of Pio Nono outdoor bars, sample a Pisco Sour or sip a fine Chilean wine and listen to live music in the cafes and cosmopolitan restaurants on Calle Constitucion and Patio Bellavista.
The staff are all friendly and unassuming, and I felt welcomed more as a house guest than a hotel occupant. Breakfast is delightful and almost too accommodating – in addition to the gorgeous buffet set out, the dining professionals urge you to try their additional special dishes, and almost seem disappointed if you’ve filled up on the buffet.
The bottom line is that The Aubrey is a rare creature: an unpretentious boutique hotel, with a real history and a sense of character that fits into its wonderful neighborhood. Highly recommended.
Details:
The Aubrey Hotel Santiago
Constitución 299 – 317, Bellavista, Santiago
Phone: (+56 2) 940 28 00
Fax:(+56 2) 940 28 24
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://www.theaubrey.com
Rates: $240-550