After a glitch in our reservation at the DaVinci Hotel, the owner of the DaVinci got us a room (the last available) in Hotel Latitud 33 Sur. We toted our bags down the long alley to the hotel entrance. Fortunately, the owner of the DaVinci accompanied us, as no one at the hotel seemed to speak English...and our Spanish is halting at best. The lobby of the hotel is inviting, with glass, beam, and brick atrium and lots of sunlight. We were able to leave our bags in the room (very small) (at 11:00 am) and continue with our sightseeing of Valparaiso. We returned to the room about 3:00 pm and plopped down for a short nap. Very short...as the rooms on the same floor as reception get all of the noise (the floors are all wood, which seems to transmit the sounds very well). We headed out to continue our sight seeing on foot in the Cerro Concepcion neighborhood. What a gem!! The hotel is perfectly located to explore the entire neighborhood on foot...and each new alley, or curve, or hillside presents new murals, sculptures, art works, painted stairways, and all manner of eye candy. It was truly awesome. We ate in a small bistro nearly directly across from the hotel and were the local specialty--conger eel stew. After all the walking, we decided to go back to the hotel early (by South American standards). We anticipated having trouble sleeping (based on the noise in the afternoon). Not so...a great night's sleep. We were the first ones in the breakfast area at 8:00 am and the manager nearly immediately brought us fresh brewed (very strong) coffee...some of the best we had on our entire trip. Breakfast was a typical European style buffet, with cold meats, boiled eggs, several kinds of fresh baked breads, homemade jams, and butter. But the best part was the fresh fruit. The peaches and strawberries were to die for...like they had been picked fresh (and ripe) that day. The room size, noise, and small bathroom kept us from giving this hotel an excellent rating. But for us...the location and great breakfast more than made up for those shortcomings. NOT a typical chain style hotel...but for those who like a small, unique, and perfectly located local hotel...we would really recommend the Latitud.

Although most of the staff here speak very minimal English, all of them went out of their way for us in order to ensure our stay was as comfortable as possible. The hotel itself is well situated in the quirky little neighborhood of Cerro Concepcion and makes a surprisingly good first impression with its uniquely designed reception area and art-deco/modern décor. Breakfast is simple and delicious and the rooms are comfortable and clean.

When you first walk into the hotel, it's lovely! The hotel has a modern feel to it, then you walk a little past the small reception area and you have some of the rooms. At this point, it resembles a typical hostel where they could offer shared beds.

You can hear everything from the lobby inside your room and have little privacy as the reception area is a few steps outside your door.

Then upon entering the room, I was shocked at how TINY it was (really tiny) and how expensive it was (we paid about 100 USD per night). When I walked/stepped into the bathroom I couldn't believe how tight it was either! I sat on the toilet seat and my knees were pressed up against the walls (I'm 5'6") - so we asked for a different room. While they were checking their reservations, we were online checking other options. The hotels and apartments are actually all quite expensive in Valparaiso, so we thought to stay just 1 night and spend some time checking out other properties for the remaining nights.

We were offered a more spacious room (it was a connecting room with shared toilet but there were no reservations for the other room) so we had more room to ourselves. Our new room was downstairs near the computer area. Much more private and quieter. It would've been a good room if the stinky carpet wasn't on the floor!!! It just smelled awful and you were reminded of the stench every time you entered the room. We decided that because they were kind enough to accommodate us by moving us to a different room, we would just deal with it and stay the entire time.

The location was spot on! Perfect and fantastic to walk around and get lost and repeat! We couldn't stop taking pictures of the amazing graffiti all over the city. We LOVED the cafes and restaurants and I can go on forever about Valparaiso.

I did find a different hotel so that I could recommend it as my alternative, but I haven't been able to find the business card yet! If you walk around, you will see a grand-ish kind of mansiony hotel on a hill with a very large terrace. It is a bit heavy with the decorations (antique -y dark wood and floral printed drapes) but I loved it. I thought it was charming and it was much bigger, same price and a much better value (my husband thought the decor was a bit stuffy). I believe the house was orangy/yellowish - so sorry to be vague (but I'm almost sure that the picture I have below is it - it is located in Cerro Concepción or above it).

Hotel Latitud 33 Sur is better suited for backpackers but not at their rates.

We stayed here for 3 nights and were hoping to relax and enjoy the city! The location is great and the general decor of the hotel is amazing, however it is very noisy. We stayed in room 7 and could here people walking, going to the toilet , taking showers, going up stares, etc. It woke us up several times during the night and at 6:30 we were 'forced' to start our day as we could not sleep anymore due to the noise. Breakfast is very weak, not many options and difficult to get coffee (which is much needed). The owner/manager is friendly but the staff doesn't speak english and it is difficult to communicate. The front door of the hotel is kept locked and sometimes we had to wait for 5+ mins to get someone to open it for you (even during the day!).