Alvaro and his family are very welcoming and helpful.
I felt safe in the neighborhood, you just have to get used to the dogs in the streets, but that's everywhere in Santiago.
There is also some good Chinese takeaway in the same street which is very nice when you do not want to cook yourself and get something quickly in the evenings. Two metro stations and a big shopping mall at one of them are quite close, about 10 minutes on foot.