HOTEL AUBREY - SANTIAGO, CHILE

I'm not sure where to start with the massive amount of images from my recent trip to South America. It was such a spectacular adventure, full of comradery and laughs with new friends (wine writers are definitely people you want to have international escapades with!), wine education (I felt like I got a crash course from the world's top experts, lucky me!), stunning vineyards/landscapes, creative meals prepared for me with love and care (vegetarian power!) and a certain elegance pervading the streets of each city we were based in.

Both Chile and Argentina captured my heart. I will return with my darling D in the near future. For now, let's start with the end and work our way to the beginning, shall we? I am my mother's daughter after all.

I finished the journey with a few days on my own in Santiago, Chile. This was a bustling capital with lots going on; (like the fish market and Karen Barbe) but one of my favorite parts was spending evenings and lazy mornings in my swank hotel, The Aubrey.

My stay was kindly sponsored by Tablet and the folks here at The Aubrey couldn't have been more accommodating. The staff helped me decipher my map and figure out the non-touristy path I wanted to take when exploring the city and I even received a cooking lesson from Mauricio, the most adorable chef (more on that on The Kitchn next week). My room was a veritable palace, complete with groovy rose gold orb lighting I wanted to tuck into my overflowing suitcase.

The best part of The Aubrey though was their afternoon tea service. Well it's no joke I'm a sucker for tea and cookies, so each day I worked my plan around this respite -- using the time to journal alongside a different sweet and tea leaf. The best tea hour was when there was just a caramel and coconut shortbread tart sitting there near the golden tea cups (ooh la la!!) looking so unassuming. Naturally I had to try a bite and bam 2 slices later, I declared it my early dinner and I was jammin from the sugar high.

If you have the opportunity to explore Santiago, Chile, I'd highly recommend staying at The Aubrey - it's in the lovely Bella Vista neighborhood and is spitting distance to Pablo Neruda's house (to be blogged soon).