This spot can't be beaten - right in the barrios you'll want to wander around. A beautiful 1920s merchant's house converted into a very stylish small hotel. The restaurant just happens to be one of the city's best, and the pool is gorgeous. Really friendly staff too. Not cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Casa Higueras is one of the nicest small hotels you'll stay in anywhere. Our bedroom had a balcony with a wonderful view over the port - the bed was so comfortable and the bathroom even better. The pool, jacuzzi and sauna were just great to lounge in during the very warm four days we were here. It was incredibly peaceful to stay here and the hotel is a dream. The breakfast was very good, but not exceptional. We had two dinners included at the Montealegre restaurant and they were the top two dinners we had in three weeks in South America - the service was just right, the view on the terrace a delight (ask for a terrace table when you book - they give blankets to the women when it gets cold!) and the food as good as the best restaurants we've been in (I'll do a separate review for it). Also, Valparaiso is an amazing town to stay in. We met two or three people on our travels before we got there who wondered why we were staying in Valparaiso not in Vina del Mar (connecting beach town a short way up the coast) which caused us to doubt our decision. Well, we visited Vina for a day and are so glad we stayed in Valparaiso! If you prefer Strasbourg to Florence, or Frankfurt to Paris, or Miami to Rome, then you just might prefer Vina to Valparaiso! If you've any love of culture over manicured town, there is simply no question which is better. Even the waiter at the restaurant in Vina told us to go back to Valparaiso if we wanted to see anything interesting that day! Valparaiso is rough around the edges but felt super safe and a delight of a town to visit. Casa Higueras is a short, but hilly, walk to the Concepcion area where the best restaurants, views and graffiti art are to experienced. Valparaiso was the highlight of a great trip.

So why four stars, not five? Casa Higueras is expensive, really expensive for a boutique hotel. And when something is that expensive, the service should be close to flawless, and it just isn't. The building, facilities and amenities are six out of five but the service was not up to scratch. Welcome when we arrived was lukewarm, bathroom products weren't replaced, internet didn't work in bedroom (staff didn't believe me when I reported this - I then heard someone else complain and they continued to say it was his laptop's fault, not theirs), concierge were not knowledgable or at least unwilling to share their knowledge of the area and generally we felt the staff, though friendly enough, were not trained properly. I hope they'll get there because this has the potential to be one of the best places to visit on earth!

I have read some reviews that are negative about the city and the dilapidated buildings around Casa Higueras. Personally I loved the city and the hotel. This is clearly a city trying to rebuild - and not just from recent problems, but trying to get back some of its more distant glory from when this was a thriving port. I liked the colour and the street art is FANTASTIC. Accommodation was wonderful, with a great mix of heritage and modern facilities. Dining there was superb and there are many options within walking distance, and you can look at the street art on the way. I was there with a small group for business meeting but would certainly go back for work or pleasure.

Let's be honest. Valparaiso is not a charming town. It's charming from a distance. Better not to look too closely--too much color is just corrugated metal, too many buildings remain unrepaired from the very severe 2010 earthquake. And best to see it from your room or suite at the Casa Higueras, which is the one lovely, chic spot in town. The rooms are very gracious, the restaurant is excellent, there is a pool. It's the perfect place to wait for your cruise ship. My one cavil is that the lighting in the rooms is very dim--certainly inadequate for reading. But you should be looking at the view anyway, which is spectacular.