Easy! Easy, easy, easy! I like easy. I spent three full days in Santiago and rode the metro at…read moreleast a half dozen times. Their system works well, the trains are often and clean, the stations are clean and well-lit and there is very little confusion about where the lines go or how you use it. It's all ONE zone, so none of that complication like London. It's all ONE company, so none of that complication like Tokyo. Easy! The lines are simple. They go from one end of town to the other or from the north end to the south. Sure, the trains don't go everywhere and there is a lot of the city that is not close to a station. But the main parts of downtown are well covered. As of 2018, there are no more single ride tickets. You will need to purchase a "Bip!" card, which you can do from any staffed counter. You load credit onto the card at any automated machine and they all accept cash and credit. You only need one card. You just wave it at the reader once for each person you're purchasing a ticket for. That's great! I have to say, I'm a fan. It would be "As good as it gets" when the train goes to the airport. Even the closest station is a few miles ride.

Coming from the US, this system is actually very good. I stayed in Las Condes, and traveled to city…read morecenter almost every day. You purchase a Bip! card (about $2.50), which stores money value on it, and you can reload the card at any station, via person or machine. You tap the card on the turnstile machine upon entrance only. There are 3 price levels: rush hour, regular, and low. The difference between rush & regular is only 10 cents or so. You are charged for each ride (660 pesos, about a dollar), and there is no day pass or week pass. This is a bargain compared to the US - but you have to plan your trip since each trip will cost you. And yes, this system is extremely crowded most of the time. It's not really worth it to wait for the next uncrowded train because they will all be crowded. Trains run the entire length of the station, and are pretty frequent during the day. I mainly only took the Line 1, since it served my area and downtown. Most signs are in Spanish & English, so you can get by if you are good with directions. I never felt threatened or unsafe on the metro. There is a security presence at most stations near the turnstiles.

We did the Valparaiso and winery tour. Our group was small (6) and they picked us up right from…read moreour hotel. Even though the cost was over double compared to other outfits, the small group size and personal attention we got made the cost well worth it. We got so much more information about the city, it's history and saw way more of the city than from a tour from one of the big tour guide company's a few earlier. Highly recommend EcoChile to anyone looking to take a guided tour around Chile.

Santiago de Chile I…read morespent the month of January , 2015, in Chile. During my stay I spent some time in Viña del Mar, La Serena, and a couple of weeks in Santiago. While in Santiago I rented a furnished apartment with "Apart Santa Lucia." They run several buildings in the area and I was assigned to an apartment on the 11th floor of the building located at Carmen 110. Parking was available for an additional fee ( $ 3.00 USD ) per night. There is another "Apart Santa Lucia" building at San Isidro 45. The daily rate was somewhere between $ 56.00 and $ 58.00 USD. The main room of the apartment was facing the bright , hot , Santiago sun. The only curtain on the window was a sheer white see through curtain that did nothing to block out the warm Rays of the Santiago sun. Did I mention that it was HOT ? This accommodation will never do, I thought , I'll die here. Management was contacted and a young Portuguese speaking employee arrived who was able to solve the problem as there were no other apartments available at the time. He rigged up a make-shift canvass and hooked it up behind the sheer curtains to block out the hot Santiago sun. No air conditioning in the apartment but there was a fan. One of the three legs on the fan ( a stand up fan ) was broken preventing the oscillating fan from oscillating. I then used one of the ottomans in the room to balance the fan so that it would stand straight up and oscillate. Wasn't that great ? Now, on to the next problem. The two light bulbs in the front room were missing. One of the two light bulbs in the kitchen was missing. Both light bulbs were present in the bedroom where one presumably sleeps with the lights off ! The bedroom bulbs were larger than the other bulbs in the place so there would be no switching the bulbs around. The bathroom was missing one of the two bulbs in the room. All in all , it was a little dark in the apartment due to an insufficient supply of light bulbs. Of course, being a guy, I'm not afraid of the dark :) Nevertheless , Contacted management and was told , no problem, the fan would be replaced and new light bulbs would be purchased when the stores opened up. Huh ? Ya don't have any in stock ? As the days went by, no new fan, no new light bulbs. So, I broke open my piggy bank, removed a few pesos, and went to the store and purchased the requisite number of light bulbs. TA da , "Let there be light" , some one famous once said, and Voila ! There was light ! All grievances aside, the stay was a very pleasant one and the price was very affordable. The Santa Lucia Metro station is nearby for ease of movement around the city if traveling without an auto. Lovely Santa Lucia Hill is just down the street. Plenty of people walking around the neighborhood from dawn to after dark. If you like people watching, this is the place. There are 5 million people in Santiago and I swear , half of them are in and around the Santa Lucia area. There is an abundance of night life in the area with bars, restaurants, and stores all over the place. If you are lucky you might even catch sight of a "Stray dog" ( perro callejero ) strolling down the street. Ok, I'm kidding. Stray dogs and Latin America go together like ham and cheese. Seriously though, the apartment was more than adequate for my stay, conveniently located to many tourist attractions and not too far from a Lider grocery store where food can be purchased for home preparation. The apartment had a refrigerator , microwave , dinnerware, etc. All the comforts of home away from home. Except, no Wi-FI and no T V. Queeee ? But who watches T V when on vacation anyway ? Te amo Santiago ! I'll be back...

My mom and brother were coming to visit me during the Christmas holiday and we were deciding…read morebetween proximity (to me) or luxury for their lodging. That is when I remembered seeing what looked like travelers coming in and out of the apartment building right next to mine. After a quick search on Google I found Apart Santa Lucia and I went over to ask my questions (since their site kind of lacks info). Located on the second floor of the building is the headquarters of Apart Santa Lucia. I talked with them about the different options and they were super nice. They even let us see the different rooms. Not only do they have rooms available in the apartment building on Santa Rosa but they also have them in the newer buildings closer to the metro Santa Lucia. The good thing about being in contact with them beforehand as opposed to just reserving online was that they told me which rooms were their favorite (based on new installations, decor and view). Despite them suggestion one of their newer rooms on Carmen, I wanted my family to be right next to me, so they recommended room 1211 (if I remember correctly) as it had a somewhat good view and the decor was nice. They gave me special treatment since I am a neighbor and they moved the reservations around so I could get that room - I really appreciated it! For 27 mil (54 dollars a night) during holiday season - this was a steal! They only do room service every 3 days (as in clean, change towels and sheets) unless you ask and pay extra. Also, my family came in late (around 1am) and they made sure there was someone there to give them a key and let them in and the next morning they did check-in. Overall, a great experience. Although, don't get your hopes up too much. It is exactly what you would hope for: clean bed and room, good location but there is no above and beyond service. Also, my brother slept on the futon which was broken and was a pretty uncomfortable nights sleep so I recommend checking the beds before settling in. I am sure they will move you if there is availability. FYI they don't really speak English, but when I was in there they there was a girl who spoke Portuguese. Also, if you pay in dollars and are foreign (with proof of passport) you don't have to pay the 19% tax - ask them about it otherwise they will charge you.

I recently flew United Polaris on a long-haul international route and came away with mixed…read moreimpressions. First, the positives: the seat itself is very good. It's spacious, private, and comfortable, and the bedding is excellent. The Polaris lounge experience is also a strong point and feels thoughtfully designed. From a "hard product" perspective (seat, cabin layout, amenities), United is competitive. Where the experience falls short is in service consistency and food quality. Service was uneven. Some flight attendants were warm, proactive, and clearly invested in delivering a premium experience. Others felt disengaged and reactive rather than attentive. The inconsistency made it difficult to understand what the Polaris service standard is supposed to be. In a flagship international business class cabin, you expect a clearly defined and consistently executed level of hospitality. The food presentation was decent, but the flavors were underwhelming. Several dishes tasted bland and lacked seasoning or refinement. For a product positioned at this price point, the culinary execution should feel more elevated and memorable. Overall, Polaris has strong fundamentals and real potential. If United can standardize service delivery and upgrade the catering to match the premium branding, it would be a much more competitive business class product. 3.5-4 stars depending on the crew.

I love flying business class on United Airlines. This flight I'm on from Santiago to Houston is on…read morea 767-300 and the configuration in business class is 1-1-1. Meaning you don't have a neighbor! They greet you with a smile and a glass of champagne. They ask what you'd like to have for dinner and let you pursue the amenity kit and big screen tv. Of course, all the plugs and compartments and pillows and blankets are there to provide ultimate comfort and accessibility. The flight attendants in business class are all so happy and friendly. I've only had a couple poor experiences on United, and never while in business class. The only weird thing about flying to the US from Santiago is that they have extra security at the gate. It was explained that they basically don't have TSA, so they thoroughly look through each person's bag at the gate. This means that if you bought a bottle of water for the plane (or liquor at the airport shops), you'll have to dump it... or chug it lol.