236Dakota

For a quick overnight, stay at the on airport Holiday Inn. Weekday traffic can be horrible if you need to travel during the rush hours.

some dude

It's hard for me to say with such a short visit, but I certainly noticed that there were far fewer people wearing expensive watches like Apple Watch or Rolex (yes I know, very different price ranges) in Santiago than you'd see in the USA. There were also much fewer people holding their smartphone (especially iPhone) in their hand as they walked around, but there were a few. I didn't see anyone with an expensive purse like a Louis Vuitton in Santiago. The hotel staff also warned me to be careful about phone theft even in the Las Condes area.

At some point I needed to make a phone call while I was in Santiago, and I held the phone in my hand while I was wearing Airpods and walking, and nothing happened...

By comparison in Buenos Aires (where I was about 1 month later), I saw plenty of people wearing Apple Watch or Rolex, or using iPhone while walking around.I even saw a few people with Louis Vuitton purses in Buenos Aires.

In order to keep this all in perspective, a friend had his iPhone pickpocketed about 6 months ago at a bar in downtown Orlando, FL... so it's not like this is unique to Santiago. Hope this helps.

khabah

My trip was in early January, so all good - appreciate the tips though.

I'm working on a full review of my stay [which I'll post with photos] but to comment on the above, I will say that Las Condes felt INCREDIBLY safe and delightfully upscale with its leafy streets, boutiques and cafés. I was warned by several people that Santiago had a very high crime rate and to worry about everything from my phone and backpack to watch and person, but never experienced anything untoward. I did notice throughout my trip in South America that very few people wore watches in general, and if I saw any, they would either be the odd Apple Watch or something small and innocuous. I left my watch locked away in a safe deposit box, went out only with my room keycard and a debit/credit card, and my iPhone [which I would use only when I step off the street or entered a shop/restaurant]. I'm not a night owl by any stretch but even when I'd walk around at night, I never felt a sense of danger here.

I think the best advice, in general, is to keep your wits about you, pay attention to your surroundings and tone the ostentation down.

khabah

beachfan

Thanks !

is the junior suite with the additional points ( 11,500 for first night, 14,500 next two, 5000 extra per night, over Xmas) over the regular room?

it didn’t seem all that much larger but couldn’t tell.