Santiago’s beauty is boundless. With its landscape framed by the Andes and the Pacific, and with countless neoclassical and modern motifs scattered across the city, visitors are spoilt for choice, be it sights or experiences. From trekking and skiing to lounging on the beach to exploring Santiago’s diverse art community, the city’s eclectic range of options will leave no avid traveller amiss.

The older barrios will provide you with artistic hubs of delight while colonial pathways will give you a glimpse into the city’s past. Barrio Yungay provides a wondrous mix of the two with its crumbling colonial structures and amazing grandeur graffiti murals. It’s hard to fall short of spots to check out.

One lovely little barrio we came across was Barrio Lastarrias, a central and very popular tourist area that is full to the brim with cafes, restaurants, cinemas and theatres, and with easy access to the famous Parque Forestal. This barrio is home to the magnificent Hotel Ismael 312 – a hotel ranked a whopping 5 out of 170 hotels in Santiago on Tripadvisor.

You cannot find a better hotel for location, from centricity to its abundance of bars and restaurants to its unbelievable views of the Andes at your doorstep.

As for our reception to the hotel, we were welcomed by the lovely Sofia and her tone really set the mood of the place. From the cleaners to the reception staff and everyone in between, there was nothing short of a smile on the faces of all. The hotel has an astounding atmosphere.

The rooms were fantastic, and had everything we needed.

We had a desk to compliment the lightning-quick free Wi-Fi around the hotel, a super comfortable bed, a flatscreen TV and even a drinking water fountain.

Facilities and services are great and span from laundry service and twenty four hour reception to bike rentals, massages, city tours, car rental, and even a doctor.

As for the food, there is a wonderful café within the hotel that is open all day serving fresh coffee and juices, pastries and sandwiches.

The breakfast was wonderful; you choose five items from an array of delicious foods and best of all, as one reviewer mentions, “Remember that the muesli and fantastic yoghurt count as one!”

We really can’t recommend the muesli and yoghurt enough – it was the best we’ve ever had! The breakfast is continental so you can also choose from coffee, croissants and toasties. And just when we thought things couldn’t get any better, we found out that breakfast is served round the clock, meaning you can have breakfast in the A.M. or P.M.!

If you’re looking for the ultimate service with the ultimate facilities in the ultimate location, look no further than Hotel Ismael 312. Imagine yourself waking up to the finest of handcrafted coffees in an array of cafes right beside you or better still, within your own hotel. After relaxing for a while and eating a scrumptious breakfast amidst views of Parque Forestal, the Andes and the booming artistic hub that surrounds the hotel, you can then choose from one of the many facilities such as bike rentals or city tours to start your travelling day off to a great start.

Sounds like heaven, right? It is! The hotel’s website and the reviews on Tripadvisor will do the convincing if we haven’t already – Happy Travels!