Chile, a predominantly Roman Catholic nation and one with a very intense military and thus macho history, is not really one of the friendliest nations for gay people to visit.
According to one of the directors of the United Organization of Sexual Minorities (UOSM), “It is very dangerous to be gay in this country. Look, forty five percent of the people thing it is okay to be violent against gays. Seventy percent disapprove of homosexuality”. Though this sounds very scary for the gay tourist the truth is that through the efforts of organizations like UOSM the gay life in Chile has begun to really emerge and is slowly becoming more accepted in the country. Unlike in the past where active police pursuit of gays was an everyday affair police pursuit is now pretty rare and gay bars and establishments can be seen going up all throughout Chile.
Santiago is still the best place in all of Chile for gay tourists. Most gay bars and discos in the city are located in Bellavista. Some of the popular gay/lesbian bars and discos you can visit in Bellavista are Bunker, Femme by Bunker, Bokhara, Mascara, Farinelli, Bar 105, Dionisio, Punto G, Friends, Vox Populi, Bar de Willy, Prejuicio Cero, El Closet, Pleasures Woman, Amor del Bueno, Sui Generis and Montage. Of course it is not only in Bellavista where you will find gay and lesbian bars. Some of the more popular bars outside Bellavista are Fuasto in Providencia, Quasar in Coquimbo, Nueva Cero in Avenida, and Dragalicious which is pretty unique since it is a traveling disco hopping from one location to another about once or twice per month. To know Dragalicious’ latest venue you can contact them at +52 9-636-9638.
The climate is indeed changing for the gay traveler in Chile so much so that there are even really good hotels that cater specifically to the gay traveler. Some of the best known hotels are:
Bed and Breakfast Santiago
Address: Sanchez Fontecilla, La Reina, Santiago
Phone: +52 2 325-3009
Hotel Maury
Address: Tarapaca 1112, Centro, Santiago
Phone: +52 2 672-5859
Hotel Castillo
Address: Pio Nono 420, Bellavista, Santiago
Phone: +52 2 735-0243
Granted that these hotels are quite on the expensive side you can still get a nice motel for a much cheaper price by simply scanning the classified ads section of “La Tercera” a newspaper daily in Chile. Motels and furnished apartments that can be rented per hour or per day can be found in the ads section.
One of the most popular parts of a gay tourist’s itinerary when visiting Chile is a visit to the local sauna. Two of the best saunas in Santiago are the Sauna 282 and Mi Tiempo. While there are other sauna establishments in the area they are generally not as well maintained and as nice as these two establishments. Sauna 282 is especially popular among gay travelers and is even known as the largest and most popular gay sauna in all of Santiago. It has notably more features than the smaller Mi Tiempo but the fees reflect its popularity as it is also more expensive to go there. Sauna 282 is located in Bellavista 282, Bellavista while Mi Tiempo is located in Bombero Nuñez 230, Bellavista.