Santiago Gets a Touch of W Cool

Where: Isidora Goyenechea 3000, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile

Give us two weeks off and 50,000 frequent flyer miles and we'd high-tail it south of the equator to Chile � especially since the dreary winter season is about to cast its Vitamin D deficient pall upon us until April, at least. Note to self: when it�s winter in the northern hemisphere, it�s always summer somewhere else.

In our Chilean travels, we�ve had our way from Calama to Cape Horn, but have yet to spend more than an overnight and a few in and out flights from Aeropuerto de Santiago in Chile�s fine capital city.

For such excursions, we really dig the Holiday Inn Santiago directly across the street from the airport ticketing gate, but are excited to expand our city wide explorations now that W Hotels has opened its first-ever South American hotel, The W Santiago.

The W Santiago is located in the heart of the swanky El Golf district, part of the new Isidora 300 mega-complex, which touts a convention center, boutique office space, and high-end retail shops in addition to the hotel and W-branded residences.

Like most W�s, this property oozes plenty of crazy sexy cool, with a handful of super mod bar and nightlife destinations done up by Rande and Scott Gerber. For foodies, there�s Osaka, a Zen-inspired restaurant featuring Peruvian-Asian cuisine by Chef Ciro Watanabe; NoSo and Terraza, two French restaurants by renowned chef Jean-Paul Bondoux; an intimate Tea Library, managed by French chef Sebastien Fontes; a Wine Bar; and for last minute souvenirs, the de rigueur W retail shop, The Store.

Guests who indulge in too much eating and drinking action can access the adjacent O2 Balance & Wellness Club. (Sorry, no Bliss spa here.) But what we covet the most is the heated rooftop pool (WET) which has views of the city and the snow-capped Andes in the background.

The room basics: W Santiago features 196 guestrooms, including 20 suites, 16 Cool Corner Rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows, three WOW suites, and the signature Extreme WOW Suite (W Hotels� reinterpretation of the Presidential Suite). And unlike the W Boston, these rooms are very design forward, although you'll certainly feel like your in a W Hotel. It's just got that W look to it. Rates start at $299USD per night.

[Photo: TripAdvisor/123Norm]

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