Imagine a wealthy friend from Santiago whose parents own a weekend getaway in the Colchagua Valley: a hacienda with its own private airstrip, helipad, tennis court, and swimming pool. With seven standard rooms and four suites, as well as a billiards room and a lovely loggia, the Viña La Playa Hotel feels like a private home that has been opened for guests.
Located two and a half hours from Santiago by car, this boutique resort recently hosted Gerard Basset, owner of London’s Hotel TerraVina restaurant and currently the holder of the title “World’s Best Sommelier.”
Viña La Playa’s charms are best appreciated by those who enjoy a low-key and laidback level of hospitality. Some of the standard rooms look as if they were furnished in the Eighties, when Laura Ashley was queen. Breakfast in the Tinguiririca dining room is leisurely and dinner service can be sluggish. Hot water can be absent – and rooms are void of either ceiling fans or air-conditioners.
At times, life at Viña La Playa Hotel feels as if the parents have vacated the premises, leaving only two domestics on duty. Our counsel? Open another bottle of the house Cabernet Sauvignon and sip it while watching the moon rise over the garden. Sometimes all you need is a good wine to completely change your perspective.
LINK: Hotel Viña La Playa
