Grand Hyatt Santiago
We approached the Grand Hyatt Santiago check-in desk and were informed that they were waiting to check us in at the club lounge on the 16th floor.
We arrived and were informed that since it was only noon, our room wasn’t ready yet. We sat in the lounge (which has beautiful views of the city) for about an hour and a half before they informed us our room was ready.
The room was on the same floor as the lounge and was pretty spacious for a basic room. It was dominated by a picture window with what would have been a mind-blowing view of the Andes, but thanks to the smog, overlooked the faint outlines of mountains.
The sitting area was 3 steps down from the beds, which helped increase the feeling of spaciousness.
The bathroom was divided into rooms, with the shower/bath in one, the toilet in another, with the sink connecting the two. I was excited about the separation, until I realized the shower area had no door and the ‘curtain†was clear glass. So like the Park Hyatt Mendoza, we couldn’t use the toilet at the same time someone else was showering. Not a big deal, just less convenient.
The shower was a mess. I don’t know if we just like too much water pressure or if it was poor design (I vote for the latter) but my shower the first morning resulted in a huge pool of water on the floor. It went through the spaces between the glass panels and the spray just went farther than the panels altogether.
The lounge was a nice perk. They serve breakfast and heavy hors d’oeuvres with drinks in the evening, with coffee, tea, and other non-alcoholic drinks available throughout the day. Internet is free, you just ask at the desk for the code.
Breakfast was rather light – fruit, yogurt, charcuterie, and cheese, as well as a bread tray that was missing as often as it was present since they would remove it entirely to replenish. The evening hors d’oeuvres included desserts, charcuterie and cheese, and a beautiful (and tasty) sushi presentation. The drinks were basic, cocktails, beers, and 2 white and 2 red options, as well as a decent sparkling.  The drink service was extremely slow. If this matters to you, be sure to sit in the main lounge area instead of the rooms on the side, as they seem to be less attentive. Did I mention how amazing the view from the lounge is though?
The first night our three glasses of wine over 2 hours wasn’t making a dent so we headed to the lobby bar. The selection was good, we wound up choosing sparkling Malbec, but the service was also slow.
We didn’t eat in any of the restaurants during our brief stay, but we did try out both room service and the spa. The room service was very reasonably priced with a more American selection of appetizers, like mozeralla sticks, than we’d seen at the Park Hyatt. It arrived quickly; we only needed to tip 10% and the jalapeno poppers were much spicier than usual.
Overall the AKO Wellness & Spa is good, but confusing to get to. You take the main elevator to the second floor, walk down a long corridor overlooking the Senso restaurant, take the elevator down to the Ground floor, go up some steps, walk down a pathway (not great for heels), and voila, you’re at the spa door. The attendants were incredibly nice and they were able to take us for facials almost immediately.
After selecting our desire background music (I chose water) for a list of at least 10 options as well as our post-treatment drinks, we were taken upstairs to the waiting room. In short order I was being led into my room for my Revitalizing Facial. The language difference was a problem, so I wasn’t sure if I should undress entirely and put on the robe, or just remove my shirt. I opted for the first and scurried under the covers in case I’d chosen wrong.
The treatment was fantastic, with oxygen puffs, steam, lots of extraction, lots of creams applied and massaged off and all kinds of other things I know nothing about. J While one mask was setting though, I got incredibly bored and a little cold and wished it was over. When she was done, my face was both red and glowing. Within a day or two it looked amazing! I highly recommend this spa.
Throughout our stay all the staff were incredibly nice, particularly the kind staff member who rode all the way up to our floor to make sure we still felt welcome after another guest, who funnily enough was not on a club floor, visibly sneered at our site-seeing clothing and footwear.
Our last night there we arranged for a car to the airport in the lounge and asked about where to check out since we were leaving before 6. That’s when we found out about one of their lesser known perks. Since the lounge doesn’t open until 7AM, those checking out early can get room service breakfast for free until 6AM or dine in the restaurant from 6-7AM. Small note – check your bill upon check out, we had to ask for that charge to be removed.
There was only one person working the desk when we left, so quite a line had formed, but it moved fairly quickly. I wanted to apply my extra Chilean pesos to the bill, but was informed to do so meant that I would forfeit the tax waiver given to all tourists. So we saved it for the Dunkin Donuts or something in the airport and hopped into our waiting transfer.
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Heels First is the travels and tribulations of two twenty-something frequent fliers jumping into the world of travel. Join Keri and Jeanne as they tackle mileage runs, elite status, and of course–the perfect travel accessories.
