tips on SCL?
 

Searched for threads here on YYZ SCL / YYZ GRU SCL but nothing informative...

Anyone have any pointers/tips/places to see or not see/things to do or not do for Santiago in August? I'm going solo (for the hell of it) so any recommended activities for singletons would be great. Below is my trip plan:

August 19, 2004
AC0990 YYZ GRU 2200 0915+1
AC9978 GRU SCL 1015+1 1315+1 operated by Varig

August 23, 2004
AC9979 SCL GRU 1415 1855 operated by Varig
AC0991 GRU YYZ 2100 0625+1

So far I've double booked myself in the Sheraton and the FP Sheraton.
I'm on H class so looking to u/g on the YYZ GRU segments, which are still showing J9 C9 so looks promising. I was going to book the direct flights, but they show low C's, which I didn't want to play roulette at the gate. (Hell, a couple thousand extra status miles won't hurt either!)
In addition, any type of trip report would be great... thanks in advance... yyznomad.

The FP Sheraton is quite adequate if you are travelling alone and Valparaiso is something to see as well as the wine country,if you're into it. Shareholder has a good book on Chile he lent me last year ansd it was useful. I also have lots of info on the Country if you need some.

I had no problem up-grading on that GRU flight also from a H fare. That's a tight connection..... be prepared for Varig FU'S , they are often late :) amongst other things! PS. There is absolutely nothing to do/see in GRU airport! It is abysmal........but the bar serves great caiparinias(a delicious alcoholic beverage which you must try :D )

Why not take the direct YYZ-SCL flight ?

The GRU airport is void of any interesting features, except the design of the ceiling in the gate areas.

As said in my original post, I avoided the YYZ SCL direct because C inventory was low and I didn't want to play upgrade roulette at the gate... albeit I'm an SE but would rather play it safe with the u/g. Seeing something like J5 C2 is a little worrisome compared to J9 C9, especially with one month left.

As for GRU... not interested in that anyway... I already knew it was nothing.... more interested in SCL and the Santiago area... stuff to do and see for soloists on a whim...

As Parnel mentioned, I can lend you the PASSPORT guidebook. I agree the FOUR POINTS is a good property, reasonably prices and located in a good night district as well as accessible to the Metro system. It is also possible to walk to quite a few places of interest from there. What to see depends upon your tastes and interests. There is a great market where you can lunch on fresh produce and seafood, and wish you could take stuff home with you to cook! A couple of pretty good museums to get a sense of both the Euro and Aboriginal histories of the country, though these a bit delapidated, or were a couple of years ago. If you are into politics, you can visit the various sites where the coup took place, and visit the grave of Alliende. If you are a hopeless romantic, then the home of the poet Neruda makes a nice excursion nearby the zoo and a good informal eating spot across the river. I quite enjoyed my stay in the city, but did not have time to make it out to the vineyards or the coast. These too are worth the travel if you have three or four days beyong those dedicated to Santiago.

As for transiting through GRU, I always pick up a few pounds of coffee beans on the way home to make the short stop worthwhile. Always a treat to give friends a 250-gm package of good, robust Brazilian beans.

Enjoy your trip, and email me if you want to borrow the guidebook.

Is that the coffee that that makes you grumpy sometimes? :D

Being winter there, anyone had a chance to ski nearby (if there is skiing nearby)? I was thinking of bringing down my ski boots and renting skis. Any advice on good resorts/mountains to try out? I'm a very experienced skiier.

Varig changed their flights to give me illegal and tight connections so the AC agent put me on the direct AC flights 92 and 93 and I just u/g'd on 92 ^

Shareholder YGPM.

I visited Portillo and some other ski areas near SCL last Xmas during summer and thought they were terrific, I too being a good skier, and have thought about going back in their winter to try them out. They are high altitude hills though with most of them well above 7000 feet IIRC so bring lots of lung power and sunscreen.
The hills near Santiago are quite decent if you don't have time to get to Portillo and in summer only take a little over an hour in a rental car but the roads have lots of switchabcks and I would think winter driving could be more "fun".

thanks for all of the advice thus far...

i've decided to stay at the FP Sheraton.

having absolutely no knowledge of spanish (besides counting to ten and other simple phrases), will I be able to get by purely on English?! I find in Europe I can get by pretty well with just english, but this is my first South American jaunt, so I have no clue what to expect.

also, i'd prefer not to drive... but would if it's recommended over public transportation and taxis... what is the overall concensus? I would like to make a day trip to Portillo... should I just drive there? any charters that go there from downtown?

You should be fine without Spanish. Signage is pretty clear to navigate around the city, subway, etc. once you get the lay of the land. Study some maps and you should be alright. However, intercity buses may appear a bit chaotic at first. Otherwise, you can reach most spots in the city by subway and walking.

Also remember to have at least US$100 in cash when you arrive. You will be required to buy your visa before clearing immigration and they only take US or UK cash/travellers cheques, no charge cards or anything else. I believe it is US$60 for Canadians [it varies by your country of passport]. Take a cab into the city, to your hotel just to get oriented. There are Bank Machines in the main hall of the terminal, before you exit, for Chilean cash.

Hope the book arrived. Have a great time down there.

I rented a car there last Xmas and drove to Portillo and to the coast. Hwy's are reasonably well marked and decent maps are available. There are rental car companies all around the FP where we stayed for a couple of nights. Watch out for hidden charges. There is a nice entertainment/restaurant area just behind the FP but watch out for people trying to get you into "special shows" etc. Walk around and choose a restaurant for yourself. There is another area about five minutes by taxi from the FP that also has good reataurants and some entertainment.
If you want more info PM me and we speak by phone.

Last year it was $35 USD for Canadians. US Cash only. US, Australian and Mexican passport holders pay more. Its a reciprical thing :rolleyes:

I'm going thru SCL next year. I will arrive around 9.30 or 10 on AC from YYZ and then leave around 5 in the afternoon on a Lan Chile flight to Mendoza. Since I'm going from one international flight to another can I stay in a transit area and avoid this visa fee? Would AC check my bags to Lan Chile (which will be a separate ticket) to avoid having to pick them up? Are there any facilities in the transit area (e.g showers) if I was able to stay in transit? Its an awkward connection timewise so I'm trying to plan the best way to handle it and spending a huge fee for my wife and I to enter Chile for 4 or 5 hours seems like a waste of money. I'd appreciate advice from people with experience of SCL.

Now it is $55USD. Just checked.