During my recent trip to Chile, I experienced spectacular meals at hotels in Viña del Mar and Santiago.

My trip began with a stay at the Sheraton Miramar Hotel & Convention Center in Viña del Mar. We enjoyed an incredible dinner at the property’s ocean-view Las Olas Restaurant. To start, we split a variety of small plates. Seafood is a big part of the cuisine in Viña del Mar, and it was well-highlighted on the menu. I kept going back to the incredible ceviche. For my main course, I ordered grilled grouper, accompanied by artichokes, hearts of palm and tomato salad. It was a perfectly light yet flavorful choice.

Another standout hotel meal was at the Santiago Marriott Hotel’s Latin Grill. The restaurant is popular among locals and hotel guests. My group and I were treated to a multicourse meal highlighting the best flavors of the restaurant. While each course was spectacular, I especially enjoyed a seafood sampler appetizer, a rich seafood and cilantro soup and an entrée of grilled sea bass.

While I didn’t stay at the W Santiago, I did visit the property for dinner the last night of my stay in Chile. We dined at Karai, the property’s Japanese-Peruvian fusion restaurant. Our menu included sushi, sashimi, softshell crab bao buns and squid ink chips.

Hotel dining can get a bad rap, but that certainly was not the case at these properties in Chile.

— Katie Skrzek, vice president/digital director