Luxury Chile, Argentina & Antarctica Travel Review: Torres del Paine, El Calafate, El Chalten, Santiago, Buenos Aires, Valparaiso

We of course loved Antarctica and the surreal scenery there. It didn't hurt that the ship was only half-full and that the weather was sunny and relatively warm the entire time. Mariano crafted a food tour in Santiago which involved us meeting a local chef and going to the central market to choose our fish and shellfish for the main course of the meal. We then went to the home of the chef at a beautiful condo overlooking the mountains, and prepared the meal together, enjoying a very special afternoon with him. This was a highlight for us. Another food tour in San Telmo in Buenos Aires was also excellent, as was the guide, and for that matter ALL of the excellent guides for city tours and other excursions throughout the trip. We also especially enjoyed our time at our lodge in El Chalten, which offered the nicest hotel room we've ever experienced. Spacious, quiet, many windows overlooking the mountains and glacier....nothing short of perfection. The guides went above and beyond to accommodate both our desire for photographic opportunities and relatively less demanding hikes, and we ended up having a guide to ourselves on almost all excursions. Staying in a Yurt in Torres del Paine was also a great experience, and their guides were also great and their food especially outstanding. The understated elegance at both the hotel in Santiago and the hotel in Buenos Aires was wonderful. There was an affectionate Siamese cat at the hotel in Buenos Aires which gave us a "fix" of petting as we were missing our own cats.