Welcome to South America

Day 1- Santiago, Chile

After a whirlwind 2-week trip in Antarctica, we were excited to continue our adventures in South America. We had half a day to spend in Santiago, Chile before our flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina the following day.

Our flight from Punta Arenas landed safely at around 4pm and we checked into our hotel to drop off luggage before visiting Sky Costanera for a birds-eye view of Santiago. If you're making a quick turnaround in this bustling city, Sky Costanera is a great way to get sweeping views of the majestic mountains surrounding Santiago.

Santiago is surrounded by two mountain ranges: the Andes Mountains and the Chilean Coastal Range, and the scenery is absolutely stunning! Growing up in California, also surrounded by mountains, I was amazed by the grandness of the ones in Santiago.

As of January 2026, an adult ticket is $23,000 Chilean Peso (or $25.99 USD) and $8,000 Chilean Peso (or $9.04 USD) for children 3 and older.

The admission price was well worth the visit, especially because we were quite limited on time in Santiago. We spent about 30-45 minutes at Sky Costanera before meandering the streets of this beautiful city and finding a nearby restaurant for dinner.

Typically, we enjoy trying local cuisine while traveling. However, being that we weren't accustomed to late night dinners, we found a local burger spot called La Burguesia that we assumed would make for a quick stop (just shy of being over 2 hours, it was not).

I gradually learned to love late and long dinners in South America. As a US citizen, so much of our lives are spent around being rushed, including sitting down for a meal. Santiago was my first experience teaching me how life should be lived while out for dinner. As we sat for a couple of burgers, we weren't bothered by the waitress, in fact, she hardly came around at all. There was no rush to fill our table for the next paying customer, there was no rush for anything at all. My husband and I sat and enjoyed each other's company (while also learning patience), discussing our week ahead and the adventures to be had. I people watched as we waited for our hamburgers to come out. Everyone was happy, excitingly talking to each other as if they haven't seen one another in decades. The atmosphere was vibrant and infectious and it wasn't because of the restaurant's decor, it was the local's positive energy that was so lively.

If you find yourself in Santiago, Chile and oddly craving a hamburger, La Burguesia hands down, has some of the best hamburgers in the world. Yes, even better than most burger joints in the United States!

Our waitress seemed shocked by our difference in cultures as we asked for the bill and a to-go box. We arrived after the locals and left before they did. I was curious how any business stayed opened if all of the tables were filled hours on end. Deep down, I was more fascinated by the easy and relaxed way of life and yearned for the lifestyle change.

Juicy Lucy (left) and Verde (right)

We tried tipping our gracious waitress (she initially didn't accept a tip), we continued learning so much about the difference in cultures. Chile does accept tips, starting at 10%, and like the United States, the waitstaff are generally poorly paid. Waitstaff may not accept a tip if they believe service was not up to par, which is a possible reason why she first said no. When traveling anywhere outside of your home country, it's always best to research local customs as to not offend the locals.

We wrapped up our meals and headed back to the hotel before our morning flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Day 2- An Evening in Buenos Aires, Argentina

We arrived at Santiago de Chile Airport early as we normally do, especially when flying internationally. Most of our time on day 2 was spent traveling, which can be frustrating when you want to see and do it all.

Our flight was an easy 2 hours from Santiago, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina. We quickly found a taxi to bring us to our hotel. The taxi driver was very friendly and knowledgeable about the city he so dearly loved. We especially appreciated his recommendations for activities and food.

We arrived at the beautiful 1828 Smart Hotel Boutique. I highly recommend staying at this lovely hotel when visiting Buenos Aires! The staff speak English well and were very welcoming and helpful. Our room wasn't quite ready yet when we arrived, so we were offered a complimentary glass of champagne as we waited.

The quaint boutique hotel is quiet, comfortable, bright, and clean. We finished our complimentary champagne and took the elevator to the top floor where our luxury suite waited for us. There are 4 floors total with 2 rooms per floor, which makes for a very private stay. I paid $259/night USD for our luxury suite which was a wonderful deal considering that's how much many normal hotel rooms cost in the United States.

I'm a member of Hotels with Gold status which has perks at select hotels. 1828 Smart Hotel offers VIP Access and we were greeted with a bottle of champagne in our room.

Our suite was stunning! The floor to ceiling windows brightened the room beautifully and the decor was elegant and clean. The king size bed seemed larger than ours back at home and was even more comfortable, too.

I had originally booked the suite because there was an outdoor bathtub and I thought the idea was so neat. However, even with the frosted glass blocking the view from wandering eyes, I decided against the idea of taking a bath outside (which I still regret to this day).

The amenities were top tier with cozy robes and slippers, bath salts for the tub, mini bar, Keurig machine, and there was a separate bidet in the bathroom. Breakfast is included and you can either have it delivered to your room or visit the lobby to enjoy it downstairs.

We were completely happy with our stay!

We didn't have much time to explore the city our first day in Buenos Aires, so we walked the streets to find dinner. One of my favorite things to do while visiting other countries is looking at their street art, and Buenos Aires had a lot of it! Their street art is fun and vibrant, I especially took to the girl and her ducks.

We eventually stumbled upon Xolo Cochina during our evening walk. It was a small cafe with a few tables outside, warmly lit, and cozy. I knew in my heart, this was the place. Again, this was our first time in Argentina and we chose to eat Mexican food for our first meal. Normally, I'd ask what is wrong with our touristy selves, but this...this was special.

Xolo Cochina is what I could describe as a beautiful dream that faded away much too quickly. It was there and then it wasn't. We ended up eating there twice during our visit to Buenos Aires, once during our first night and then again four days later. That's how you know the food was special. But alas, Xolo Cochina is long gone and I often wonder where the owner is and how she is doing.

The service was exceptional; the owner was proud of her restaurant. She was hospitable and outgoing. She remembered us the second time we visited and joked that there are so many restaurants in Buenos Aires and we were back to hers so soon. We shared our travel stories with one another and where we were all originally from. It was one of my favorite moments, it was such a human experience and it felt like the world became kinder in that moment.

The food was immaculate, so flavorful and truly made with love. It was here at Xolo Cochina that I discovered Helado de Maiz, or corn ice cream. I recreated this recipe when we got home, I was obsessed.

One of the worst things about traveling is that you may never get to visit a particular place again, and Xolo Cochina is one of those places I will never forget. Wherever the owner is, I hope she knows that she made a memorable impact on some wandering travelers from the United States.

We settled back into our lovely room for the night, ready to enjoy our first and only full day in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Day 3- Exploring Buenos Aires, Argentina

After enjoying a nice breakfast in bed, we soon started exploring the streets of Buenos Aires. Typically, we have our itinerary planned out for the trip. However, with a jam-packed schedule ahead of us, we decided to take it easy in Buenos Aires and allow our feet to lead us on our journey.

Do be prepared to walk a lot in this beautiful and busy city! We wanted to spend some time at El Rosedal Garden, or The Rose Garden, and made the 30-minute walk over from the hotel. Along the way, there were some thought-provoking as well as historical statues to look at. I also found a building full of curious street art and posters plastered all over.

Our first main stop was to the Spaniards Monument, or the Carta Magna and Four Regions of Argentina, donated by Spain in 1910 and completed in 1927 to celebrate Argentina's 100th anniversary of independence. This beautiful monument is nestled in-between Avenida Presidente Sarmiento and gives a nice view of the subtropical landscape.

An 8-minute walk from the Spaniards Monument will bring you to El Rosedal Garden, a local park that has over 12,000 rose bushes. This garden is free to enter and is highly respected by the community. You won't see locals picking any of the flowers, damaging plant life, or littering.

You can expect to spend at least 40 minutes walking around the floral-filled park. You can also add time and enjoyment to your visit by renting a swan boat on the lake surrounding the garden. As you continue strolling through the park, you will find the Garden of Poets, a homage to poets throughout history. Lining the pathway features busts of the poets with a quick biography on each.

El Rosedal Garden is a nice and budget-friendly way to enjoy Buenos Aries' flora while admiring the city's skyline. While visiting, do look up into the trees; you might find colorful parakeets flying around!

Afterwards, we made a quick stop over to the Ecoparque, a free-to-visit ecological park showcasing native species. We were quite warm from the Argentinian sun and grew hungry from all of the walking, so we didn't go too far in to explore this neat attraction. Looking back, I wish we did!

Our taxi driver from the previous day had mentioned visiting a popular steakhouse. Unfortunately, it had a whopping 5 hour wait time! So, we opted for something that didn't require waiting at all. We stopped at El Club de la Milanesa, a local Argentinean fast food restaurant chain (similar to a Chili's or Applebees). We were quite impressed by their beer prices! At that time, they had a buy one get one deal that ended up costing about $1.50 USD per beer, how can you say no to that?! The language barrier was a bit rough so we ended up using Google Translate to help us interact with the friendly waiter. We ordered the Tex Mex Nachos (I know, I know, tourists), Papas Criminales, Americana, and the Crispy Pechuguitas. The Americana and Crispy Pechuguitas were by far my favorite! Honestly, this wasn't a bad choice for a couple of tired and overheated Americans who just wanted to sit down and relax. The cheap beer was a huge bonus!

As we were walking back to the hotel, exhausted from walking all over Buenos Aires, we stopped at Matcha Point for a nice cold matcha drink to bring back to the hotel. It was delicious and refreshing!

For a full day in Buenos Aires, we were pleased with how we spent our time in the beautiful city. Though it was very hot outside and were exhausted from all of the walking, we explored a lot and found a few hidden gems; not bad for a spontaneous day out!

We packed our suitcases and prepared ourselves for an early morning flight to Puerto Iguazu where we would spend our next three days. Goodnight, Buenos Aires!