Bo Hotel de encanto

A stylish small hotel 40km south of Salta city, with grand food and attentive owners who’ll show you around

Bo Hotel de encanto & Spa is a fresh take on the boutique hotel. Owners Tony and Roxana have created a welcoming and stylish little world, cleverly converting their 1880 house with great flair and imagination. Colonial details like high ceilings and elegant windows have been preserved in 3 stunning rooms, with brilliant colour combinations and Latin American art creating a refreshingly eclectic mix. Four more modern rooms lie in the sweeping landscaped gardens, with a small pool and sun terrace. All are beautifully designed and very comfortable.

But Bo’s real charm is way they look after you - thoughtful professionalism in everything they do. While Roxana is cooking up feasts in the kitchen, Tony takes you horse riding in the nearby hills to explore local tobacco fincas, or on comfortable trips in his 4x4 to Cafayate and along the Calchaquí Valley, becoming your personal trilingual guide (French as well as English and Spanish) with really expert local knowledge. Forget perfunctory commercial tours or wrestling with a dictionary. It’s just like staying with very good friends who want you to love this area as much as they do. Have massages in the spa, spend a morning learning how to make perfect empanadas, and pass afternoons exploring the charming colonial town of Chicoana. A wonderful, relaxing way to see Salta province.

Highs

• Eclectic contemporary design with great comfort: sumptuous beds and swish bathrooms
• Exquisite breakfasts, and delicious dinners in chic Restaurant Cocina Bo
• Make yourself at home in the impeccable gardens, by the pool or on the terrace: there are only 7 rooms so it never feels crowded
• The owners look after you like old friends, taking you anywhere you fancy visiting - great for single travellers or those without much Spanish
• Handy for Cafayate and Cachi

Lows

• Not quite close enough to explore the city of Salta itself, so you might prefer to stay a night there first
• Though the tours are excellent, and there’s local colour outside the door, the hotel itself doesn’t feel very Argentine
• No credit cards. Payment by cash or credit card through PayPal only
• Bo is right in the middle of Chicoana, which means you’re sometimes aware of the sounds of village life: small dogs and motorbikes