Valparaiso Villa Blog

Life´s still a beach in Renaca

2009-06-01T09:37:00.000-07:00

Renaca is a coastal town 20 minutes by local bus from Vina Del Mar and amazingly, we still have weather like this: Sunny blue skies and t shirt weather even at the begining of autumn.

Though the beaches are a little choppy this time of year, it is still great for a stroll in the sand, playing soccer or making castles.

Hope this weather lasts until the beginning of winter!

Voted excellent on Tripadvisor by You!!

2009-06-01T09:33:00.000-07:00

Many thanks to our past guests who have been lovely enough to post great reviews of our bed and breakfast on Tripadvisor!! We have now got a badge of excellence-thank you so much we really appreciate that you took the time, and of course, we ope to see you again one day soon on the shores of Chile!!

Valparaiso Villa Bed and Breakfast rated "excellent" by 3 travelers

Lost? Here we are..

2009-04-10T15:31:00.000-07:00

Here is a detailed map of how to find us from Errazuriz street in Vina Del Mar.
(I post this map to everyone who books a room with us)

From Errazuriz street, go to the very end with no exit.

Find house 516 or 518.

Look to the right of house 518. There is a laneway/driveway. This is Pasaje Errazuriz.

(if you are coming by car, please leave it parked on Errazuriz and tip the parking attendant.Tips are usually $1000 Chilean pesos or less.)

Go up this laneway and turn at the first left.

We are house 516/2 , white with green shutters.

We hope to see you soon!

What to pack (autumn 09)

2009-04-08T16:11:00.000-07:00

What to pack for fall in Vina del Mar/ Valparaiso?

Some days it's blue sky 360 degrees leftover from summer days. Other days it's overcast and there's a brisk breeze from the sea.

Either way, we recommend that you come with a few t shirts, a few long sleeved tops and a jacket or two. That way your covered (literally) but don't bother bringing an umbrella, that's something you can easily pick up here at either Ripley or Falabella Dept stores just 5 min away on Sucre street.

Also pack some sunscreen for those sunny days when the sun's rays are a bit strong, or alternatively buy some here.

Here are some sites to check out the weather in Valparais region:
Valparaiso (from El Mercurio online)

Vina Del Mar weather

to convert from Celcius to Farenheit click here

first peek into Festival ampitheatre

2009-02-18T09:34:00.000-08:00

Here is a sneak peek at the ampitheatre as its being set up for the huge festival.
We are getting ready to receive guests from Argentina and Brazil who are coming for the Festival De La Cancion next door in Quinta Vergara Park starting on February 23rd until the 28th.

Guests performing at the festival this year include Jennifer Lopez´s husband Marc Anthony, Simply Red, Daddy Yankee and more local guests.

These things help with the acoustics and dangle above the heads of the audience.

See you at the festival!

What to pack

2009-02-18T09:32:00.000-08:00

Viña Del Mar is always about 10 degrees cooler than Santiago which means in summer it´s sunny but suprisingly cool in the evenings. Pack jeans and a light pullover for nights along wih your swimsuits and sunblock UV 30 plus for during the day to hit the beach.

Here´s a link to the 10 day weather forecast

Life´s a Beach

2009-02-18T09:28:00.000-08:00

It´s a tough life in a beach town, especially in summer when the time comes to choose what beach to go laze the day away. Playa (beach) Miraflores and Las Salinas are right on the doorstep to most major resorts and are the ones near the Muelle Vegara (the big crane overseeing the ocean)

Las Salinas Beach (Photo Emilio Fuenzalida)

Incidentally, Muelle Vergara is earmarked for demolition as of this date because of unsteady foundations and no buyer to come and resue it, so the beach will soon be jetty free.

Going further north is the popular Reñaca beach. Reñaca gets a bit crowded, but has a special section called ¨el cementerio¨ the cemetry oddly enough, where all the beautiful people like to be seen. We recommend having a Chilean Gelato while your at it.

Don´t forget to take an umbrella and sunscreen because the Chilean sun doesn´t tickle if you get burnt.

More info for spanish speakers here

Anyone for tennis?

2009-01-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

31st Jan til the 8th February 2009 in Club Salinas Viña Del Mar brings the Moviestar Open and many tennis players around the world to Vina Del Mar!!!

These include Chilean Fernando Gonzales and North American Vincent Spadea.

Tickets are selling fast and range from $30,000 Chilean pesos to $12.500 Chilean pesos. With these tickets the event promises a whole day of tennis, special events, fashion shows, music, and food.

For more info you can go to Ticketmaster

or this website in Spanish.

Valentine´s Day Vina Del Mar

2009-01-19T16:56:00.000-08:00

If you don´t know what to do for Valentine´s Day in February, we have a 2 day 1 night South American weekend getaway ready, with a 10% discount just for readers of this blog!

This includes a welcome with Chilean red wine, a bouquet of flowers and a special suprise gift waiting for you at Valparaiso Villa Bed and Breakfast, a special horsecarriage honeymoon tour at dusk that goes to the Flower Clock, The beaches Mirasol and Acapulco, Wulff Castle, the Casino and finishes as the sun sets on theharbour, breakfast and 2pm checkout the next day.

Book early or enquire here

Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso are great laid back beach holiday towns, and being South America you have a vast array of couples from young and old everywhere you turn, even if it´s not Valentine´s Day! The beach is a beautiful place to sit and watch the world go by while the ships float in from the sea.

We recommend you catch a boat in Muelle Prat and go around the harbour for a half hour. It is not more than 10,000 Chilean pesos last time we went in a group so for two people it may be around the same price on Valentine´s Day if you´d like an exclusive boat for yourselves. Beautiful scenery and you may even see a sea lion or two on one of the buoys.

Hotspots are
...Renaca beach, catch a bus from Vina del Mar on Av. Sucre
...´Arc de Triumph´ in Avenida Brasil in Valparaiso.
... Castle Wulff by horsecarriage , we can arrange one with a tour guide for you.
....Pablo Neruda´s house in Valparaiso La Sebastiana.

We also have a special Valentines Day Deal on our main page
(photo gornabanja)

Festival de la Cancion

2009-01-19T16:55:00.000-08:00

My niece took these photos of Quinta Vergara park recently, a few houses down from Valparaiso Villa Bed and Breakfast. It´s always a pretty place to have a picnic but soon, the Festival de la Cancion (Song Festival of Viña del Mar) will be held from the 23rd to the 28th February next year. It is telecast on Chilean television. past performers have included Franz Ferdinand , Nelly Furtado and Cheyenne!

We´are very excited as you can see..This year Marc Anthony is coming and we have already started taking our guests to have a peek at the ampitheatre along as a bonus to our usual tour of Quinta Vergara park.

We are offering special deals if you would like to stay on the same street as the festival this February 2009!!

For 2 days and one night, for 2 people in the main bedroom (Queen size bed), wall unit, private bathroom is a total of $75,000 Chilean pesos including a continental breakfast, late checkout of 2pm and a tour of Quinta Vergara park.

For the Attic room of 2 single beds including an extra room for suitcases, downstairs bathroom, continental breakfast, late checkout of 2pm and a tour of beautiful Quinta Vergara Park, is $71,000 Chilean pesos.

Convert currency here

Please note, this deal does not include the price of tickets for the festival.

Click here to enquire or book.

Here is a link to the festival site in Spanish http://festival2009.canal13.cl/2009/html/Esp/Noticias/362276.html

and in English on wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vi%C3%B1a_del_Mar_International_Song_Festival

We hope to see you here!

2009-01-19T16:52:00.001-08:00

What´s on

2009-01-13T11:03:00.000-08:00

What´s on in Viña at the moment?

There´s a celebration of 50 years of Viña Del Mar starting with the craft markets in Quinta Vergara park.
Say hello to Juana González who has exhibited at the market for 25 uninterrupted years and who was officially recognised by the city council at the markets 50th anniversary celebration.

You can pick up porcelain pieces, pieces from straw, silver, wood, wool, rice paper, from Argentina, Ecuador, Bolivia, Perú, Paraguay, Cuba, China, India, Egipto, El Salvador, Brazil Colombia and of course Chile.

Until February 8th.

Before and After

2009-01-12T13:54:00.000-08:00

A few guests have been interested in the history of the house and recently we had taken photos of Valparaiso Villa, and also have some from before we renovated it.

The house has certainly come a long way!

Anyone for Tennis?

2009-01-08T11:17:00.001-08:00

Orchestra in the park

2009-01-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Summer Program of Events in Viña Del Mar has been released.
They´ve got a range of orchestra performances at the Quinta Vergara Park on the same street as we are.

Starts from the 3rd to the 31st January

This saturday 10th January is an orchestra performance starting at 20:30 in the park

The symphony orchestra plays saturday 17th January at 20:30

The student orchestra plays on Sunday 25th January

Check out this address for more information in Spanish
http://www.visitevinadelmar.cl/

Valentine´s Day Vina Del Mar

2009-01-08T08:29:00.001-08:00

Vina Del Mar and Valparaiso are great laid back beach holiday towns, and being South America you have a vast array of couples from young and old everywhere you turn, even if it´s not Valentine´s Day! The beach is a beautiful place to sit and watch the world go by while the ships float in from the sea.

We recommend you catch a boat in Muelle Prat and go around the harbour for a half hour. It is not more than 10,000 Chilean pesos last time we went in a group so for two people it may be around the same price on Valentine´s Day if you´d like an exclusive boat for yourselves. Beautiful scenery and you may even see a sea lion or two on one of the buoys.

Hotspots are
...Renaca beach, catch a bus from Vina del Mar on Av. Sucre
...´Arc de Triumph´ in Avenida Brasil in Valparaiso.
... Castle Wulff by horsecarriage , we can arrange one with a tour guide for you.
....Pablo Neruda´s house in Valparaiso La Sebastiana.

We also have a special Valentines Day Deal on our main page
(photo gornabanja)

Palacio Vergara

2009-01-06T13:15:00.000-08:00

A note on Palacio Vergara:
is just a few houses down from us in the Quinta Vergara and here are the open hours.

Tuesday to Sunday 10AM - 2PM then 3PM - 6PM
Closed on Mondays.

The Quinta Vergara has just built the ampitheatre for the festival de la Cancion.
Access for pedestrians is up Quinta Street.

Gates to the Quinta Vergara park are open from 7 AM to 7PM

Festival de la Cancion

2008-12-27T13:11:00.000-08:00

Valentines Day

2008-12-27T12:58:00.001-08:00

How do i get from Santiago to Valparaiso?

2008-12-12T09:12:00.000-08:00

We get asked this question many times.
You can catch buses like Tur Bus to get here in Viña Del Mar or Valparaiso to catch a cruise docked in Valpo.
Here´s the link to Tur Bus in Spanish. If you don´t speak Spanish get your hotel staff or us to translate or use babelfish:)

Includes times and prices in Chilan pesos.

http://www.turbus.cl/default.aspx

Don´t forget to take some photos of Vina and Valpo on your way here..
OR you can get us to arrange your transfer from Casa Newen to Valparaiso Villa or vice versa and even stop on a wine tour on your way past Casablanca Vineyards!!

Life´s a Beach

2008-12-06T15:07:00.001-08:00

ascensores in Valparaiso

2008-12-06T14:11:00.000-08:00

Ascensores are elvators that overlook Valparaiso port city in Chile.
There are 15 around neighbouring Valpo, and most of them are the original ones too. Just which ascensor to choose?

The ascensor Espiritu Santo leads right up to the sprawling Museo a Cielo Abierto, a collection of murals both comissioned and spontaneous that have appeared on the walls of Cerro Bellavista in Valparaiso, they´re my favourite.

The most popular are asensores Bellavista, Concepcion and Alegre, but
Ascensor Los Lecheros has a charming if slightly delapidated view of the colourful houses on the hills.

Ascensor Artilleria has a view to the colourful shipping containers and sparkling Valpo port.

If you like them that much, we can take you on a tour of them!

Around our bed and Breakfast..

2008-12-03T17:33:00.001-08:00

Hi,
We have had some enquiries asking about what we are near.
This is always an important factor for our guests to know if they will be staying somewhere near taxis, buses, shops, restaurants, grocery stores etc.
We are 1.5 hours away from Santiago, so on the way to Viña Del Mar...

.. we pass Casablanca Valley vineyards..beautiful, especially at sunset or in the morning.

We are situated on Errazuriz street..

..the same street as Quinta Vergara Park, where Palacio Vergara is.

Buses run through Errazuriz street and you can wait for a bus that goes to Reñaca and Concon on Albarez Ave, the street parallel to Errazuriz towards the city.

Cross the street and continue straight on Quinta street and you´ll find on the left, a feria artesanal (an undercover craft market) clothes, keyrings, notebooks, bags..

Keep walking down the street until you see the Cruz Verde pharmacy. Turn left.
There you will find the main street Avenida Valparaiso
and the taxis collectivos.

There you have Plaza Vergara and the Town church

the Municipal theatre and some shopping galleries,

supermarket (Santa Isabel), the Independent Cinema and the horse carriages

..and recently we discovered that we are 2 blocks from a lift with a view to the city!

Here is a map. Double click to enlarge

Eye on Vina Del Mar

2008-12-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

Want to see whats going on in the main plaza, or check traffic before you set out today in Viña? Here´s a serveillance camera of the main spots including the Quillota bridge, Plaza Vergara and Av Argentina. http://www.scat-gv.cl/camaras/c01.html

Viña Del Mar Film Festival ends tonight

2008-11-30T14:53:00.000-08:00

Tonight is the last night to catch screenings of international films at the Viña Del Mar Film Festival.
It started in a basement in the 1960s but now it is an internationally acclaimed indie film festival in Viña Del Mar. There are various films playing at three different venues throughout the city tonight and if you would like to go, you can go to this site if you know a little Spanish.
http://www.festivalcinevinadelmar.cl/
If you don´t, you can always ask us for assistance.

Ascensores just around the corner

2008-11-27T10:56:00.000-08:00

We just found out there was one of those cute ascensores (lifts) just 2 blocks away from Valparaiso Villa Bed and Breakfast in Viña Del Mar! It was tucked away behind these trees.

The locals don´t think or look twice at it and use it like an elevator everyday to get to the neighbouring street because it has no viewing platform, but the view from the inside isn´t bad at all! Especially if you get lost..

2008-11-23T09:50:00.001-08:00

If you want to get to know some history and get inside the Vergara Palace you´ve seen next door or Palacio Rioja in town, they are are offering free admission into these beautiful palaces from 10:00 to 13:30 and from 15:00 to 17:30 on the 30th of November this Sunday.

Also playing at noon the same day are some local theatre groups performing the story of the buildings first owners circa 1910.

Performance Times
Palacio Rioja 12.00
Palacio Vergara 12.00, 13.00.

Flower exhibition in Wulff Castle

2008-11-23T09:04:00.000-08:00

If you´re a greenthumb, then you might be interested in a very pretty floral exhibition "La Palma y el Mar" (the Palms and the Sea) the magnificent Wulff Castle and the Floral Club in Viña are putting on from the 27th to the 30th November, Tuesday to Sunday 10am - 1.30pm then 3pm - 5pm. Free admission.

The exhibition includes roses, lillies, crysthanthemums, camelias and a photo exhibition of native Chilean flowers.

If you like, we can arrange for an English speaker to guide you through it.

Gearing up for the Silly Season

2008-11-22T11:59:00.001-08:00

Christmas and New Year are almost here and we are gearing up for our busy seasons!

In Viña Del Mar and Valparaiso they has a huge fireworks display for New Years Eve along the coast that Chileans and Argentinians flock to come see. It´s always a good idea to book accomodation early if you want to catch it. The fireworks start very late at 12 midnight and then people go and party in Reñaca beach and nightspots.

The fireworks in Santiago city are not as popular as those on the coast but here is a link from Tripadvisor Forum so you can make up your own mind.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g295425-i7941-k1400988-New_Years_in_VDM-Vina_del_Mar.html

Hotspots for a good view, Valparaiso hills (Cerro Bellavista, Cerro Concepcion), Muelle Prat the port where boats come and go.

Welcome to our Blog!

2008-11-21T10:39:00.000-08:00

We have finally got around to putting up a blog! Thanks for visiting us!

We have our bed n breakfast just up and running a few months ago now.

My sister Adda and her husband discovered this house while on a back street stroll, fell in love with it´s cosyness and decided to buy it. Since then, about 5 or 6 people have offered to buy it from us even while it was still under renovation! It means we were onto a good thing!

It´s a family business that has a bed and breakfast in Santiago called Casa Newen. This blog is a way of letting people know about Viña Del Mar which is a charming beach resort town and the goings on here from a local point of view.

We look forward to posting about insider tips on where to go, what to avoid, restaurants, events, festivals, and what to see and what´s on this lovely coastal town.