Casa Chueca

Delightful hillside retreat in central Chile, perfect for relaxing, learning Spanish, or as a base for active excursions

Casa Chueca, a Latin American colloquialism for 'Crooked House', is an appropriately endearing name for this friendly, relaxed guesthouse. It's built along the lines of a Chilean colonial house with low adobe buildings, courtyards and fountains. Add to that, vibrant tropical flowers, banana trees and the delicate flutter of hummingbirds, and you have pretty much the ideal hideaway. The main house is where all the action takes place, with an honesty bar, long dining table and lovely little mezzanine sitting room. Surrounding it are a handful of rustic rooms, complete with outdoor hammocks, perfect for soaking up the tranquillity.

Simple on-hand pleasures include an outdoor pool, getting to know the llamas and table footie. Spanish lessons and Latino dance classes are also on offer. But with the hosts’ extensive outdoors experience and exceptional knowledge of the surrounding area, including beaches one way and volcanoes and spectacular Andean peaks the other, you are almost certain to be tempted to go wild - and this is an excellent base from which to start.

Highs

• Becoming one of the crowd – the small bar and communal dining ensure everyone becomes friends here very quickly
• Owners Kati, Franz and Peter are all in their 30s and even younger at heart and central to the general camaraderie
• Making it to the top of one of the peaks and sitting on the crest looking down at the world spread out below

Lows

• Nearby Talca itself is not a particularly engaging town, so Casa Chueca is definitely a destination in itself
• Most of the outdoor/trekking excursions are a fair distance away and do require some travelling to reach
• The heating in the rooms comes from gas-burning stoves, which have to be switched off at night – so it can be a bit chilly in the mornings!