Mall Parque Arauco — Attraction in Las Condes

Beware of the black and yellow taxi drivers lined up on the street who are soliciting your business ... use apps only to have record of how tranaction is conducted. I experienced one yesterday who was both a liar and a thief ... I used Uber to get there at peak time and paid 18.000 PEN. When I attempted to use Uber to return to where I was staying all the taxi drivers said that Uber was illegal. That was the first lie. I was then told by a driver that he used a meter and he accepted credit cards so I hired his services ... it was at off peak hour so I said why not? I should have been suspicious when he started driving before I told him where I wanted to go. When we arrived at my destination I asked to see what the meter read, he pretended not to hear and ignored my question focusing only on payment. Lie number 2, no meter. He attempted to charge my credit card 423.000 PEN which my credit card company rejected and refused to process. After I questioned the amount he pretended it was a mistake and made several attempts to charge my card 42.360 PEN which fortunately was rejected each time. He was insistent on receiving this inflated fare so in order to diffuse the situation without further incident I gave him the 40.000 PEN cash that I had which he gladly accepted and sped off as a thief would with his ill gotten gain before I could get his taxi number. THIS IS A WARNING TO ALL, BEWARE! Don't be naive ... if you aren't using Uber, use Cabify, Easytaxi or something to...

Having eaten in many restaurants over the years, I have seen plenty of incidences of restaurants treating their diners like idiots, but this really is a new low. In Vapiano restaurant the diner gets a plastic account card on entry, makes their way to the food preparation kiosks on their own, stands in line to order from a food preparer, gets an electronic buzzer, waits for it to be prepared, gets a ring on electronic buzzer, collects the food, then eats it. There may be some nice design, but this is Quick Service Restaurant (QSR), like MacDonalds or a salad bar. QSR is fine, there is a place for that in the market. The problem comes when you attempt to pay, and the restaurant asks the rhetorical Chilean full service question: “would you like to add service”. To which, like in any Chilean full service restaurant, they expect the answer to be yes.

The difference here is that there is no service, it is self-service. Asking for a tip or service fee is an insult to the intelligence of the dining public. I am all for self-service, but not for self-service and then paying a service charge for the privilege. I tried to make this claim with the restaurant, but they could not care less, hence this review. If more people complained, this kind of outrageous customer denigration could not happen. There are at least three other restaurants serving Pizza within 50m, try one of them if you respect...

Parque Arauco is perfectly situated next to the Courtyard by Marriott and just down the street from the Santiago Marriott. As loyal Marriott guests, my fiancée and I were thrilled to discover this mall within easy walking distance of our hotel.

From the outside, the complex seems modest, but inside it unfolds into a spacious layout. You’ll find both large and smaller indoor sections linked by an open-air promenade, giving the mall plenty of breathing room and variety.

We visited Parque Arauco at least seven times during our two-week stay, drawn by the wide range of shops and restaurants. Whether we were hunting for souvenirs or enjoying a leisurely meal, there was always something to suit our needs. The mall also boasts the closest Starbucks to both Marriott properties, which was perfect for our morning coffee runs.

Security is visible throughout the complex, reflecting its popularity and steady crowds every day of the week. Although we always walked from our hotel, we stayed alert for the steady stream of cars entering and exiting the parking garages off Avenida Kennedy.

While the Costanera Center is larger and Alto Las Condes feels more upscale, Parque Arauco won us over with its superb convenience and well-rounded offerings. We’ll definitely make it our first stop the next time...