The snow-capped Andes provide a dramatic backdrop to downtown Santiago

With its swanky restaurants, see-and-be-seen nightlife, shiny shopping malls and high-rise buildings, Chile's capital has all the hustle of a true 21st century metropolis.

Such modernity is countered by bohemian suburbs such as Bellavista, where poets read at colourful cafes and artisans craft lapis lazuli jewellery for sale to passers-by.

When you're ready to escape a little further, wine country is only a couple of hours' drive outside the city, as is a fresh seafood lunch at the picturesque port of Valparaíso, a day on the beach (or in the casino) at the glitzy resort of Viña del Mar, or ski slopes to whiz down in the Andean foothills.