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villagewise
Chile
Friends
The destinations were great, and so were the hotel choices. We were impressed with the professionalism and punctuality of all the local travel agencies. The Atacama destination was fascinating and the next stop, in Puerto Varas, couldn't have been more different in climate and environment. Our visit to Torres del Paine was also amazing. Loved the trip, the country, and the people!
The best parts:
There was a great variety in the four major stops of our trip. Although we had quite a few internal flights, the time between activities, transfers, and rest was well balanced.
The worst parts:
I should have read that checked-in suitcases were not included in the domestic flights, but I didn't. It would be good for the travel agent to emphasize this to future travelers.
Evaneos
Merci pour votre témoignage et à bientôt autour du monde!
South American Adventure
Chile
Friends
Patagonia was absolutely wonderful. The hotel******************** was a fabulous experience. Loved the tour guides everywhere.
The best parts:
Very well organized. Great selection of hotels. Impeccable trip planning
The worst parts:
Santiago had protests going on. Would have preferred to stay in part of town (Las Condes) which was unaffected by the protests. There were plenty of hotels in that location which could have been used for our stay.
Evaneos
Thank you for your feed back! See you around the world!
South America
Chile
Solo
my first stop was arrival in Santiago Ventura avenue we then back to Santiago for a couple days then to the Atacama then Peru. It was a lot of traveling
The best parts:
I really enjoyed the fact that I was able to see a lot of different places while in South America. I really enjoyed seeing the moai on Rapa Nui. .
The worst parts:
I didn't too much care for the fact that I didn't have strong Wi-Fi while I was on Rapa Nui. It was really kind of a letdown very boring. Also equality of the hotel in terms of not having a television was a little bit annoying. This was both on Rapa Nui, which I chose that hotel, and the Atacama desert which the service chose for me. I enjoyed Santiago but not as much because I didn't have the opportunity to explore any nightlife due to the curfew. Also I didn't have the opportunity to go to that really tall building and Santiago
Evaneos
Merci pour votre témoignage et à bientôt autour du monde!
HowardWorksop
Chile
Couple
All destination were as good as or even better than we hoped.
The level of accommodation was varied (as requested) and all proved very satisfactory.
The best parts:
More or less everything!
Being met and greeted at our various destinations by friendly, helpful & punctual guides/taxi drivers. No problem whatsoever in this respect.
Met or exceeded our expectations.
Variety of accommodation
The worst parts:
Packed lunch on Torres del Paine National Park trip unsatisfactory: bread was dry & sandwiches seemed to have been prepared the previous day. Driver & Guide not particularly professional - picked up two young females and gave them a lift back to Puerto Natales even though the bus was already full. We were requested to fill in their questionnaire while the guide sat beside us and watched. It was difficult, therefore, to give a frank review.
Evaneos
Dear HowardWorksop,
Thank you for your feedback! We are more than happy that you enjoyed your trip to Chile and we are looking forward to see you again soon!
Yours sincerely, Your Evaneos Team!
Thomas Alexander
Chile
Family
chile is fascinating and it was a well planned trip thanks to Leandro
The best parts:
well organized trip despite time constraints
The worst parts:
we were met at Santiago airport with guide carrying the wrong name which delayed us from contacting him
we tried to call the emergency number of the travel agency on a sunday morning but only got an answering machine fortunately I had a WhatsApp contact for Leadro which was promptly answered
Evaneos
Dear Thomas Alexander,
Thank you for your feedback! We are more than happy that you enjoyed your trip to Chile and we are looking forward to see you again soon!
Yours sincerely, Your Evaneos Team!
Chile
Chile
Couple
We went to Chile for 2 weeks for our honeymoon. We wanted to see as much of the country as possible, so we started in Santiago, did a day trip to Valparaíso and Viña Del Mar. from there we went south to Puerto Varas and then on to Puerto Natales to explore Torres del Paine. It was absolutely incredible and a huge hockey list item for the both of us. From there, we went north to atacama and experienced the desert which was absolutely breathtaking. Our entire trip was so well planned and truly encompassed everything we wanted. We are adventurous people and love to see and do as much as possible while we are traveling. This trip was truly amazing!
The best parts:
Loved the recommendations and most the tours set up. Definitely gave us the hot spots of each place. All the rides and connections were very well planned and made traveling from place to place stress free.
Leandro was wonderful and really listened to what we wanted to do and see and made it all happen. He was super responsive and out together a trip of a lifetime!
The worst parts:
I would say the only complaint we had would be the city tour in Santiago and our day in Viña Del Mar. Our tour guide wasn’t very pleasant and we got to our wine tasting late and missed half of the vineyard tour.
Bloaters
Chile
Couple
Three parts really. We only stayed in Santiago to sleep (as had been there previously). Atacama desert great- trips were top notch, small groups and little extras of wine and picnics added to them. Wanted to stay longer.
Easter Island great as was the main reason for trip and did not disappoint.
Lake district was good although the final trip to Chiloe Island was long and slightly dull. Enjoyed the first trip up the volcano though and it acclimatised us well for return to snow locked Britain!
The best parts:
Well organised, great trips, excellent hotels and transfers. All good
The worst parts:
Needed to use Santiago airport several times and that is a nightmare. 2 hours to get through when initially landed and absolute chaos. Even internal flights were chaotic at check in although staff there were very helpful. Not Evaneos or local agent's fault but traveller's beware!
No pseudonym
Chile
Couple
We loved Chile. Santiago was fascinating but I wish they would remove all that graffiti. La Serena was interesting and I hope they recover from the earthquake. We just missed it. The ocean is cold and rough, and there are jellyfish all over the beaches and red flag warnings about not going into the water. Still people did go in. The beach was clean. We liked the hotel in La Serena though they had a faulty fire alarm in the middle of the night for several hours that kept everyone awake. The Elki Valley was special and the guides were very good. We enjoyed seeing the desert north of La Serena but I would skip the Humboldt excursion because it was really cold. The Lagos area around Puerto Varas was spectacular and the excursion to Todos Los Santos by boat was fabulous. That is well operated. The Hotel Cabana del Lago was very good, great location and views. We enjoyed going to Frutillar, especially the German colonial museum and the guide was fun. He spoke to us in understandable Spanish, which we greatly appreciated. Indeed, we preferred guides who spoke slowly and simply in Spanish to those who spoke English. We were lucky to have good weather for Chiloe but frankly I wouldn't go back. The trip was interesting but I can imagine in bad weather how hard it would be. It was a long trip and we saw several areas that were interesting but I think there would be other things to see around the lake district instead. We loved Vina del Mar. Valparaiso is interesting in a strange way with chaotic colors, a mishmash of buildings, unpleasant surroundings. Again we found the beaches to be clean but it was too cold and rough for us to go into the ocean. There were red flags and lots of lifeguards watching people so we didn't even venture to try. The hotel personnel at all the hotels were very nice and helpful. The drivers were all very accommodating and one took us to a restaurant in his neighborhood. The people we met in Chile were so pleasant and welcoming. We appreciated the positive growth of the economy and optimism of people. We would go back to Chile.
The best parts:
All of the drivers were wonderful and spoke Spanish with us so we got to practice. We loved Chile, the people, their warmth and sincerity. We were lucky to have great weather in Puerto Varas. The hotels were all good. We loved the excursions to the Elki Valley, Todos los Santos, and Frutillar. The weather in Chiloe was good but I wouldn't return there. We loved the agency contact in Puerto Varas: Rebecca. She was wonderful. She was the only one who got us boarding passes. When we arrived, she took time to go over our schedule and to respond to all our questions.
The worst parts:
Inattention to detail on the part of the local agency. We asked for local contact information of the guides and drivers that we would have in case of problems but all we were given Guadeloupe's number and an emergency number in Argentina to call. We couldn't reach her on weekends and the person who answered the phone was not able to do anything. We were sent an itinerary in advance without any detail of names or phone numbers of local guides, or pick up times. We needed a lot of detail some time before we departed and an actual working itinerary to be sent right before we left for our trip. It is fundamental to receive a working itinerary but the local agency never did this. Instead, they told us we would be given all the information we needed by the agency contact each day. That system left us without any recourse when, as happened in Santiago, the guide did not show up at the airport.When we arrived in Santiago, we waited for over 20 minutes but didn't see the driver and guide though we looked everywhere so we tried to call Argentina but didn't have the right information to call from Chile. Therefore we just got a cab and went to the hotel.
Secondly, we were not advised of LATAM's policy of overbooking internal flights. We were told by our local agency to buy our own internal flight tickets, and we did so.We paid for luggage and reserved seats. Our guide set the time for our departure from the hotel in the morning to go to the airport. When we arrived at the airport, however, we learned LATAM had given our seats away. We were supposed to have checked in on-line but no one told us so. The local agency in Santiago should have done this for us, as the local agency did in Puerta Varas. In Santiago, LATAM told us we could go standby and maybe get on the next flight that evening. We called the local agency in Argentina but it was a weekend so there wasn't anyone in the office who could help us. Fortunately, standy by cleared, so we were allowed to board the flight to La Serena, but not in the seats we had reserved and paid for in advance.
In La Serena we went on the tour to the Elki Valley but no one could tell us if the tour to the Humboldt Reserve and Isla Damas which we had paid for was going. We were told to keep calling the tour company. Finally we got help from our hotel and learned that the tour was cancelled because the tour company didn't have enough people signed up. They told us to get a refund from our local agency and I could imagine how hard that would be. The hotel helped us to get another company to take us, Eco Tours and they were great. The local agency was no help at all and we couldn't reach them anyway. However, Eco Tours evidently worked out payment from the company that the agency had originally engaged, so we did not have to pay anything more to Eco Tours.
We loved the Cabana del Lago Hotel in Puerto Varas. When we were leaving they informed us that payment had not been received from the local agency. Again it was a weekend and I think there is some problem between Argentina and Chile in bank transfers. The hotel said they would call them to straighten out the problem so they didn't demand we pay them.
However when we got to Vina del Mar, the Atton hotel said the credit card they had received from the agency had exceeded its llimit, so they asked for our credit card. They agreed to continue to call Argentina to make sure that payment was transferred,and eventually, they told us they would not be using our personal credit card.
You need a local agent in Chile. You also need to make sure attention is paid to detail. Tourism is all detail. We were fortunate that we had a good trip but there were many problems that a competent tour company would have avoided. The clearest suggestions for improvement are these: 1) get clients an itinerary that includes local contact information and precise times of pick-up; 2) either check-in your clients for internal flights or inform them that they must do so; 3) never leave clients in doubt as to whether they will be double billed; get your payments to the hotels and tour operators in advance, not dependent upon a credit card that had exceeded its maximum.
Evaneos
Dear Susanne,
Thank you for providing your detailed feedback and improvement points. Firstly, we are delighted to read that you loved Chile and would be happy to go back! You painted a wonderful picture from your description of the destination and the different tours you enjoyed. 😊
Regarding your points made in your “worst parts” section, I have discussed each of these with the local agency to fully understand what happened including the points made in Leandro’s response to you. We are very sorry for the inconveniences that happened and hope that his reply has helped to provide reasons as to why certain decisions are made over others, and also offered explanations to what happened for certain aspects of the trip, for instance the guide being there at the Airport but you both did not find each other. With regards to check-in for your flights, this is customary that the traveller would check-in themselves in order to select their seats, however we apologise for any confusion with this, and agency will be sure to outline this in the future. Leandro has already commented with regards to the error of the hotel and further apologies for this lack of professionalism on the part of the hotel in question.
Your feedback will be helpful to improve services and partnerships for the local agency and they will certainly follow up with providers for any service that you had an issue with whilst over there.
Thank you again for taking time to provide your feedback and we hope to see you on the Evaneos platform again!
rms
Chile
Family
Took some great hikes, had wonderful guides, saw penguins!
The best parts:
Beautiful country, great accommodations - all our reservations went like clockwork!
The worst parts:
Nothing - ended too soon!
Duck Travels
Chile
Couple
We had three weeks travelling in Chile. We started off in Santiago where the hotel chosen for us was well located. We had a trip organised to Valparaiso/wine valleys. We then flew to the Atacama desert/San Pedro and had three days of organised trips to all the major sights - Death Valley, Moon Valley, salt lakes, geysers, lagoons, swimming in hot pools. We then travelled to Puerto Varras in the Lake District with two days of trips organised for us there. Following this we flew back to Santiago and had a transfer to Valaparaiso and spent a couple of nights there at leisure. Foillowing that we flew to La Serena on the coast and did a tour of the Elqui valley/pisco distillery. Finally we returned to Santiago for a relaxing day before our flight home to the UK.
The best parts:
Everything that was organised and put in place worked amazingly. We had six internal flights in Chile with airport pick ups/arrivals in place. Pick ups were always there and were prompt at our hotel to return us to the airports. The driver/agent who collected us had the details of the next part of the trip to give to us so we knew exactly what was happening. All the tours that were booked for us were fantastic. We had really professional, knowledgeable and friendly guides. The accommodation booked for us worked well also. Some hotels we might not have chosen for ourselves but in terms of location and comfort were very good.
On the Puerto Varras/Lake District part of our tour the agent organising things for us communicated with us on WhatsApp which was an excellent idea and very convenient for contacting him with any queries or to make changes to arrangements. In addition to this every evening he sent a letter to our hotel room with the next days itinerary and timings.
Leandro, our Evaneos contact and organiser, had done an amazing job organising everything for us and was always prompt at replying and helping with questions and arrangements. We were very impressed with the whole organisation and wouldn't hesitate to use Evaneos again and will certainly recommend.
The worst parts:
The only slight blip was that some of our internal flight times had changed and we hadn't been informed of the changed times. It caused a little confusion but the agent on the ground reassured us.
Nicola
Chile
Couple
See above
The best parts:
Liked the ease of transfers and timeliness of the guides/pick ups. Most hotels were also good standard, especially Torres del Paine. The lamb in the Estancia en route to Patagonia was to die for - a very good idea, and well worth the stop!
Didnt like the hotel in Valparaiso - too old and run-down, but the staff made up for it with their friendliness.
Would have liked more options to be presented at booking, including more off the beaten track, but scenic areas, rather than sticking to the usual/common tourist spots.
Would have liked guides to bring bottles of waterfor long trips! The wine tour
In hindsight, would have preferred to spend longer in each area, but do less flying and short stops, but we didnt appreciate the scale of Chile as much as we should have, and it would have been good to have had a call from Evaneos at the time of planning to really talk through our plans and discuss possible options/issues with our plans before booking on thectelephone rather than jyst by email, as other agents do. The time spent upfront, talking through plans,with clients, would be a valuable and improved service, I think.
The 24 hour customer service line was not very helpful, their manner was not very custmer oriented, they preferred to talk AT you, rather than to listen.
The worst parts:
See above
Greek
Chile
Family
I think it's worthwhile to visit Chile in general. It's safe and a country that offers many different attractions and activities.
Santiago is the place that we toured and we really liked it very much.
Patagonia though is the area that will make the difference.
We visited Punta Arenas and Puerto Monte during a cruise before our visit at Santiago and we were amazed with the nature and sea mammals that we saw in these places.
The best parts:
We enjoyed the market in the old monastery.
The worst parts:
There was nothing we did not like. The only problem was the limited time we had to see Santiago. I wish we had at least 2 to 3 days.
Alex K
Chile
Solo
I have enjoyed visiting And cycling on Eastern Island. The tours at lake area around Puerto Varas was amazing. Everywhere in Chile I had great food. Seafood was amazing.
The best parts:
Chile is most incredible and beautiful country and this trip allowed me to explore most of the country from south to the north. I have loved to visit and treck Terres del Payne and visit Puerto Varas Lake District. I also enjoyed Atacama and Eastern island.
The worst parts:
The only issue was that in Atacama I was booked for a tour which has been arranged at the time of my flight. It was obvious error by the agent but I could not attend the tour which was paid. I have subsequently went to that tour on my own on my spare day
Yes
Chile
Couple
We began with a transfer from airport to Santiago hotel, Atton el Bosque. From here we had 1/2 day tour of Santiago and full day tour to Valpariesio and vina Del Mar. Great combination of driving and walking tour during the full day tour. We then had a transfer arranged to Santiago airport, to fly to Calama. Again the transfer was arranged from the airport to SanPedro de Atacama , which was a great base for experiencing the culture and desert. We stayed at Antiplanica Hotel, which was authentic to the culture and area, and comfortable to our needs. We did the suggested tour of Lunar Valley and Death Valley followed by watching an amazing sunset at a look out to the desert valley and mountains. This was so different from expectations. Very interesting as the light changed and moved! The salt flats and lakes tour was again very interesting with a multilingual and informative tour guide. Their were numerous brief stops to check things out, but to keep moving. The last tour was to the geysers at 4700 m above sea level - another very interesting tour. We enjoyed the perfect amount of free relaxation time. Again the transfer from San Pedro to Antofagasta hotel was flawless.
The best parts:
They truly picked out interesting destinations, when all we said is we have 5 days, and would start in Santiago and finish in Antofagasta. Itinerary and choices of hotels and tours were perfect to our given preferences. Everything was worry free .
Evaneos
Thank you for your comments Jenny! We are glad that you enjoyed your trip to Chile, and have discovered locally made travel! We look forward to helping you plan your next holiday!
Best regards,
The Evaneos-Travel Team
