Finca Santa Anita

Traditional family farm with award-winning cuisine and wonderful horse riding to the lakes and forest. Great value and ideal for families

This might look like a typical colonial finca: a pretty, pink adobe, 19th-century building with long columned terraces, four quaint bedrooms opening onto the lush garden, and a peaceful rural setting amongst green tobacco plantations and woodland.

But Santa Anita is like no other: accomplished and talented owners Valentina and Carlos have won awards for their organic Slow Food, their biodiversity, and the way they care for their staff. Their warmth and dedication to looking after people extend to a real delight in welcoming guests; even their 6 children get involved. Watch goats cheese being made, explore Argentina’s first tobacco museum and a small archaeological collection, and ride their well-trained horses to the vast Cabra Corral reservoir. The food is delicious; the garden is a delight; the peace of this rural retreat complete - you’ll sleep deeply in the cosy atmosphere of this historical finca. And this is what Argentina is really about: forgetting urban life and sitting under the stars as the fireflies dance, chatting with a wonderfully warm Argentine family.

Highs

• Pretty surroundings: a garden rich with flowers and bird life, cloudforest and the immense Cabra Corral reservoir
• Very well priced; one hour's daily horse riding included in the rates
• Heaps to do nearby: explore historic and crumbling Coronel Moldes; fish in the reservoir; drive the magnificent Quebrada da Cafayate; visit local wineries
• Flexible accommodation with 2 self-catering barns as well as the 4 rooms; perfect for families as well as couples
• You can easily get here by public transport from Salta (1hr drive south). The rural bus is an experience in itself!

Lows

• There’s nothing luxurious about this place, although the charming rooms are perfectly comfortable and very authentic
• Family-run finca not set up as a professional hotel operation (meals arrive when they're ready, don't expect slick service); that suited us just fine as we felt very at home and Carlos is very helpful
• Plenty of space for you to feel private, but perhaps not the place for a romantic break
• The bathrooms need a bit of an upgrade
• As does the pool
• There are dogs - but they're all friendly, like their owners!