Hostal El Raco — Hotel in Santiago

Somehow we think that the regular management of this place must be on holiday and left their distant country cousins in control. Overall, a great place to stay in a quiet location some 25 minute walk to town (or close to metro station) in an area with a lot of old period architectural charm & a lot of local street art. Many of the surrounding buildings are unoccupied or empty and boarded up, yet there are some great pub like eateries nearby at Yungay plaza. ||We arrived late to be received by someone who distinctly communicated that she had far better things to do than to receive guests. For a place marketing to overseas tourists, there was not a solitary word of English spoken - not one word. ||Our room itself was OK and aligned well with the website photograph although when we asked for a bulb to replace the missing one in our table reading lamp, the answer was an emphatic un-negotiable NO. ||Other photographs on display in TripAdvisor, particularly those of the dining room decor were clearly misrepresentative. The photographs indicate a table well prepared with table cloth etc. ready for a wonderful dining feast. The reality with which we were presented was very different indeed with bare tables and basic chairs only. Only the room itself was recognizable. Even the photographs in the leaflet available at the front desk misrepresents what we physically saw. ||Breakfast was amazing. Being advised it was between 8 am & 10 am, we arrived at 8:30 am and spent the next 20 minutes trying to awaken someone, eventually being successful by breaking out onto the front street and then persistently ringing the front door bell. Bowls of blancmange & chopped banana were offered and when asked about a spoon with which to eat, we were directed to the same teaspoon used for our coffee. No milk or whitener was available for our tea or coffee but this along with some orange juice was promised for the next day. Clearly there is no specified breakfast menu and breakfast was a negotiated and variable task for each of our three days. This negotiation was only possible due to the involvement of another English speaking guest. ||On the good side, El Raco had excellent Internet, made up our beds daily, did some laundry for us and also kept our bags safe in storage for a late night departure. ||Fix the personnel and language issue, the breakfast and the decor and this place would be...

Hostal el Raco is a decent place to stay but there are problems. The room are a little small, the linens are worn, and the plumbing needs a lot of work. Our toilet did not flush and the owner's solution was to show us how to remove the top of the tank and pull on the metal chain. Our room was cleaned every day, though, and the owner arranged for laundry services and taxi pick up to the airport. WiFi was good. Breakfast was okay, with meat, cheese, bread, juice, and store-bought baked goods. It is about five blocks from the subway and three blocks from the Memorial museum. There were some very good restaurants within walking distance and plenty of small stores to purchase...

The people are very kind and service is good. However, do not expect the hostal to look as it does on the website. Wireless internet was not available nor can you place calls to cell phones from the hotel (even for a charge). Breakfast was basic and the house is quite old and a bit shabby, but ok for the price. Barrio Yungay can be dangerous at night, so beware. There are not many businesses around this area, so you are better off in nearby Barrio Brasil. ||Hot water was often not available for showers. Very small rooms and dark house.||They do often transportation to...