In Novmber, I will be traveling solo to Chile. I stay in Santiago four nights, then Easter Island four nights, and return to Santiago for two nights before coming home.
My room arrangements have been made for Easter Island, but I need some advice on Santiago. Let's assume that money is not a concern, and you can choose to stay in one of the following options. When you are there, you will allow yourself to sample some local foods, but staying on your weight loss plan, or at least maintaining, is a top priority. Also, let's say that you are traveling solo, and it is uncomfortable for you to eat dinner alone (I have done it but feel extremely awkward).
Option 1: go for an apartment or apartment-hotel with a kitchen. There are several available, and some are close to supermarkets. Some offer breakfast, but you could cook yourself. Pros: you can take total control of what you eat. If you want to eat out, great, but you can balance it with a healthy meal, with supermarkets and fresh seafood and produce nearby for sale. You get more of a feel for what it might be like to be a local. Cons: no gym. Yes, you can walk and you will be doing a lot of that, but you will miss weights, ellipticals, etc. you may not feel like cooking. And after a long day of sightseeing, will you want to cook?
Option 2: high-end hotel. These are reasonably priced in Santiago, comparatively speaking. Pros: You will have access to fitness facilities. Easy to arrange transportation. They offer room service, so if you are uncomfortable going out and acting alone, problem solved. Cons: impersonal, but so is an apartment, I guess. And you can't always tell what ingredients are on the room service menu. Location is typically in a business district, so it will be a hike to the main tourist parts of town (or you have to take taxis since the metro stations are far away). But there are a couple of hotels in the city center if I book early. And just because a gym is there doesn't mean I will use it -I found that out on my last trip...
Option 3: bed and breakfast, or a smaller, independently owned boutique hotel. Pros: personal and friendly. A B&B in particular would give you a chance to at least get to meet the owners, based on some of the B&B recommendations I have received. If a boutique hotel, some have restaurants and may order room service. They can help arrange personalized tours and transportation. Cons: no fitness center or cooking facilities, so the risk of straying from the diet is greatest. Less privacy, perhaps; I usually like to be left alone, but have found my last couple of solo trips to be a bit lonely so maybe less privacy is an ok thing. and the dining alone issue pops up again.
If your goal is to sightsee, walk, rest, enjoy the views, and still do your best to control your weight loss, which would you do if traveling alone?
I would take the B&B .Have breakfst there and go out for other meals ordering carefully. Walking will take are of exercise since you say you would be inclined to use the GYm as in a hotel.
I would choose the apartment. I have stayed in the Holiday Inn Upscale version. Can't remember what they called it, in Santiago, but this was some years ago, and I don't even know if it is still in business there. It was nice enough and had a wonderful view, but I wasn't dieting at the time, and I would rather do just about anything than work out in a hotel gym with a bunch of strangers- just me of course.
With the apartment, you would be walking to the grocery and on the way you might find restaurants and coffee shops where you might feel like eating lunch rather than dinner. Again, everyone is different, but I would rather eat lunch solo than dinner.
When we were in Torino a couple of years ago, my DH and I went into a little coffee shop near where we were staying one afternoon and had coffee and a pastry. We made an effort to be polite and say please and thank you in Italian. We went back the next day, and the staff treated us like their very own best friends. We went back again the following day, and it was like we were life long acquaintances. I can envision something like this encounter for you. When you get back from Easter Island, they will be really happy to see you again!
I think it was around 1993 when I was there, and I had just a bit of a feeling that, as a female, I might not want to wander around Santiago at night. That is another reason to eat a main meal at lunch time, and have something lighter in your room/apt at night that doesn't require much cooking.
You didn't say if you speak Spanish. If you have a few words or more, of course, the people you encounter will enjoy it that you are trying to communicate. This has always been my experience. You might even glean some inside information about sights not to be missed.
I have never been anyplace that didn't have a tourist bureau. They would have information on tours. Sometimes you even get a price break because the hotel takes a cut if you buy your tour through them.
I have also picked up various edibles when I was sightseeing. I love grocery stores, especially the smaller ones. It seems to me like I remember there being nutritional information on packaged foods, and it is not hard to translate. When I toured a grocery store I always bought a small package of cat food as a souvenir for my cats. Customs never batted an eye at my stash of cat food.
Personally, I have never had a problem with overeating on a vacation. It is home where I have problems. Between the walking and less food available for mindless eating, I think you will do fine.
I really liked Chile. It reminds me of California, where I live. There are lots of people with roots in Europe who live in Chile. If you have never been to Santiago be prepared for really bad traffic and really bad air pollution.
My husband traveled to Europe for his work several times. My experience with being alone was me doing touristy things while he was in some office working! But I do understand about the dining solo. Mostly, I just did what there was to do and enjoyed it by myself.
I went to South America with a girlfriend. We have been on a few trips together. You have to be open to compromise about everything, so in that respect, being alone is better.
My current dream is to take the Celebrity Xpedition cruise to the Galapagos Islands and see Quito on the way. I'll probably need an oxygen tank for that. LOL.
Thanks for the suggestions. Gailr42, you sure have done some traveling!
I do speak some Spanish, a little more than basic conversation but no longer fluent. So I don't think language will be a barrier. This is my first trip to South America, so I'm excited but nervous!
I have never been to Chile, but have traveled quite a bit and have taken a 2-3 week vacation overseas every year for the past 4 years (we don't buy anything else, hah!).
I have tried all 3 options and I have to say, my "favorite" experience was this past May when we rented an apartment while in Rome. I painstakingly researched all the options and settled on renting an apartment because the area where we wanted to stay (ancient Rome) is painfully expensive (the apartment was SO close to all the sites and was a THIRD the cost of a hotel) and because we wanted a more "local" flavor to the trip. Prior to our stay in Rome, we'd taken a 10-day cruise and had a great time meeting other "tourists" - but we were ready to immerse ourselves in Italy.
We also knew we would be eating out every meal - it's Italy, c'mon - who wants to cook!? We had a kitchen in our apartment and only used it to store bottled water. We knew ahead of time that we were going to splurge - we'd spent a ton of money on the trip and it was our first time in the Mediterranean - IMO, this is when it's okay to splurge! I found, however, that we walked everywhere and even though we were eating much more than normal, our weight gain was not that bad considering the length of our vacation and where we went (Italian and Greek food - OH MY!). We also used the gym on the ship during the cruise and I think that helped a lot.
I think it really depends on your threshold for adventure. My husband was super nervous, as he gets really uncomfortable in situations where he can't understand what's going on (neither of us speak any Italian) - but I'm okay it. The guy we rented the apartment from met us there, and he spoke "okay" English - enough to give us recommendations on restaurants and neighborhoods. I took the lead when having to communicate with locals, especially when they didn't speak English and my husband was the navigator (since I get lost so easily). Our apartment was basic, but clean, close to everything and so inexpensive. I would rent an apartment again over staying in a B&B or hotel in a heartbeat.
I went to Italy last year, and you are right...I walked everywhere! Miles and miles per day. The diet went by the wayside, but by walking a lot I was able to avoid significant damage. Same with Portugal, but I definitely went too far with the food on that trip. Which is why I need to be careful here.
I am close to choosing an apartment, but I still think about the hospitality and social connection a B&B might bring. Which is funny, because I'm such a shy person. Maybe it is because I'm shy, and on my last two solo trips I could feel the lack of companionship and loneliness towards the end of the trip. A change might be good for me. I read about a great one online where they occasionally cook dinner for the guests too, and will arrange tours for you if desired. That would sure make things easy.
But I do like the idea of an apartment. The thought of having a "normal" day where you go to a market, buy some beautiful seafood and some produce and cook it all up, followed by an evening reading a book. And if I choose to get takeout, I can just heat it up at the apartment.
I saw a hotel online that has a regular hotel but offers apartments in a building across the street. I could do the apartment but cross the street for breakfast and their restaurant and cafe, I suppose.
Still not sure yet . Hope to decide by next weekend. I know I don't leave til November, but that is a busy tourist time in Chile...
Vacation recommendation
We knew ahead of time that we were going to splurge - we'd spent a ton of money on the trip and it was our first time in the Mediterranean - IMO, this is when it's okay to splurge! I found, however, that we walked everywhere and even though we were eating much more than normal, our weight gain was not that bad considering the length of our vacation and where we went (Italian and Greek food - OH MY!). We also used the gym on the ship during the cruise and I think that helped a lot.
