Tourism for not tourists! (and for tourists too)

Hello insiders!,

Even though autumn is here, days are shorter and weather is getting colder, the sun is shining and there are a lot of options to enjoy this beautiful city.

Hanging out in Providencia neighbourhood, i found Easybici store. Owned and operated by an American, an Australian and a Frenchman – brainchild of Founder Felipe Correa – Easybici is the only dedicated e-bike rental company in Santiago.

They offer a very creative way to know different parts of the city. Not by car, not by foot, not by the typical hop on hop off tour bus. they offer tours using electric bicycles, providing pure cycling enjoyment without the need to worry about fitness level, age or terrain; perfect for exploring the city, dominating Cerro San Cristobal or visiting historically significant landmarks of downtown Santiago.

You can choose between 3 different tour options:

-insight into the nature of Santiago (focussing on Cerro San Cristobal)

-Sanhattan and the business district (visiting parks along the way, and taking advantage of the city’s extensive cycling lanes),

-the historical tour which cycles through downtown, Lastarria, and Bellavista with stops along the way.

Easybici is committed to a bringing about a change in the way that consumers participate in tourism, offering a green, sustainable, environmentally responsible transport alternative in areas that experience a high saturation of tourism in ecologically important areas of Chile.

Inside Santiago team totally recommend it!

For more information, please visit

http://www.easybici.cl

or just go to the store in  General Flores 72 street  and ask for Felipe or Arienne (they are very nice people!)

see you!

Get fit in 2015 with Boot Camp in Santiago.

When I first came to Santiago, I wanted to continue my outdoor exercise routine. Back home I was attending a very intense boot camp and I wanted to continue the same rhythm. 

I did some research and found Fitness Boot camp online. This is the original boot camp in Santiago; they were the first ones who brought the trend to the city. Their group works out in Parque Araucano at 7:00 am, on Tuesday and Thursday. But, the first week of every month, you must get through the 5 day challenge.  

As a newbie on the first week, the coach Fernando Reeves, makes you train from Monday until Friday, to get commitment from the person, and respect for the groups determination. On my first full week, I was so tired by Wednesday, but the group´s good vibes and energy kept me going. It was so worth it!!! I trained for almost a year with them, until I got a job change and could not be there so early. 

Fernando, known as Feña, started the whole initiative. He is a great coach, friendly, kind and very open to new cultures. He lived abroad for many years, and came back to Chile. He is a sport professional, he coaches for triathlons. To write this post, I wrote to him to see if the group was still training and he responded: ” Al pie del cañon seguimos” which could be translated to “always prepared for battle”. LOL

If you feel motivated by this post, here is the link for their page. Send them a message so you can get more information on cost and starting dates for January!! 

http://www.bootcampchile.com/

Getting fit #2: indoor mood

As soon as I arrived to  Santiago, my first concern was to find the best gym for me to continue my weekly training. I discovered great spots which are very recommendable according to every one needs. So if you are an indoor mood person, find below the best gym  options.

 

Baltus Gym:

This Gym is a sport and social club where you can train yourself and also spend the day. You will find one branch in Vitacura and another in Las Condes neighbourhood.  It´s very exclusive and also expensive, but incredibly well placed and for sure it is included in the top 3 best gyms in Santiago. In it´s web page you will find all activities schedule.

http://www.balthus.cl/

 

Hard Candy gym:

This gym is part of Hard Candy fitness corporate, which is owned by Madonna. It is the only branch in South America , placed in Las Condes neighbourhood, in the middle of Araucano park. Great place to train yourself, and it has a lot of different classes for example to enjoy dancing like Madonna, doing yoga and also pilates. It isn´t as expensive as Baltus, and it has 2 swimming pools, one for training and the other one to relax. Find complete schedule and more information in webpage

http://www.hardcandyfitness.cl

http://www.hardcandyfitness.com/

 

O2 gym:

This spot has 4 branches located in Lo Barnechea, Las Condes, El Golf  and San Carlos de Apoquindo neighbourhood.  It´s a very good choice for specific trainings and it offers a great swimming pool. It also has a spa. Check more in O2 webpage below.

http://www.o2fit.cl

 

Energy gym:

If you choose this gym company, you will find yours according where you live. Also Hard Candy takes part of this company, but as a premium brand. There is one in Vitacura neigbourhood, very well placed. It offers good prices and large variety of classes. For more information please check webpage below.

http://www.energy.cl/

 

Sportlife:

 

This gym company has been opened in Santiago for 20 years. It is one of the biggest with a lot of branches in all over Chile. For sure you will find your own according to where you decide to live or already are living. It has good prices and it offers great different options for your training.

Check your closest and more information in webpage

http://www.sportlife.cl/

 

Smartfit:

This gym company is very new in Santiago, with only 4 spots. It´s a new and simple concept: very low prices, practical spaces and a great and relaxed environment. It´s the perfect equation according to them.

For more information, check webpage

http://www.smartfit.cl/

I hope this information will help you knowing your fitness options in Santiago. Wait for more about getting fit in our next posts!

see you!

Getting fit #1:outdoor mood

If you are a sporty person, this is the post you need. Santiago has a lot of options to excercise yourself . It does´t matter  if you are in an outdoor or indoor person.

a) For an outdoor mood

This city  offers a lot of green spaces for footing, running,biking, to go with your personal trainer, or even to, sit and enjoy the view. Herebelow are our top pics :

Bicentenario Park: Vitacura

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With great view of the city and close to Mapocho river, this park is located in Vitacura neighbourhood. It has an excellent running path for training. As a plus, you will find an artificial lake with lovely pink flamingos and exotic fish. Also you can go with kids, they will have fun in their modern playground will you get fit.

 

Araucano Park: Las Condes

This green area is one of the most important parks of Las Condes neighbourhood. It is located in the quadrant formed by the avenues South Presidente Riesco, Alonso de Cordova in the west, east and Manquehue Cerro Colorado.

You can do a lot of outdoor activities in this park as skating, basketball, running, footing, be part of training groups,etc. Apart from sports and having a very well known gym inside (we will talk about later), Araucano Park offers a lot of cultural activities during the year.

 

Balmaceda Park : Providencia

 

Balmaceda Park is an area along the Mapocho River in Providencia. It has a literary coffee store, a museum  and a water fountain. it is a very nice park close to the center of the city, with green spaces and running or footing paths.

 

De las Rosas Park: Lo Barnechea

In the middle of a peaceful quiet, you can find this lovely park, wellknown for it´s beautiful roses .  It is located in the High part of Mapocho river and close to Arrayan Hills and Farellones. So, even though you are in Santiago you will feel far from city noises and traffic, with a beautiful landscape, in this park you can excercise yourself with a great view of the Andes.

Excellent enviroment to work out without so much pollution.

Before saying till the next getting fit post, check some great running web pages if you are an aficionate o professional runner.

http://www.santiagorunners.cl/

http://www.runnerschile.com/

http://fullrunners.com/