Hotel Americano

We stayed here because we wanted to cross the border into Peru early the next morning, unsure how long it would take. The hotel is just a basic hotel - a tiny cramped room . The bed was a double, soft and comfortable. The bathroom was clean, with a shower and half tub. Our room door was off the courtyard so you couldn't keep the curtain open without it being open to everyone walking by. Breakfast, served to us in the morning, consisted of pre-made ham and cheese sandwich (freshly toasted), yogert, juice and instant coffee or tea. I was glad I was only here one night.

My stay here was perfectly pleasant, no complaints at all. For most people, it's fine as long as you're not expecting anything too swanky. I paid $60 dollars for a single room, although it had a double bed and breakfast and is included. If you're looking for something cheaper to the same standard, it's probably better to stay in Tacna across the border in Peru. Just to give you a quick rundown, the rooms are around a central patio, motel style, with only a window facing onto the passing corridor, which is a bit negative if you like a room with a view. However, they are double-glazed and I wasn't bothered by noise apart from a nearby car alarm that went off several times in the night. The rooms themselves were smallish, but clean, with satellite TV, a normal sized bathroom with a good powerful shower - although I had to wait a few minutes for the hot water to come through. Breakfast was a toasted cheese and ham sandwich (you can ask for it without ham if you want) with yoghurt toast, coffee, juice and a slice of cake. All in all, it's a reasonable choice if you're just passing through and want a mid-budget range place that provides for all your basic needs.

You must keep window curtains closed all the time, otherwise people walking through the corridor will look into your room. Very loud, old fridge - must be switched off if you want to sleep. I only liked the view from the breakfast room. This hotel has a good location.

We only stayed here one night and it was an "emergency" stay. We could not get a bus out of Arica for the evening and had to pick a place quickly. The price was a little higher than we preferred, but this hotel turned out to be a pretty good choice. Staff was very nice and friendly. Rooms were clean and had air conditioning (it was summer and we needed it!) (Not all rooms there have AC, so be sure to request it.) My parents had the "suite" which was on the top floor. It also has AC and it is VERY large. Very nice! There is a great little top floor deck/veranda/lobby (not sure what to call it) where you can catch a great breeze, sit in comfy chairs and enjoy the free wifi. Pretty good breakfast included in the price. (It's the usual Chilean breakfast, but still, it's nice.) Again, price was a little higher than we would've preferred, but it is a good place to stay and has a great location in Arica.

I stayed in this hotel in August 2006. Good things: clean, secure, hot water, friendly staff, free internet terminals, multi-channel TV (including English language films), location (one block from start of pedestrianised high street; one block from collectivos to bus terminal), room-safe, attractive sitting area on top floor balcony, laundry, will store baggage while you are away touring. Not so good: breakfast is standard Chilean continental: tostado withham and cheese, instand coffee, sweetened fruit drink, joghurt. Most rooms have a window onto the internal balcony that surrounds the car park rather than a window onto the outside - a few rooms have no window. TV is wall-mounted and high up.