Vitrali

Vitrali Overview

So here’s the thing about Vitrali – you won’t find it listed with any official star rating, and honestly, that’s probably for the best. This place operates in its own category entirely, perched right on Avenida Carlo de Gavardo where it feels like someone took a design magazine and actually made it livable.

Walking in, I was struck by how the lobby manages to feel both intimate and dramatic at the same time. The staff greets you like they’re genuinely happy you made it to Caldera (which, let’s be real, isn’t exactly on everyone’s Chile itinerary). What really got me though was the attention to light – and I mean that literally. The whole place seems designed around how the northern Chilean sun moves through the day, with these amazing glass installations that actually change the mood of the rooms as afternoon shifts to evening. You know what surprised me most? How quiet it stays despite being on a main avenue. I mean, Caldera isn’t exactly Santiago traffic-wise, but still – the soundproofing is remarkably good.

The rooms themselves feel more like temporary apartments than hotel accommodations, if that makes sense. Everything’s been thought through without being precious about it – proper blackout curtains for when you want to sleep in, but also these gorgeous windows that frame views of either the Pacific or the inland mountains. The bathrooms are where they really show off, with local stone work that feels substantial under your feet and rainfall showers that actually have decent water pressure (not always a given in smaller Chilean coastal towns, trust me). What I appreciated was the little stuff – USB ports where you actually need them, closet space that works for more than just hanging a couple shirts, and honestly the best hotel WiFi I’ve encountered outside of Santiago. The neighborhood around Gavardo is pretty walkable during the day, and you’re maybe ten minutes on foot from the port area where the real local restaurants are hiding. Fair warning though – Caldera can get pretty sleepy after 9 PM, so if you’re looking for nightlife, you might want to plan accordingly. But for unwinding after exploring the Atacama region or just soaking up that particular brand of Chilean coastal calm, Vitrali gets it exactly right.