When it was time to leave the Scenic Eclipse cruise ship after exploring the coast of Peru and Chile, one thing that eased the sting was that I knew I was checking into the gorgeous Singular Santiago hotel in the capital city.

Singular Santiago Chile

Back when the first Singular hotel opened in Patagonia, it was a striking reinvention of an old canning factory on a lake. The Singular Santiago did not attempt to make such a bold statement in Chile’s capital when it opened in 2014. Instead it chooses to evoke a feeling of a 19th-century city hotel in France, with plenty of dressed-up staffers providing attentive, but buttoned-up service.

Now nearing its 10th birthday as I write this, this 62-room boutique hotel property has settled into its position as the prestige address in the Lasterria area, though that hasn’t been easy as the Singular had to navigate a series of devastating street protests that have scarred the center with graffiti and vandalism all over, then the pandemic which forced the property to deal with a lockout of foreigners for more than a year and a half.

One of our correspondents was one of the first foreign check-ins when she arrived in early 2022 to write an updated review. Some facilities still weren’t open during her visit and when I was back recently, the downstairs restaurant still wasn’t serving dinner, so we went next door to the famous Liguria in a historic mansion instead.  The fact that this luxury hotel still exists, much less looks as great as it did a decade ago, is something to cheer about.

This Santiago luxury hotel is a new build rather than a historic building, but you could be mistaken for thinking it’s a classic that’s been here since the early days of independence. While the Lastarria neighborhood has lost a number of businesses that escaped to the suburbs, it’s still a part of the city that’s near a great park, government buildings, and important historic structures, including a few Parisian-style mansions. Come take a tour here:

There are plenty of reasons to spend time in the property, including a surprisingly spacious basement spa with a couples’ massage room that has a whirlpool bath. The rooftop bar opens out to a sun terrace with a rectangular pool to cool off in when the weather heats up and one of the best views in town. From here you can see the surrounding mountains and two nearby city hills: Cerro Santa Lucia and Cerro San Cristobal.

The cuisine here gets high marks from guests, whether that’s plates at the rooftop bar open lunch through dinner or the lobby-level restaurant with a courtyard and an extensive wine selection. My time at the hotel was shorter than for the correspondent who posted the full review, but the continental breakfast I had before leaving was terrific, with a formal waiter bringing fresh-squeezed juice, a fruit plate, and a variety of bread accompanied by French butter and jams. The coffee was the best I’ve had in Chile, produced by a local roaster.

Singular Santiago Hotel restaurant

To really step it up, book a private dinner in the wine cave, with a sommelier assisting your selections from the surrounding bottles representing all of Chile’s wine regions.

I’d had plenty of whiskey, wine, and cocktails on the cruise, but otherwise I would have spent a couple of hours at the inviting old-school Bar Merced with its dark wood, framed drawings, and furniture that makes you want to stick around for a while.

There’s also a gym with enough equipment to get you a good workout, if you’re so inclined, or the staffers can book a variety of excursions for exploring Chile’s capital city.

Rooms vary from small Patio rooms and Asian-styled Classic rooms to the top Singular rooms category, with larger baths and balconies. All are traditional in style but contain refrigerators stocked with soft drinks and water, electronic safes, and complimentary Wi-Fi. If you need some room to spread out, the top suite is 861 square feet and has a separate living room. Naturally at this level, all rooms include turndown service and bathrobes.

Since we started Luxury Latin America in the 00s, Santiago has gone from a relative wasteland for luxury hotel choices to one of the most dynamic cities for upscale lodging in South America, especially for boutique hotels. This one is a top contender for those who don’t want to be on the outskirts, with a superlative staff-to-guest ratio, a classic cocktail lounge, and one of the best rooftop views in town.

See our full review of Singular Santiago.

See other luxury Santiago hotels in Chile.