Blauhaus, Playa Ancha, Valparaíso, Chile

So I came back to Valparaíso, Chile, arriving on July 2, 2012. Found a great place right away, by fluke, through the suggestion of an empanada shopowner in Cerro Alegre. I`m living in a rather upscale house, recently renovated, full of light and cozy corners. This blog post offers a virtual tour of my new home.

Blauhaus on Gran Bretaña

Blauhaus, on Gran Bretaña in Playa Ancha, Valparaiso, Chile

It`s on a street called Gran Bretaña, on a cerro called The Independent Republic of Playa Ancha, a part of Valparaìso, Chile (well, a part of, depending on who you talk to- some consider this area a self contained and independent town). The street is already high up, skirting the edge of a flat topped mountain (cerro), and the views from the terraces on the second and third floors and from the rooftop are spectacular, offering views of the colourful old neighborhood, cobblestone street, port, ocean, and distant views of the next city, Viña del Mar, and the cordillera mountains in the far background.

Second storey terrace view

rooftop view: Blauhaus

It has a really interesting 3 storey layout. The architect and owner of the house lives in a self contained gorgeous apartment suite on the top floor (well, he lives here in theory, but in fact he`s hardly ever here).

The first and second floors are where I live. I share a kitchen and living room. Right now I just share with one other person, although there are 2 other rooms on my floor available for rent. I had thought that I would be living with other professionals, foreigners like myself, but in fact the house is empty most of the time, except sometimes on weekends when couples come from Santiago for a weekend in the Valparaìso.

Kitchen above and sunken living room below

living room as seen from the kitchen above

I love the wood burning fireplace. This room works extremely well as a living room, feeling comfortable with just one, or when crammed full of ten people. We always have the fireplace lit, since it doubles as central heating for the house. Literally.

The bathroom has a lot of restored features (the tiles, the tub). I like how the architect used an old antique kitchen counter top for the bathroom counter and sink. Usually here in Chile sinks are standalone pedestal affairs and there is never anywhere to put your stuff.

Blauhaus bathroom

There are all sorts of bright cozy corners with sofas perfect for reading.

Blauhaus- sunny entryway

Blauhaus- another comfy couch

My room is not quite finished, and is by far the most modest in the house. But I like the loft setup, with the bunk bed platform up top and a sofa below, like a mini living room.

my room- loft style

stairs up to the 3rd storey

The top floor is a gorgeous apartment:

Blauhaus skylights

Skylights like this are common in 3 and 4 storey houses in this part of Valparaìso (Playa Ancha).
I love them!

Blauhaus- breakfast

Another terrace view:

neon sunset

So I`ve gone from living in a dark 2 star hotel in Saudi to a bright 3 star weekend hotel.A step up, for sure.
Sometimes this house is tranformed into a huge living photo gallery, with exhibits by 5 photographers, too. But that´s another story.