Imagine a brief in which you requested a stylish and chic hotel that spoke to cutting-edge modernity, with a dash of bygone elegance. Sort of Hollywood gentlemen’s club meet Manhattan today. This pretty much sums up the Singular Hotel in Santiago, which opened in 2014. The monochrome reception is easy on the senses after the 15-hour, 11,000 kilometre flight from Sydney – and you have 62 rooms in the renovated building from which to choose. Outside, the café culture is unrival

Santiago is transforming itself into a tourist hotspot rather than just a transport hub. FLYING into Santiago is an ideal appetiser for any trip to South America, with the city surrounded by the Andes in all their glory. Many people fly in and fly straight out to their next South American destination. But if you do that, you will be missing out on a city that is going through a renaissance of sorts — slowly transforming itself into a tourist spot, rather than just a transport

LOCATION At the eastern end of Merced Boulevard, close to the Parque Forestal and on the edge of the boho Barrio Lastarria. The position is midway between the big universities on the north and south banks of the Mapocho River, and there are plenty of cafes and a lively tempo to the surroundings. THE SPACE This is one cool customer. Step in off Merced Boulevard and you're in a slinky bar where you could imagine an updated Don Draper installed in one of the black leather wingba