The Host !! Felipe is as charming as is the apartment. He was gracious friendly and readily available. He responded promptly to email, text messages and phone calls ( in English). Checking in was easy. He even waited for us at check in, even though our flight was 2 hours late.
Location Location!! The location is ideal and we were lucky enough to stay for a week. Providencia is a wonderful neighborhood with lots of great local restaurants ( Liguria and Eladio were two of our (( and Moon Chile Guidebook )) favorites. Taxis to these two great restaurants were only $2-$3. Other bars, restaurants, coffee shop convenience stores are less than a 1-2 minute walk away. The neighborhood is safe enough we could walk back to the apartment even after a late dinner from the two restaurants mentioned above. The famous Bellavista area is a safe 10 minute walk away. The apartment is a 4 minutes walk to the efficient, fast, safe metro (station Salvador). The first time you hit the metro buy a BIP card. A small grocery store and a liquor store is a 6 minute walk away from the apartment. I bought a SIM card for my phone on the way to the first grocery trip. On Sunday mornings there is a vegetable/ flower market in the nearby park.
The apartment itself is just as nice as the pictures...but the view from the balcony is even better. The curved balcony gives you more than a 180 degree view of skyline, parks, water fountain, and the glaciers on the Andes. Even thought the apartment is located on a busy street it is well insulated and on a high floor so sound was not really an issue. The place felt very warm and 'homey' with utensils, toiletries, wall pictures, patio furniture etc. There are 2 full bathrooms in the apartment, a great espresso maker, comfy beds, very fast WiFi, good sound system, ( great CD's- thanks Felipe) tons of tourist info, guidebooks, maps, etc. A cleaning service twice a week is included, as is a parking spot and storage on site if needed. The roof top pool is a great place to cool off, have some wine and enjoy the sunset ( Beach towels provided by host). The 24 hour concierge is friendly and helpful. We found the basement laundry room clean and easy to use. Felipe even has some electrical adaptors in the apartment so you do not need to have one when you arrive.
Thanks Felipe for providing such a great place.