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Santiago or Valparaiso?


glorygaf
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We are booked on Quest to cruise to Antartica from Valparaiso to Buenos Aries after flying into Santiago.

The alternatives are to stay in Santiago overnight and then travel to Valparaiso the next day to join the ship or transfer directly from the airport and overnight in Valparaiso. Our plane arrives in the morning so there's ample time.

Having been to Santiago previously we've never seen much of Valparaiso but are concerned about safety issues and style of accommodation available. Some reviews are quite brazen in their comments.

An alternative could be Vina del Mar which is only a few miles away. Any comments or recommendations from CCers Would be welcome.

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I've been looking at the Hotel Casa Higueras in the old town which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This boutique hotel has a pleasant looking pool, decent rooms and panoramic views. You might be able to spot the Quest sailing in to pick you up. I've read some good reports about the hotel's restaurant which means you don't need to go out at night.

 

I'm not sure if I need to stay the night as Seabourn plan to drive us direct from Santiago airport to the ship.

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I have booked the Sheraton at Vina del Mar for our precruise stay. I have never been but I chose the safe option of a boring but well regarded mainline hotel rather than something unique in Valparaiso - just based on tripadvisor reviews. Your choice looks very appealing, too. Also, I would definitely stay the night in Valparaiso or Vina del Mar in order to rest assured that there would be enough time/ no delays in joining the ship for whatever reason.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

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The only caution I will mention as to staying in Valparaiso or Vina Del Mar is that your embarkation port may be changed to San Antonio . I have been reading about port issues on the South American thread and it seems there are some significant disputes between the cruise lines and the port and port workers such that some cruise lines have pulled out of Valpo. Read the thread and decide for yourself.

 

And I must say that we stayed in a very charming area of Santiago and I liked it very much. Beautiful walkable areas and good restaurants. We did a brief tour of Valpo and Vino Del Mar on our way to the ship and I was not impressed.

 

 

 

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I see that this alternative port is about 1 hour 10 mins on Ruta 68 from Valparaiso so that's the worst case scenario should you/we need to go there. But if you stay in Santiago the distance to both ports is about 1 hour 30 mins.

 

Happy and healthy sailing!

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I spent 3 nights at the Ritz Carlton in Santiago and 1 night at Hotel Fauna in Valparaiso and although they are totally different (large corporate vs small boutique) I highly recommend both. I never felt unsafe in Valparaiso - it's a charming, artistic town. We had a great dinner at a small rooftop restaurant overlooking the entire bay the night before the cruise. On the way from Santiago to Valparaiso we stopped at 3 wineries.

 

Floris

 

 

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glorygaf, My husband and I were on the Quest's Antarctica voyage in January, disembarking in Valparaiso. We spent one night in Santiago at the Singular, a beautiful hotel in a great location for walking to attractions and restaurants. The second day, we did a wonderful wine tour in the Casablanca Valley, which is halfway between Santiago and Valparaiso. Here are links to the hotel and my blog posts on Santiago, which you may find helpful:

 

https://www.lhw.com/hotel/Singular-Santiago-Lastarria-Santiago-Chile

 

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/santiago-day-1-la-chascona-cerro-san-cristobal-plaza-de-armas/

 

https://www.themodernpostcard.com/santiago-day-2-a-day-of-wine-roses-in-chiles-casablanca-valley/

 

Good luck with your planning! It's a fabulous cruise :)

 

Mary

Travel Blog: http://www.themodernpostcard.com

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My wife and I did this trip in February 2017. We stayed a couple of days at the Marriott in Santiago (had a great time even with the forest fires that were going on at the time) and just wanted "easy" after the long flight. Then had a wonderful driver/guide take us to the Casa Galos Hotel and Lofts in Valpo for a couple of nights before we embarked. We felt totally safe - walked a LOT up and down hills and really enjoyed it! It is a very boutique hotel but also very "local". It was an easy transfer to the ship when we left. As we toured around Valpo and Vina - I would also have been very happy with an oceanfront room at the Sheraton (for "easy again") it looked like a lovely hotel from the outside and very close to everything. We are not a fan of casino hotels so this was one reason we stayed away. We loved our choice but you can't go wrong!! Have a great trip!

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My wife and I booked into the Vina del mar Casino Hotel and it was wonderful. The morning before the cruise boarded we took a leisurely ride in a horse and carriage though the town and it was delightful. The subsequent transfer to the ship was quick and easy.

 

Allan

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I found Vina Del Mar totally lacking in culture and was not nearly as picturesque as Valparaiso. The restaurant, Fauna, in Valparaiso, is fantastic and offers incredible views from their deck. My friend and I (both females) were warned by people in both places (as well as in Santiago) to take care when walking around and do not carry anything of value with you, I liked the "old town area" of Santiago and stayed at the Grand Hyatt with gorgeous Andes views. I found the wine tours I did over three days the best way to spend time in this area.

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Notification of Valparaiso port change just received.

 

 

 

NOTICE

Port Change Notification

 

Dear Seabourn Quest Guest,

 

Thank you for booking your upcoming South America sailing with us; we look forward to welcoming you aboard.

 

We do need to advise that, due to operational reasons, this cruise will now end in San Antonio, Chile rather than Valparaiso, Chile. Because San Antonio and Valparaiso are equidistant from Santiago there are no changes required for flights from Santiago or to any post-cruise hotel or tour packages; all transfers will operate as previously planned and guests who’ve booked a post-cruise hotel package or transfer through Seabourn will be transferred from San Antonio accordingly.

 

For guests who’ve made independent arrangements, please be aware we will now be docked and disembark in San Antonio rather than Valparaiso. The new port is:

Puerto San Antonio

Alan Macowan San Antonio 0245 Chile

 

While San Antonio and Valparaiso are the same distance from Santiago, they are approximately 90 minutes travel time from each other.

 

We also want to let you know that San Antonio has approximately 90,000 inhabitants, with a bustling seafood market as well as a few museums and restaurants. Regional attractions also include the beach community of Santo Domingo, the pottery village of Pomaire, and Isla Negra – former home to the poet and diplomat Pablo Neruda. The road to Santiago passes through some of the world’s best wine regions.

 

We apologize for any inconvenience this change may cause and thank you for your understanding. We anticipate a delightful sailing and are excited to share this journey with you.

 

Kind regards,

 

 

Seabourn

 

 

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Unfortunately the concern I raised in an earlier post came to pass. What a pain for people who have already booked nonrefundable hotels in Valparaiso.

 

 

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Chairsin - you called this one correctly. Fortunately we have yet to arrange transfers. I feel we may have to see if seabourn can offer a transfer to our Santiago hotel as I think this will run more smoothly than trying to make independent arrangements to a little used port.

 

 

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We are also on the Holiday cruise and some time ago I booked a decent hotel in Valparaiso. After I received Seabourn's email today, I quickly checked for hotels in San Antonio and there are just no good hotels there. Closest hotel with 4 stars is 30 miles away. Valparaiso is 39 miles from San Antonio. I don't want to stay in Santiago, as I have been there before at the Ritz (lovely) and Vina del Mar at the Sheraton (nice). I guess, if guests have pre-booked and pre-paid their hotel in Valparaiso or Vina del Mar, just keep it and don't change it as there is nothing good close to San Antonio.

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You wouldn't believe it we booked a hotel in Valparaiso yesterday before being advised about the change of port.

Not a drama as the reservation was totally refundable.

Guess if there are no decent hotels in San Antonio we may have to stay in Santiago.

Thankfully we have time on our side. Once again thanks for everybody's help with this post.

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HEADS UP FOLKS - We are on the November 29 sailing of the Quest from Buenos Aires to Valparaiso and we just received an email from Seabourn yesterday advising us that we will be disembarking the Quest in San Antonio. We are now trying to find our own ground transportation from San Antonio to Santiago (with a stop at the Matetic Winery, perhaps)? Any assistance would be appreciated.

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Try contacting Carola Neubauer with Chililitours We used her for a transfer/wine tour for last year. I'm sure she is on top of the port change and can handle your transfer from either Valparaiso or Santiago to/from San Antonio. Her email address is Carola.Neubauer@gmail.com and her website is Chilitours.jimdo.com.

 

 

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Chairsin - Can I ask you what you did in Castro, Chiloe Island. I quite fancy touring some of these splendid wooden churches but the ship's tour seems exorbitantly priced and not very good, spending too much time for lunch and shopping. I can't find any local tour agents so plan to wing it when we get there.

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Chairsin - Can I ask you what you did in Castro, Chiloe Island. I quite fancy touring some of these splendid wooden churches but the ship's tour seems exorbitantly priced and not very good, spending too much time for lunch and shopping. I can't find any local tour agents so plan to wing it when we get there.

 

 

 

Agreed!

 

 

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The question is no longer Santiago or Valparaiso, because Seabourn just announced that they will be using San Antonio as their cruise port.

 

 

"Please be aware of an itinerary change for the Seabourn sailing you recently

booked. The itinerary originally published for this ship and sail date has

changed. Sailings which begin or end in Santiago, Chile will now utilize Puerto San Antonio, Alan Macowan San Antonio 0245 Chile, rather than Valparaiso. San Antonio and Valparaiso are equidistant from Santiago; there are no changes to our flight parameters and all transfers will operate as planned. Please review the itinerary noted on the booking confirmation carefully and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you."

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The question is no longer Santiago or Valparaiso, because Seabourn just announced that they will be using San Antonio as their cruise port.

 

 

"Please be aware of an itinerary change for the Seabourn sailing you recently

booked. The itinerary originally published for this ship and sail date has

changed. Sailings which begin or end in Santiago, Chile will now utilize Puerto San Antonio, Alan Macowan San Antonio 0245 Chile, rather than Valparaiso. San Antonio and Valparaiso are equidistant from Santiago; there are no changes to our flight parameters and all transfers will operate as planned. Please review the itinerary noted on the booking confirmation carefully and contact us if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you."

 

 

 

As posted above!

 

 

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