We were lucky to stay for two nights at the Hotel Cap Ducal. We did not have reservations and just walked in and asked for a room. The staff went out of their way to be helpful and even gave us a tour of the open rooms to let us chose the room we liked best. The views from the balconeis are amazing and the beds were very comfortable. The dinner at the restaurant downstairs was delicious. The breakfast buffet was good, too - complete with a variety of fresh squeezed fruit juices.

The first night we had a fantastic view of the ocean and one of Vina del Mar's coastal palaces. We had to change rooms for the second night (our fault for not having made reservations) and had another great view of the beach. A flock of pelicans stationed themselves on the ledge near the balcony and we spent almost an hour just watching the birds and sea lions. It is worth staying at the Hotel Cap Ducal just for the views and the helpful staff. We recommend Room 27.

The one negative thing we found was that ,although it is wonderful to watch all of the birds and sea life, the droppings left behind result in an odor that became harder to ignore the longer we stayed. Even so, it is a great hotel, and we highly recommend the Hotel Cap Ducal for a few nights.

Well, the other reviews are pretty much dead-on, though overall I felt the experience was a bit better.

We took a bus from Santiago, a very comfortable and cheap way to get there, and went directly to the hotel, checked in, and then we walked around the city.

We stayed in one of the larger rooms, and we adored the balcony, chilling out up there, watching the sun set, drinking a beer. The view is simply amazing, as it seems you are floating out over the water, and as nature lovers we really enjoyed watching the sea lions and the birds.

The hotel rooms' decor was a bit disappointing, looked very worn-in, but the room was clean. Our bed was comfortable... There was a problem with hot water while we were there also, so I didn't have the chance to bathe before dinner which was pretty irritating. After reading another review, I wonder if the hot water problem is a regular occurrence. The next morning I had to wait for a couple of hours before the water was finally repaired, which again was very irritatiing especially because I had been dying to take a real bath in the jazcuzzi tub.

However, the restaurant put the experience into the above-average category. It was quite simply some of the best seafood I have ever tasted. The mussels in the white wine sauce were exquisite, the wine list was comparable, and the service was impeccable. The atmosphere is very romantic with the sound of the ocean outside and the candlelight, but I do recommend you make reservations when you reserve your hotel room. Though we were there in early spring so it wasn't crowded, I can see how at peak season it might be impossible to obtain a table.

The next morning, breakfast was also good, though once again we had to wait too darned long for the coffee. This seems to be a theme in South America...waiting forever for coffee to get to the table. We experienced this throughout Chile and also in Ecuador when we visited in 2005.

I do recommend the Cap Ducal. It's inexpensive and original, and the restaurant cannot be beaten. If we return to Vina, we will definitely stay there again.

We stayed during a 2 month tour of South America.

We chose the hotel because we thought it would be a bit different from the other Vina establishments, which were mainly in tower blocks.

We were quite right. The atmosphere of the hotel was like no other. Some of the decoration was a bit faded, and the paint on the outside slightly wave battered, but that just added to the charm of the place.

We found the hotel very comfortable and clean, and loved falling asleep to the sound of the waves. A real highlight was the fresh fish and seafood in the justifiably popular restaurant.

The reception staff were very friendly and helpful. Although we were staying in the summer season, we negotiated a generous discount, as we stayed for 4 days.

Our abiding memory of our stay at the hotel was the wildlife. Sealions played in the surf near the beach, and when we were eating dinner a beautiful night heron would perch on the prow of the "ship" scanning the Pacific waves for fish.

We stayed here for one night - side trip from Santiago and really enjoyed it. It is not a fancy hotel but it has charm. It is built to feel like you are on a ship and sits right on the water. The view is fabulous as well as the restuarant. The rooms are nice but nothing spectacular. Make sure you ask to see the rooms first as some are very smokey. If you are looking for a quaint hotel, little bit quirky, with a good value and good service then stay here.