Casa Higueras

One of the best hotels I have ever stayed in and the best small hotel for sure. Beautiful building. Fantastic swimming pool, jacuzzi and (single sex)!saunas. Staff and management are totally outstanding!!! Restaurant is excellent - book a table on the terrace on your first night - memorable. Location is good but you still need to be vigilant. Rooms are great. Can’t recommend it highly enough. A real gem of a place.

Hotel Casa Higueras (January 14, 2026 stay) For independent travelers, this hotel is a perfect pre-cruise destination, conveniently located near many Valparaiso landmarks. Our room rate included a buffet breakfast with an array of deli meats, cheeses, and fruits, plus eggs cooked to order. Our room was well-appointed and spacious, with a fireplace, king bed, sofa, chairs, and study table. We also had a beautiful balcony overlooking the pier, where we could see our cruise ship in the distance (partially obscured by a tree). The large bathroom came with full amenities. We thoroughly enjoyed our stay—true to Chilean hospitality—thanks to the welcoming front desk team!

If you want to stay within Valparaíso, this hotel is a reasonable option in terms of location and safety but is expensive for what it has to offer. The bed was comfortable and the Wi-Fi worked well, which we appreciated. Another practical issue was ventilation. The room required the window to be kept open due to limited air circulation, yet there were no mosquito nets. As a result, we were repeatedly bitten by mosquitoes during our stay. While this may be common locally, it significantly affected comfort and sleep, and is something the hotel could easily improve. We also attempted to upgrade our room. Although the price difference between our room and the higher category was €20 on booking.com (including the external Website fee), the hotel requested €60 per night to upgrade, which felt disproportionate and unnecessarily opportunistic. That said, the service experience was inconsistent. Information is not offered proactively; unless you ask very specific questions, you are left without guidance. The claimed 24/7 on sauna was never on. The tipping situation was uncomfortable throughout the stay. Each time, we were asked to sign a tip form, and when we chose not to tip, we were questioned again, interrupting conversation, which created an awkward and pressuring environment. Throughout our stay in Chile, we noticed excessive pressure around tipping, and unfortunately this hotel reflected that trend. For Management of the Hotel…-> On one evening, we chose not to leave a tip because the drinks were not satisfactory and were sent back twice and came back the same so we could not drink them. Despite this, the staff member repeatedly interrupted me insisting on a tip, even after I clearly explained that we did not feel the service warranted it. The following day, we experienced a series of service denials and contradictory explanations that raised concern. We were first told the terrace was fully booked, then informed by reception that the restaurant closed at 9:00 p.m., despite our attempt to dine at 8:30 p.m(4 tables were empty). So we went upstairs to the terrace for drinks, we were told to ring a bell for service; no one responded. Returning downstairs, we were told the restaurant was closed and that we should have been informed. However, when we physically went to the restaurant, it was open, with the same guests still seated and being served drinks. When we pointed out this inconsistency and stated that we also wished to enjoy drinks, the staff member rolled her eyes and avoided further discussion by walking away. While we do not want to assume intent, the sequence of events strongly suggests differential treatment following the decision not to tip. This was particularly disappointing given that this is a hotel charging over €300 per night, yet we were effectively prevented from dining or having drinks on the terrace and were given misleading information instead of clear, professional communication.