My brother and I were in Rio two years ago. We stayed at Parthenon Top Apart Rua Joao Lira 95, Leblon. The rate was about $80/night with a beautiful breakfast included. We really liked this place and have recommended it to several friends who all seemed to enjoy it.

Leblon is right next to Ipanema and Copacabana. It was a very nice area with lots of restaurants, bars and shops, a few blocks from the beach. We also flew to Iguacu falls and stayed on the Brazilian side at the Cataratas which is inside the falls. They are not to be missed especially if you take the boat trip into the falls. Though we had heard how dangerous Rio was, we did not encounter any problems whatsoever using public buses and walking all over the city.

We were in Santiago last year and it was not a city that I have any particular feelings about. It is very large, not particularly interesting in my opinion. We drove to Vina del Mar and stayed overnight there. It is a lovely seaside town with a lot of character. If I remember correctly it was only a few hours from Santiago. We stayed in Providencia at Chilhotel, Cirujano Guzman 103 www.chilhotel.cl it was centrally located, but not a place I would necessarily recommend as a must to stay at, except for the location.

Fanny NYC