I spent 6 days in Santiago, Chile when I was only due to spend 2. Why? Because the Ventana Sur hostel in Santiago was such an awesome place to be. The owners, a chilean, german and mexican, run the hostel everyday as their joint project. They are super friendly and really made my stay. The rooms are comfortable – especially the outside double – and the pool is a lovely place to relax in the baking Santiago summer sun. Santiago itself is a great city. With its efficient metro rivalling other major city tube systems (like London) is close to the hostel, Santa Isobel, and runs all over the city. There is a cool bar district near the San Cristóbal hill which leads to the statue of Virgin Mary. The walk down is great on a warm day (take the little train up). Plaza de Armas in the centre of santiago is also a cool place to chill, as are the many parks dotted around the centre.
Leaving Santiago is easy. The main bus station is near the tube station Estación Central, which also has a big shopping centre. Buses to Mendoza in Argentina run through the Andes daily and take about 4 hours.
