6 Best Hotels in Side Trips from Santiago, Chile

The best place to stay in La Parva is this complex of spacious, modern apartments that sleep six to eight people. Linens are provided, but maid service is extra. Valle Nevado and the other ski centers are a short drive away.

Situated high in the Andes, this is a boutique resort with big skiing. Grand Hotel Portillo and its two cheaper annexes provide Saturday-to-Saturday ski vacations that include accommodation for seven nights, eight days of skiing or snowboarding, four meals per day, and access to most après-ski activities. The coveted lakeview rooms are only incrementally more expensive than mountain view. Tío Bob's mountain restaurant has a gorgeous view of the Laguna del Inca, a brilliant blue lake below the snowy mountain peaks. The hotel is open year-round.

This quaint old inn on the road to Farellones gives you easy access to the slopes with its free shuttle to and from the nearby ski areas. A family-run hotel, it has 10 rooms with wood floors and heaters to keep out the chill. The rate includes breakfast and dinner in the small restaurant, as well as happy-hour drinks, sipped by the cozy fireplace looking directly down the mountain to Santiago.

The best rooms are the two corner rooms. They are a bit larger and have wide windows with excellent views.

The largest of the Valle Nevado hotels, Puerta del Sol can be identified by its signature sloped roof. Room options vary: the Altillo rooms have loft beds, which give you more space, while north-facing rooms cost more but have unobstructed views of the slopes. Wind down in the giant outdoor Jacuzzi after a day on the slopes. Breakfast and dinner are included in the rate. Since all three hotels share facilities and Tres Puntas is really a hostel, Puerta del Sol offers the best hotel value.

It bills itself as a hotel for young people, though Tres Puntas may remind you of a college dormitory. The closet-size rooms come with either bunk beds or two single beds and maybe a night table, plus tiny wooden balconies just big enough for two people. In short, these rooms are for people who intend to be on the slopes all day. Inside are a pub and a lively restaurant; breakfast and dinner are included. The Pub Tres Puntas is a fun place to meet friends after a day on the slopes, which is only a two-minute walk away.

The resort's most extravagantly priced lodge provides ski-in–ski-out convenience. Rooms are larger than at the other two hotels, and all have balconies. In the off season, it's possible to take a trek by horse or on foot from here to the base of El Plomo mountain, which is more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet) above sea level. The hotel only opens during the winter season.