Where to even begin?
THE HOST: Plain and simple, Felipe was the best host I've ever interacted with on Airbnb. When we arrived in Santiago, our flights came in early in the morning and well before check-in. I messaged Felipe about it several days before, and he let us check-in early so we weren't wandering around the city in the morning like zombies exhausted from our flights. When we left, our flights left late at night, and he didn't hesitate to let us check out hours late so we weren't stressed on our departure day. He responded almost instantly every time I had a question for him on WhatsApp, which was very comforting, and we he was always very friendly and helpful in all of our interactions. It was almost like crashing at a friends place, he was so welcoming and warm. When we arrived at the apartment, he had left us a personalized welcome note and a great bottle of Chilean wine to enjoy, which was such a pleasant surprise. Little touches like having a safe, bottled water, extra towels, and body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in the apartment for our arrival pushed this listing over the top. Felipe alone made this a great listing.
THE APARTMENT: Take a look at the views in the photos -- as beautiful as they are online, they are EVEN BETTER in person. I could not get over how beautiful it was to just sit in the living room or on the balcony every day and take in that view. It was to the point where every sunrise and sunset I was taking dozens of panoramic shots and videos because the Andes just kept topping themselves every day. If you love to sit out on a patio and take in views, this place is for you.
The location for the apartment was also great -- it's almost right in the centre between the parts of towns tourists would typically visit, which was super convenient. We expected to take the metro a lot while we were in Santiago, but only ended up taking it once to get to the Museum of Memory and Human Rights, which is built quite far out of the city centre. Other than that, we were able to walk EVERYWHERE as everything was within half an hour walking of the apartment. The neighbourhood around the apartment felt very safe, and the amenities (grocery store, restaurants, coffee shop) were also plentiful so we never had to go far to find something.
The apartment itself was the perfect size for 2-3 (a couple and a friend), I'd say. The two bedrooms were comfortable and the common area was spacious. There were two full bathrooms (one an en-suite) so my friend and I never got in each other's way. The kitchen was fully stocked, as well, which made eating in easy. To top it all off, the 24-hour doormen were always very friendly and welcoming.
I could go on an on about this place, but I'll end this here with this piece of advice: Snatch this place up if you're going to Santiago! You won't regret it.