10-day Chilean Family Vacation
Chile
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Oct 29 - Nov 7, 2022
Trip planning...
Jason, our travel agent, was very helpful and attentive. He was very receptive to feedback and promptly incorporated my input into a revised travel plan. Jason was very easy to work with, and I would highly recommend his services to anyone looking to travel in Latin America. I think the only way for the trip planning to be easier is if Jason could read my mind, because it was sometimes difficult to describe the types of adventures that would interest me and my family. I look forward to planning my next vacation with him.
Vacation summary...
Santiago
- Tour guide Felipe – Very nice, personable, helpful, and knowledgeable tour guide. Provided great insight during the tours and provided great suggestions for activities outside of our planned tours.
- Tour description/review: It was a holiday weekend when we visited Santiago, which our tour guide said was why many locals left the city. We may not have gotten the real feel of Santiago; however, less people likely simplified our tour of the major tourist attractions and important monuments throughout the city. We saw many, if not all the important monuments and learned a fair amount about the city during our tour.
The day trip to Valparaiso and Vina del Mar was amazing! The mural-like graffiti of Valparaiso was one of the most memorable things from our trip. Even our little kids were interested some of the graffiti and architecture of Valparaiso. In addition to the fascinating tour, Felipe took us to get some of the best empanadas we have ever tasted. Even though the water was too cold for us to get into, the view of the beach at Vina del Mar was beautiful. Santiago and the nearby areas were an excellent start to your vacation!
Puerto Natales
- Tour guide Jonathan – Our tours in Puerto Natales were guided by another great tour guide. Jonathan was very knowledgeable about the area, nice and personable, and very patient and good with our kids.
- Tour description/review: The next phase of our trip was even better than the initial. Our hotel room offered a view of the water and the mountain range, and the tours were just as amazing as Santiago. The tours of Milodon Cave and Grey Lake were even more exciting for the kids than the beach and graffiti of the Santiago area. The tours of the Milodon Cave and Torres Del Paine National Park were very interesting. The pinnacle of the vacation occurred on Grey Lake with an up-close view of Glacier Grey. The entire family was awestruck by the size and beauty of the giant glacier. While leaving the national park, we saw several guanacos in the hills on the side of the road. The kids were entertained by the guanaco calls to one another that sounded like they were laughing. The guanacos will likely be a vivid memory of the vacation for the kids, also.
Puerto Varas
- Tour guide Carlos was the best tour guide during our vacation, and all our guides up to this point were very good.
- Tour description/review: Another good view from our hotel room and good tours. The tours were good, but they followed the glacier tour, so they were unjustly penalized. Whatever the tours lacked in comparison to the glaciers, Carlos, our tour guide, did an excellent job of compensating. The final phase of our vacation included more interesting things for the entire family. The tours included a ski lift to nearly the top of a snowcapped volcano, amazing views of Todos Los Santos Lake and Petrohue, and a ferry ride to Chiloe Island to take a boat around Ancud Island to see penguins, sea lions, and birds. Seeing the glaciers was the climax of the vacation; however, the tours of Puerto Varas were the perfect falling action in the wonderful story of our Chile vacation.
We have numerous pictures of amazing sights that will remind us of our wonderful vacation!
Hotel Reviews
The hotel staff was very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located in a very good location that allows for a short walk to restaurants and the huge mall.
The view from our hotel room was amazing. The staff was friendly and helpful. The restaurant staff went out of their way to accommodate us when we arrived just before breakfast was finishing. The hotel is located in walking distance to the major attractions of the city.
The hotel room was nice with a very good view. The hotel staff was very helpful. The restaurant was okay; however, the menu was limited. The hotel is located in walking distance to the town center, which offers various restaurants, a casino, and other attractions.
Activity Reviews
The views of the glacier were amazing, and the knowledgeable and friendly tour guide was an added bonus. It would have been helpful to prompted to bring snacks for such a long tour. Also, for such a long tour, it would be better to have a more substantial lunch included/offered.
The tour guide was awesome and the murals/graffiti throughout Valparaiso are unforgettable!
Hi Kevin,
Your kind words and review are much appreciated and we look forward to welcoming you and your family in the future to Latin America.
Best Wishes,
Jason