Santiago de Chile and Valparaiso

Brian and I spent a weekend in Santiago de Chile, a 2 hour plane ride from Buenos Aires in Argentina's neighbor's capital. Although it was a huge bummer that we were currency scammed by a cab driver on our last day, Brian and I still had a lot of fun in the most modern and cosmopolitan city in Latin America.

We stayed at the beautiful W Hotel in Santiago, Latin America's only W Hotel. The rooftop pool and bar overlooked downtown Santiago and the snow-capped Andes mountains as the backdrop. Because of Brian's SPG Platinum status, we were upgraded to a suite with these jaw-dropping balcony views!

One of my favorite ways to tour any new city is to do the free walking tours. Instead of paying an arm and a leg for touring around the city in buses, I prefer to explore a city by walking. These walking tours are typically led by English-speaking university students.

Brian and I did a walking tour on a rainy day. Santiago de Chile was still beautiful with many remnants of Spanish and French influence.

Bill Clinton visited Santiago during his Presidency and ate at this very same restaurant. They renamed the restaurant in his honor!

Brian's MBA classmate, Juan Pablo, lives and works in Santiago. We met up with him for a day and he was kind enough to take us to his family's favorite vacation spot, Valpariso. Valparaiso was a quaint and colorful coastal town full of character.

Our visit to Santiago was short and sweet. Even though we got scammed on our last day, overall I loved my stay in Santiago.