We chose Bellavista Apartments because of the glowing reviews on tripadvisor. From the website, it…read morelooks more boutique-y than it really is, so we were a bit surprised to find that it was more of an airbnb type situation than a hotel. These apartments are located within a large apartment complex that houses all sort of people (students, families, etc) of which the owners of this business own a handful of apartments spread out throughout the building that they rent out. In fact, I just checked airbnb and found that these apartments are in fact, listed there. I think if I had booked through airbnb I would have been less surprised by the situation. PROS: - Really low price (~$75USD per night) that included free Wifi - Parking is available for ~$10 a night in a safe, underground lot (think of the underground parking for a large apartment complex; that's exactly what it is) - Priscila was extremely nice and was very helpful both before our stay and during our check-in (she came out to help us find the parking spot because it was a bit confusing... I had to get the clicker from her, then figure out where the gate and the spot was and take the elevator back to the office). Others on tripadvisor have raved about her as well. - Close to bars, clubs, restaurants, Patio Bellavista, etc and walking distance to Lastarria (where I would have preferred to stay had I known what I know now) - Has a full kitchen if you are into that. CONS: - The office is located in an apartment within the building, so depending where your apartment is located, it could be far. - The office is only open from 9 am to 8 pm. Unlike a hotel, there is not 24 hour service so if you lose your keys, get locked out, etc, you are out of luck. We wanted to take a day tour on our check out day, but were unable to do so because we would have needed to check out and store our luggage starting at 8:30 am, which was not possible. We asked if we could store our luggage starting the night before and were told no. - The girls other than Priscila are not as helpful or knowledgeable. I believe she does not work on weekends. - You don't get keys for the front gate, and the guards do not speak English. - LOUD. REALLY REALLY LOUD. If you are in town to club, this is the place to stay, because you are right next to all of the clubs. But if you want to go to sleep before 6 am, forget about it. You can hear EVERYTHING from inside your apartment. Dogs barking, music blaring, people talking. Even when clubbing is over, there are people on the street talking at all hours, and it sounds like they are inside the apartment. If the second night had not been non-refundable, I would have moved hotels. I just can't sleep through that kind of noise. -The couch is really low and really uncomfortable. Looks better than it feels. All in all, this is an inexpensive option and close to a lot of things, but you get what you pay for.

From the owner: Especialista,en alojamientos temporales en Santiago…read moreCentro,departamentos nuevos totalmente amoblados y equipados para una estancia cómoda para 2 o 3 personas en viajes de vacaciones o de negocios,Turistas. muy buena ubicación,a 3 calles de estación de metro universidad de Chile,pleno Centro de santiago de Chile.

Might be good for people on a tight budget with low standards or plan to hang out in the…read moreneighbourhood more than in the building. However the building and its staff provide a terrible experience where it is greatly preferable to find somewhere else to stay so as not to spoil your time in this great neighbourhood. The staff are very moody and unpleasant for even the smallest of things. I got scolded simply for walking into the main building when the door was open as others were exiting because I didn't pull out my keycard, when I told them I didn't need to since the door was open they frowned and made a clicking noise at me! When I went to pay my bill at the end of my stay the lady at the counter got mad at me because she kept screwing up the card machine saying I didn't explain it right or something. I was also only given one keycard to enter the building even though I told them from the start there were two of us. This meant whenever I or the person I was staying with had to go out without the keycard we would have trouble getting back in, with the staff getting passive aggressive and huffy at us even though we repeatedly asked for a second keycard. Apparently the people who make the keycards was on holiday so there weren't any extras. Seriously?! The water cut out constantly as well, at times without warning. Sharing a room? Make sure to test if the water happens to be on whenever you need the bathroom otherwise get used to the smell of your roomie's waste until the water comes back. If you ask the staff about the water situation, they will get annoyed at you and tell you all the info is written in a little piece of paper stuck up in the elevator, which is their only method of communication. During my one month stay the water was out for 2 days straight, and then another two times with a few days in between. The two day stint caused the pipes to my room to fill up with something, leading them to not work even after the water came back. When I called someone from administration to come up and take a look, when she got there and I explained the situation to her she immediately started laughing and saying it had nothing to do with her and to call the renting agency, rushing off with a big smile on her face at not having to give a damn. The renting agency also tried to run from the responsibility but that's a separate issue. My room looked directly into the hotel next door, giving a wonderful view of a grey wall full of windows and a bit of sky if I pressed my face against the glass and looked up. This also meant the flat was in constant darkness and really cold, which got kind of grim after a while. There is also a fire alarm that goes off every few days for no reason and at all hours of the night which is extremely loud, extremely shrill, and can last up to 5 minutes. Enjoy that at 3 in the morning. The elevators would also be shut down randomly so I hope you're into climbing stairs and young. Half of the apartment's are for tenants and the other half are tourists renting furnished apartments, making this a weird hotel/apartment hybrid that fails at both. From what I heard from the tenants they don't get treated much better and I once saw a tenant's meeting they held in the rumpus room that ended in a crowd of people screaming at the administrator standing on the podium the entire time. The area around the building is very nice and I recommend it but this review isn't for the neighbourhood. Not to mention the area is filled with other places to stay that aren't run by bitter, lazy and incapable people. Seriously, find a hostel if you're on a budget or a proper hotel if you can afford a little more, but this place will just ruin your stay.

My apartment was on the 14th floor off of Merced, one of the main avenues in Santiago. It does not…read moreget any easier to orient yourself; walk in one direction 10 minutes to get to the beautiful art museum and then the fun neighborhood of Bellavista, or walk in the other direction 5 minutes to get to the Plaza de Armas where the free walking tours meet. While there is a supermarket on the bottom floor of the tower, there are also many interesting restaurants just on this same block, not to mention the many bookstores. The suites themselves are a great bargain for what you pay (I paid $60 a night in late December), although personally I think that fitting three people in one suite would be too tight for comfort. My suite (and I am assuming all since I did not pay extra) comes with a fully equipped kitchen, including a corkscrew and enough wine glasses to have a half dozen friends over for dinner. The view from the balcony is especially nice at night. I have never had problems with the free internet connection, and I have been skyping nightly with my wife. The apartments in these towers are not all rented to tourists; you will be living among friendly Chileans. I definitely recommend Altura Suites.

What is so difficult about living in Chile without the indefinite visa? EVERYTHING! Especially…read morefinding someone who will rent to you. The "corredores" (companies that rent out apartments) won't even speak to you and very few apartment owners will either. Homechile is so great because it is a company that ONLY rents to foreigners living in Chile and most are for the market value. They also offer dozens of apartments that are fully furnished, perfect for people who are coming for Start up Chile, a language exchange, or international internship. Their online search engine is great and you can see multiple properties and select which neighborhood you want to live in. If you inquire about homes via email they are quick to respond to all of your questions and concerns. Also if you head over to their office in Providencia, their staff are multilingual and really helpful. If you are sick and tired of begging people just to interview you for a place to live I highly recommend Home Chile. You can rent short term from 3 to 6 months up to 1 to 2 years.

Don't waste your time. This place kept me waiting all day…read moreto tell me the the places that they had said were available were not available. I guess they don't like money or are a scam. BEWARE!!!!!!!!

Contact Chile has acceptable customer service, but unfortunately you do not get what you paid for…read more The apartments they advertise are nothing like what you actually get. They are old, unkept, dirty, and lack of kitchen appliances. I would not stay there again and I don't recommend it to anyone.