The Aubrey is one of the rare boutique hotels in Santiago. The estate on which it is built has a lot of historical references. The main actors of the Chile’s artistic and political movement frequented the estate which was built in the 1920s. Statesman-Poet Pablo Neruda was a frequent house guest. The owner Domingo Durán Morales organized weekly lunches, for over 30 years, for the country’s political elite. Some of the atmosphere of those tumultuous years still persists in the surrounding areas.
The property is now owned by Australian Mark Cigana and Englishman Will Martin. Apart from the money, they invested three years in resurrecting the Aubrey. They did their best to preserve the Spanish colonial mission and arts and crafts atmosphere. They went round auction houses in Santiago, London and Paris to get 19th century material to give the Aubrey the right look and feel.
The new look rooms now are equipped with Wi-Fi, LCD cable TVs. The bathrooms have Hansgrohe showers, European Duravit and Philippe Starck fittings. But the rooms don’t have numbers or a name so the guest must remember where his room is located. But it is the informal atmosphere that sets the hotel apart from others. The guests can get a taste of the cultural forces that shaped modern Chile while staying at the Aubrey.
Via: theglobeandmail
