The days when Santiago was seen as just a stop along the way to Patagonia are past. It’s always been an interesting city, of course, but it’s only recently that it’s become an urban destination unto itself, showcasing its food, its culture, and its design along with its proximity to Chile’s famous wild landscapes. Hotel Magnolia just might be the first proper design hotel in town, and it’s no tentative first step but a full-on plunge into the world of boutique-hotel style.

It’s housed in a landmark building which dates back to the 1920s but looks for all the world like something from the 1520s, and in its present-day guise it resembles the bottom part of a Gothic cathedral half-covered by a modern glass tower. Meanwhile its Art Deco interiors have been updated with contemporary furniture and design flourishes as well — the look is historically informed but far from nostalgic, and the loft-style rooms combine sleek clean lines with warm organic materials.

A hotel like the Magnolia is about more than just rooms, which is where the Kitchen & Bar Magnolia comes in, serving modern Chilean cuisine and pisco sours, not to mention the rooftop bar, with views over the blossoming El Centro district and the city beyond.