Hotel del Patio

Santiago's Bellavista neighborhood has the color and energy which pretty-but-proper Providencia lacks. In the shadow of the famous Cerro San Cristóbal in sprawling Parque Metropolitano, this bohemian enclave - once home to Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda - draws Santiguinos and tourists to the city’s best restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

Hotel Del Patio is an integral part of the stylish wave of development invigorating the district. On the second story of a historic family home, it is a bold blend of period architectural detail, ultra-sleek fixtures and psychedelic color combinations.

Ten spacious bedrooms and common areas open to a windowed gallery overlooking Patio Bellavista, a polished plaza lined with shops and outdoor resto-bars that thumps with activity day and night. Follow a morning of shopping with a drop-in salsa lesson at the neighboring dance studio. Then kick back on the terrace while you duel over dinner options - Thai, French, Mediterranean or sushi?

The rooms maintain their old style adobe walls, roofs and floors made from wood native to southern Chile. Harmonized with a balance of old and modern decor, all of the rooms have private bathrooms with minimalist designs, digital TV with LCD screens, double panel windows that allow for moderation of the temperature and exterior noises, an in-room safe, telephone, central heating, an ample glass desk and tourist information to make your stay the best possible. All rooms include a buffet breakfast and free WI-FI internet connection.