Santiago-Valparaiso Tour -Jan 10/08

[rhumney]

Good Day!

We will be in Santiago for several days prior to our cruise on Insignia.

I have searched all existing posts to no avail.

Q. Please recommend a tour operator to transport 2 persons from Santiago to Valparaiso - preferably one that you have personal experience with. We do not wish to tour Santiago first but are open to visiting anything in between the two cities.:rolleyes:

Thank you kindly!

[greatam]

Good Day!

We will be in Santiago for several days prior to our cruise on Insignia.

I have searched all existing posts to no avail.

Q. Please recommend a tour operator to transport 2 persons from Santiago to Valparaiso - preferably one that you have personal experience with. We do not wish to tour Santiago first but are open to visiting anything in between the two cities.:rolleyes:

Thank you kindly!

 

You can rent a car and drive yourself. Pick up at Santiago airport and drop off in Vina del Mar (a $10.00 taxi ride to the ship). No drop charges. Bookable through Advantage rent a car. There a quite a few wineries you can visit. The drive is easy. Just make sure you get Chilean pesos for the tolls. There is even a Mickey D's in the toll plaza.

 

You can also use one of the tour companies posted on in this forum. There are many-do a search.

 

We booked transport last year with Port Compass-private trip from Valparaiso to Santiago airport, drop off DH at the airport about 7:00PM (for his flight to Lima at 10:00PM) and then take me to the hotel in Santiago for my business meeting (arrival about 8:00PM). They asked if we would be willing to add people-it would cost less. Fine with me.

 

The next thing I knew we were on some kind of package trip, with airport drop off between 4-5. NO WAY DH was going to sit at the airport all that time just to board a short flight to Lima. I was very mad. I was more than willing to pay for a private trip, but they stated that other people wanted to do "the same thing"-late arrival at the airport. I don't know how it all came out, as I called my credit card company from Vina del Mar, canceled the charge, and rented the car.

 

For a standard tour to the wineries, I am sure they would be fine. And their "grow a group" can cut the cost considerably. But watch what you are actually purchasing-if you want the standard tour, fine. But for anything out of the ordinary, I will not recommend them.

[eh2zed]

We used Victor Aballai in March 06. He had a guide and driver pick us up at Santiago airport, deliver us to our hotel, do a half day tour of Santiago, back to hotel, pick up to go to Valparaiso with stop at Vermente winery (well known Chilean wine,bought a whole case to take on board), tour of Vina Del Mar, Renaca, Valpairaiso and then to ship. Great service. Economical victor.aballie@enaturechile.com :) :D :) :D

[englishmum]

We used Corrine Paice who arranged to pick us up from our hotel,took us to visit a winery in the Casablanca Valley,a tour of Valparaiso and then on to Vina Del Mar,where we had a hotel booked for the night.The port is just a short taxi ride from the seaside resort of Vina Del Mar.She can be contacted at cp.itt@horizon.co.fk or take a look at her web site http://www.falklandstravel.com.She came highly recommended to us and the arrangements all worked exceptionally well.

[kazover40]

I have booked hotels and transfers with www.southamericahotels.net

 

Transfer and driver from Santiago hotel to Valapraiso for start of our cruise and on our return Driver and guide collect from cruise ship with tour en route to airport. The cost is $381 for 3 of us.

 

We have never used this company before but there communication has been excellent if that is anything to go by!