Stayed here for 2 nights after an extenuous 15-day 4-wheel driving trip through Argentinean & Chilean Patagonia (just before crossing the Andes again to go back home). If you are driving on your own, be sure you ask for directions before attempting to find the "cerro" by yourself, jaja! Once you get to the house, you can forget about the stress of Valparaiso and its traffic and relax at the most beautiful sight you can get of the port & bay (short only to Neruda's view from his lovely "La Sebastiana", on another hill).
The room was huge, with two windows onlooking the bay. Very nice bed, everything clean and well kept. Being so close to the port, expect to have some noise overnight. Nothing to worry about, though, as the big windows are double-pane.
The owners were VERY friendly & helpful. Advised us on things to do, and which public transports to take (taxy sharing, the so called "colectivos", are safe, cheap and FUN !!!). One of the prettiest "ascensores" climbs to the cerro just by the Hostal... I must have taken hundred photos of it and the bay ! Get ready to take the best night photos of Valparaiso and Viña del Mar right from your room!

We stayed with at Casa Hostal 199 at the beginning of December. It was our first stop in Chile and could not have been a better introduction to the country. Ale, Trini and Carlos are great ambassadors. We were made extremely welcome. Trini was busy with Santiago, the latest addition to the family but Ale and Carlos went out of their way to make us feel welcome. The rooms are cute and comfortable with fabulous views. We were given advice on what to do and where to eat, helped with dinner reservations and made to feel very much at home. I would definitely stay there again.

casa 199 is the kind of place that makes you feel as if you are staying with friends. they went above and beyond to make us feel welcome, and to help with various issues we had as we were dealing with the port for business. the breakfast was great, the rooms are beautiful, we stayed in both the celeste room and the Lila room and both are simple, pretty, very clean. the views are stunning from the hostal, its industrial but still beautiful. the neighborhood is away from the "cool hip" area, but we walked or took the bus each day/night to other destinations... very easy. they say there is a lot of petty crime there, but we had no problems. we would stay here again for sure.

It was a relief to hear that Casa Hostal 199 has survived this year's major earthquake. The hostal provided the perfect end to our two months of travelling in South America. It is perched high on one of Valparaiso's famous hills and provides a wonderful panorama across the city and its harbour. The building is a genuine heritage item and staying in it provides a taste of the unique character of Valparaiso. Our room was very spacious with a comfortable bed. Valparaiso's busy port area is at the base of the hill which adds interest to the view. Thanks to the double glazed windows the room remains well protected form the sounds of the bustling city. Although a little bit out of the main city centre there are several good restaurants nearby. There are endless fascinating streets to explore in the hills around Cerro Artilleria, although they would be difficult places to drive in a car . One of Valparaiso's quaint funiculars provides easy daytime access up and down the steep hill to the Old Port area. Trini was an excellent and enthusiastic host, providing helpful email advice even before we arrived. It was pleasure to stay at Casa Hostal 199.