Chile

Rainforest, desert, Caribbean coast and three mountain ranges, in one country. Cartagena for the colour, Medellín for the energy, and a coffee region where the entire point is doing nothing

Where to stay

Tierra Atacama

San Pedro de Atacama · all-inclusive · remodelled 2024

All-inclusive in the driest desert on earth, with stargazing by the firepit.

See if your San Pedro dates are free

  • In San Pedro de Atacama, remodelled in 2024, with all buffet meals, snacks and drinks included. There's an indoor and an outdoor pool, a full spa doing massage and aromatherapy, yoga classes, and stargazing by the firepit — which is the point of being here, because the Atacama has some of the clearest skies on the planet. Airport transfers are free. It's been on the Condé Nast Traveler Gold List and Travel + Leisure's 500.

    • All-inclusive: meals, snacks and select drinks

    • Indoor and outdoor pools

    • Full spa with massage, aromatherapy and facials

    • Stargazing by the firepit and yoga classes

    • Free airport shuttle

The Singular Santiago

Santiago · Lastarria · 62 rooms

A rooftop over Lastarria, the best neighbourhood in Santiago to be on foot.

See if your Santiago dates are free

  • Sixty-two rooms in Lastarria, the walkable, café-lined district below Cerro Santa Lucía. There's a rooftop terrace with city views, a seasonal outdoor pool, a full spa, two restaurants, a 24-hour gym and cooked-to-order breakfast included. It's a Leading Hotels of the World property and rates 9.6 across more than 750 reviews. Lastarria is the right base for a first trip — museums, bars and the metro all within a few blocks.

    • 62 rooms in the Lastarria district

    • Rooftop terrace with city views

    • Seasonal outdoor pool and full-service spa

    • Two restaurants and a 24-hour gym

    • Cooked-to-order breakfast included

Casa Higueras

Valparaíso · Cerro Alegre · terraced hillside

Terraces down a Valparaíso hillside, looking over the port.

See if your Valparaiso dates are free

  • Built into the hillside on Cerro Alegre, with terraces and a garden stepping down towards the harbour, an outdoor pool, a spa with a hot tub, and the Montealegre restaurant. Rooms have deep soaking tubs. Valparaíso is a UNESCO-listed port city of funiculars, murals and near-vertical streets, and it's ninety minutes from Santiago — easily the best day or two you can add to a Chile trip.

    • On Cerro Alegre, terraced towards the harbour

    • Outdoor pool, garden and terraces

    • Spa with hot tub and massage

    • Montealegre restaurant and bar

    • Deep soaking tubs in the rooms

Tierra Patagonia

Torres del Paine · Lake Sarmiento · guided excursions included

On a bluff where the pampa meets Lake Sarmiento, with the guided walks included.

See if your Torres del Paine dates are free

  • On a bluff above Lake Sarmiento at the edge of Torres del Paine, with all-inclusive rates covering meals and drinks, and guided excursions with packed lunches and hot soup out on the trail. There's the Uma Spa with a heated pool, sauna, steam room and whirlpool, an indoor pool, yoga, bikes and guided hikes. Having the walks organised matters here — Patagonian weather turns fast and guides read it far better than you will.

    • On a bluff where the pampa meets Lake Sarmiento

    • All-inclusive, with guided excursions

    • Uma Spa — heated pool, sauna, steam room, whirlpool

    • Indoor pool, yoga and bike hire

    • Free airport shuttle and breakfast

8 Bucket List things to do in Chile

The best places to stay in Chile

    • Chile runs more than 4,300km north to south and averages about 180km wide.

    • The 1960 earthquake near Valdivia measured 9.5 — the most powerful ever recorded anywhere.

    • The Atacama is the driest non-polar desert on earth, and its skies are clear enough that many of the world's great observatories are built there.

    • Alerce trees in the Valdivian rainforest are among the longest-living tree species in the world.

    • Chileans are the second-biggest consumers of bread in the world. Start with sopaipillas.

  • Best time — Chile is in the southern hemisphere, and the answer depends how far south you're going. Patagonia is only really open November to March, and even then the wind is serious. The Atacama works year-round. Santiago and the wine country are best in spring and autumn — October to December, or March to May.

    Getting around — Fly. Santiago to Calama for the Atacama, Santiago to Punta Arenas for Patagonia — both are long journeys by road. Valparaíso is a 90-minute bus from Santiago and the buses are excellent.

  • Chile is one of the more straightforward countries in South America to travel alone, and Santiago, Valparaíso and the tourist south are all well used to independent travellers. Ordinary city sense applies — use apps for cabs, keep your phone away on the street in Valparaíso, and don't walk the hills there after dark. The real planning issue is the geography: the country is so long that internal flights aren't a luxury, they're the itinerary. Pick two regions, not five.

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