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57°F / 14°C
(Passing Clouds. Refreshingly Cool.)
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Although a relatively new city, Viña del Mar is a highly developed tourist center with a great variety of options to choose from when it comes to accommodation. The city can be divided into four sectors as far as lodgings are concerned. The first is the city center, the second Población Vergara, followed by Reñaca and finally Concón, which was officially part of Viña del Mar until recently.
In all these sectors there are excellent hotels, both elegant and modest, with prices to suit all budget. Whatever your interests and needs, you will always find something to your liking.
To begin with, try the city center, the vital pulsating heart of activity for both locals and tourists. The most emblematic hotel in the area is the O'Higgins, which in the height of summer is home to many national and international artists as well as other illustrious guests who come to participate in or watch the Viña International Song Contest. If you are here on a budget, you might try the Hotel Hispano, which offers a more economic option, while maintaining a high standard even during the summer peak season.
Continuing along the train line you will come across Viana Street, one of the busiest thoroughfares in the city. There you will find various moderately priced hotels. Such is the case of the Hotel de Viña and Rokamar. Also on the same road, on the corner of Ecuador street, you might choose to spend a relaxing couple of days in the most modern and expensive hotel in the area, the Marina del Rey.
Further away, and cheaper, is the Genross Hotel, found in an enchanting neighborhood called Agua Santa. If you are a student or a backpacker on a tight budget, this is the place for you. There you can also find lodgings that for a modicum will offer a friendly atmosphere and a place to rest your weary bones.
Across the Viña del Mar estuary, towards the flat northern part of the city around Libertad and San Martín Avenues, you can marvel at the modern, international aspect of the city. Wide, winding motorways and high-rise buildings are the setting for innumerable banks, bookshops, pharmacies, gas stations, office buildings, malls and other commercial enterprises.
Despite its recent development this is a very peaceful area, ideal for families or for those just looking for peace and quiet. It is also a good choice if you want to be near all the excitement of the city center without all the noise. In the medium price range, the Hotel Monterilla near the casino and the gastronomic heartland of the city, is a good option. It is quite small, with a friendly atmosphere, and was completely refurbished from its previous incarnation as a private house. All around the casino, within the radius of about five blocks, you will find many similarly welcoming hotels.
Going up San Martin Avenue where the city’s best restaurants are, you will find, on your right, one of the oldest hotels in town, the Hotel San Martín. Around seventy of its rooms offer a spectacular ocean view. Also along the same street is one of the most modern establishments in Viña del Mar, the Ankara. If money is no object, you will be able to enjoy the best service on offer here, as well as jacuzzis, a pub and a restaurant.
If you prefer to be more central, and closer to commerce and transport, you can go east along Avenida Libertad. A moderately priced hotel that offers good service is the Crown Royal Hotel, near shopping malls, the beach, the restaurant zone, as well as artistic events held at the local Carrasco Palace.
Reñaca, to the north of downtown, is certainly not cheap, but if you are looking for sand, sea and sunshine, this is the place for you. If you want to enjoy the best view in the area, and can afford it, you should go to the peaceful and elegant Oceanic Hotel, sitting atop rocks smashed into by the rolling Pacific waves. In the center of Reñaca in Vicuña Mackenna Avenue, is the Montecarlo, which is very up-scale and offers excellent service, but with prices to match.
In the center of the neighborhood, the avenue skirting the coastline offers a fascinating perspective for younger visitors. This is the “in place for dancing and night life, where you can jive and mingle until the early hours of the morning. There are bars, pubs, discotheques and restaurants here that leave little time for sleep. If you want to be near this nocturnal excitement, you could choose Piero's Hotel, which is quite moderately priced and offers guests good service.
For those with families who are looking for a quiet place but with all the comforts of modernity, the Mykonos Resort found facing Reñaca beach is one option. Another place with the same characteristics is the Paradise Beach Resort, which can be found along the same road heading north, in front of Amarilla Beach in Concón.
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