This was the second of two great Mariana & Dom(inic) apartments in which we stayed in Santiago, bracketing a two-and-a-half week trip through Central Chile. The first apartment (Forestal Park) was smaller and perhaps a bit cozier with warm wooden fixtures and enormous windows offering unobstructed and really mesmerizing city views dominated by a forested Cerro San Cristobal with the immaculately white figure of Our Lady of Conception floating above, and scads of snow-tipped Andes in the distance.
This adjacent apartment was on a lower floor (more ambient traffic noise) and its many windows necessitated mostly drawn curtains in order to avoid "Rear Window" sindrome (i.e. peeping at neighbors in the adjacent building while they peered at you; although it never got that far). In turn, this apartment is roomier with a dining table, large kitchen, fridge, gas stove, and oven, all of which were much appreciated for preserving and preparing goods bought at the nearby and fabulously well-stocked La Vega market (there's also a cheap super only a block away).
The location is absolutely fantastic and unbeatable... in the vibrant heart of eclectic Bellavista and just across the river from the lush Parque Florestal and cool hood of Lastarria. Transportation possibilities galore, but you can really walk everywhere, and then some, with great ease and safety.
Even before arriving, Dom scored massive points as a stellar host by colluding, long-distance, with my mother and partner on how to best celebrate my birthday in high Santiago style (no mean feat on Christmas Day). Upon our arrival, he was calling and Whats-Apping to make sure all was well and offering tips on how to make things even better. A warm and friendly guy who put himself on 24-hour call and was more than eager to make inquiries on our behalf (ex: where to find stellar alfajores as gifts) when his own considerable fonts of knowledge were momentarily depleted.
Particularly useful, and very enjoyable to read, was the multi-page, personalized guide to the building, neighborhood, and city, which we folded up and carted around with us and whose many tips proved invaluable.