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Hostería La Candela is part of the Isla Negra’s history. It’s a Hotel-Restaurant that is more than 40 years old, and existed when Pablo Neruda lived in this town. In fact Pablo Neruda was a regular client and used the only telephone of the entire zone in that time. The movie Il Postino mentions and shows a recreation of the Hosteria. In fact the mailman falls in love with the Hosteria owner’s daughter.This old big house use to call Hosteria Santa Elena. Today and the last 20 years is La Candela, whose owners now are the well-known Chilean folk singer Charo Cofré, and her husband, Movie and TV Director that created many documentaries about Pablo Neruda, Hugo Arévalo.They both were friends of the poet and have many pictures and stories that you will be able to share in your visit to Hosteria La Candela.The Hotel has simple but cozy rooms, with new beds, and some of them with sea view and fireplace.The Restaurant specializes in Seafood and Local Fishes, being its specialties the Caldillo de Congrio, Copón Nerudiano and typical desserts like Leche Asada or Leche Nevada.
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I want to talk about how great this hotel is! Charo an accomplished folk singer from the 70s, and if you go to La Candela and stay with her, you may get to hear her play and hear all about her fascinating history! She was friends with the famous Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. It was a life changing experience for me--i learned so much staying at this great location. You need to check this place out!
I loved the rooms, which were very spacious and warm, and the lobby, which was homey and had tons of pictures of Charo, her husband Hugo (a film director who made documentaries of Neruda), and Neruda himself. There was so much to look at, and near the hotel, there are little street venders selling handmade jewerly. The hotel was right on the ocean, so it was a beautiful walk down to the beach from La Candela. In the evenings you could see a stunning sunset from the dinning room. The meals that i had there were great! I recommend anyone who is visiting Isla Negra to definitely stay at this hotel!
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Date of stay: March 2013
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This was an antique accommodation that should not be compared to fancy hotels or 5-star resorts. Think of it as staying overnight with your kindly grandmother who should dust more often but who loves you. Yes it was pricey but you can always stroll to a nearby restaurant for a cheap drink and meal, or splurge on the pricey dinner in the restaurant that will be expensive but very good, and with a view to remember. Your server will be your attentive but slightly nervous uncle who also loves you. Tip him well. OK, let's face it. You are there in Isla Negra and you feel the spirit of Pablo Neruda and for one or two nights, you share his friends in Charo Cofré and her husband Hugo. You sit in their lounge. You drink in front of that massive fireplace. You marvel at her massive knitting room. You sip a brandy at the bar where Neruda relaxed with friends. Feel it. Pay it...and move on with your trip having touched the spirit for a moment, all the while glad that you found this place and that the Chilean peso and prices are forgiving to your budget. You want expensive? leave Chile! Get over it and feel the love!!!!
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Date of stay: March 2009
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
If you are interested in literature and Pablo Neruda, you must visit la Candela in Isla Negra, Chile. There Neruda visited daily and watched the sea and planned his texts. Many photos on Neruda, famous singer as owner, great experience.
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Date of stay: October 2007
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Really close by to Neruda's house. The restaurant is great. They created some very yummy food for us (vegetarians). The owner and staff were very friendly and eager to please. The owner was also friends with Neruda and there was a cute cat there too. I don't think you can find a better place in Isla Negra.
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Date of stay: April 2014
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Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When my husband told me he had booked us a room at La Candela for two nights, I was concerned and advised him to read the comments on Trip Advisor. He told me "you always have to take some and leave some"...well, it was quite an experience! The hotel is old, creepy and dirty. It's a shame when you consider that the location of this hotel is excellent, the scenery is magnificent, the museum is interesting and even the artist bohemian style of the owners could be interesting and add to the charm of this hotel.
Already the moment we dropped our luggage in our room, we saw that the room was run down, the walls were dirty and there was a lot of dust. We then figured we had been ripped off. However, we thought: now we are here and this is only for two nights ...
The first night, I found a sock between the sheets of my daughter's bed at the far end of the bed. When I complained about it, they were not apologetic but rather told me that the sock had probably been trapped between the sheets during the wash. When I pointed out that someone had made this bed so they would have seen it then and that the sock did not appear to be freshly washed, they just did not respond. And, by the way, since when a hotel washes his sheets mixed with clothes!
The second night, to add to the horror, upon entering the room, we found a tiger spider on the same bed. The next morning, the waiter brings us our breakfast and there is a long black hair directly lying on top of his eggs. It was so apparent, it was completely impossible not to see it but the waiter just acted like he didn't notice it.
Upon paying our bill, I commented to the owner about my experience in her hotel pointing out that this hotel had a great potential but the service needed improvement. Just like her staff, she was not apologetic, she did not offer a discount and did not respond, she just nod!
This is the first time I ever take a moment to write a comment on Trip adviser. I am Canadian, my husband is European, we have been leaving in Chile for 3 years and together, we must have traveled in over 50 countries. This is by far, the worst service I have experienced so far.
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Date of stay: November 2010
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Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Proprietor Charo and her talented husband Hugo have a charming and perfectly situated hotel if you have any interest in Pablo Neruda and his life. A quick and easy five minute walk from Hosteria La Candela is Neruda's famed Isla Negra home. Though if you want first hand accounts from people who lived with and experienced Neruda's life just get Charo talking. Though painful memories will sometimes give her pause, Charo and her larger than life personality are completely engaging. Hearing her stories over a delicious dinner in the dining room overlooking the breathtaking view was a highlight of my trip.
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Date of stay: May 2012Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We travelled 4 weeks around the country and this local was indeed the worst thing we have ever seen in our livetime. Do not go there if you are interested in staying healthy. This house was never renovated nor nobody paid attention about the rooms. Everything was dirty, wet, and full of mold. We booked 4 days and left after one horror night. We find a buitifull cheap and clean "cabana" close to the beach. This was a change between hell and heaven.
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Date of stay: December 2008
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Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
How to express the joy my experiences at La Candela have brought me! I recently returned from my second visit there in two years, and I can tell you that this is a place I will return to again and again. If you value people, connections, history, literature, music, art, and beauty over freshly starched linens, then this is the place for you.
My first visit to La Candela was in March of 2012. My cousin and I wanted to visit Neruda's house at Isla Negra, and our interest was piqued when we heard about La Candela's Boho digs right next door. I was immediately enchanted with its funky vibe, eclectic ambiance, and rustic feel. Almost immediately we met the owners, the indomitable duo of folk singer Charo Cofre and her film maker husband Hugo Arevalo. Charo is a gorgeous lightning bolt of passion and heart, and her husband Hugo is her subdued and dignified soul mate.
Charo joined us for dinner, which was a sweet and delicious abalone we ate overlooking the sea, with the sunset and the tempestuous rocky shoreline below the hotel. Charo was warm, open, and vibrant, and shared many of her personal stories from the years that she and Hugo traveled with Pablo Neruda and his wife Matilde Urrutia in the early 70s. Later that night, as we sat by the fire, Charo brought out her guitar and played for us the stirring music of revolutions and revelations.
That night when I retired to my room, I was delighted to find that Walter, one of the friendly staff members at La Candela, had lit a fire in the little wood stove, preparing me for a cozy night of restful slumber. The next morning I walked the rocky shores in the footsteps of the Poet, then had a scrumptious breakfast back at the hotel. As my cousin and I were parting, I told Charo I would return some day with my students, so enamored was I with everything that La Candela was and represented.
And so it was. The following year (March 2013) a colleague and I brought 8 of our high school Spanish students to La Candela to meet Hugo and Charo and to visit Neruda's Isla Negra. We were greeted with kisses and warm hugs--this felt like coming home. Before dinner, Hugo opened his private mini theater to us to show us one of his Neruda films. We were stunned because we had just visited Neruda's house next door only hours earlier, and now we were watching this film with Neruda himself walking in and out of those very rooms--it gave true depth and added dimension to the students' previous lessons on Neruda. Then, we had dinner on the premises where Charo treated us to a private concert. The students were delighted by this royal treatment, especially when Charo and Hugo took time to answer questions about their lives during the days of the Coup and its aftermath.
Any high school teacher can tell you that teenagers can be hard nuts to crack, but Charo and Hugo were able to reach them easily through a sincere spirit of heart and their tremendous personal generosity. I urge you to take a chance on this hotel, despite some of the negative reviews. If you are looking for an authentic experience in Chile, and you don't need perfection in a hotel, you will not be disappointed.
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Date of stay: March 2013
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Trip type: Travelled on business
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A place full of history and love La Candela in Isla Negra is an incredible place to stay. As soon as you enter, you immediately feel like you're at home. The hotel is owned by 2 lovely hosts, film maker Hugo Arévalo and folk singer Charo Cofré. My school group had the honor of watching one of Hugo's documentaries on Pablo Neruda in their private black box theatre. Afterwards, we were able to ask him any and every question we had before going to dinner on the property. The waiters there were very kind as well. They, too, became our friends very quickly. During dinner, Charo performed for us. She was absolutely mesmerizing. The performance was really fun. She even had us sing with her! Afterwards, we were able to talk with her about her life and experiences and about Neruda. Her openess and willingness to share her feelings astounded me. The location was superb. We right next to a beach, and there were many places to buy little trinkets. The sunset was beautiful. I will say that the rooms were rather plain, and the bathroom wasn’t up to 5-star standards. Don't go expecting white linen sheets. Go expecting an unforgettable experience.
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Date of stay: March 2013Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There are more places to choose from in the Isla Negra area.
ALSO KNOWN AS
hosteria la candela hotel isla negra
LOCATION
ChileValparaiso RegionIsla Negra
NUMBER OF ROOMS
20
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