Rooms

A footbridge over the stream links the hotel to a 2-storey, fairly new (2008) building housing 8 country-rustic rooms. This extension to Casa de Campo was solidly built, with wood ceiling beams and thick walls separating the patios and rooms - it was unscathed in the 2010 earthquake, unlike many older houses in the region, which suffered major damage.

The rooms are spacious with marble-and-stone flooring and sepia photos on white stucco walls. Our room on the first floor was a Deluxe with a wooden staircase leading up to a small loft with a single bed; our own bed was a super-kingsize with oak posts, white cotton sheets, stacks of pillows and olive-green cushions and throw. French doors opened onto a black-and-white tiled terrace with cushioned wicker chairs, a glass-topped table, potted plants and, of course, the film-set panorama of the Andes.

There are 3 rooms in the original 1867 casa de campo, leading off a hallway lined with antique furniture and watercolour paintings - these slightly smaller rooms have double beds and ensuite bathrooms but lack a terrace.

Bathrooms have rain showers and terraSpirit toiletries; wardrobes and shelves are built-in. All rooms have well-stocked minibars, satellite TV and WiFi. Air con is not needed; the rooms stay cool all day and central heating is provided by solar panels.

Features include:

• Hairdryer
• In-room treatments available
• Minibar
• WiFi

Eating

Breakfast is served in the pretty dining room of white tables and blue-wash walls hung with colourful weavings. Creamy yoghurt and blueberries fresh from the family farm are laid out on a buffet table, along with pastries and orange juice. Homemade bread and jams and a plate of ham and cheese are at your table; tea or coffee is brought to you. There are also outside tables under a canopied terrace facing a water fountain.

Staff can make up sandwiches if you want to stay at the hotel and have lunch by the pool or on one of the terraced sitting areas. Alternatively, there is a list of suggested restaurants by the front desk - we went into Santa Cruz and had some typical Chilian chipperones and paella marina at Alma Campasina.

For dinner, Armando personally recommended Club Social, the town’s working men’s club, which has a restaurant open to the public. Waiters were friendly and there was a good selection of seafood, with many wines by the half-bottle. Out of town, Panpan Vinovino is set in an atmospheric old bakery with a huge brick oven and offers variations on local cuisine such as curried lamb stew and eggplant casserole with polenta. Its sister restaurant Mistela has an outdoor terrace and more traditional dishes.

Features include:

• Breakfast
• Lunch by arrangement
• Organic produce

Activities

Most of the young front-desk staff speak a little English and can suggest outings. The following are recommended:

• Winery Tours: The Colchagua Valley is aiming to become South America’s Napa Valley and dozens of local vinas offer tours - Casa de Campo is closest to Apalta, Las Ninas and Montes, which has a gravity-flow winery designed along Feng-Shui principles
  
  
• Explore the Colchagua Valley. There are some stunning hiking trails close by; ask staff to recommend a route, or arrange horse riding or bike hire for you
  
  
• Museo de Colchagua: Santa Cruz’s patron of the arts, Carlos Cardoen, donated his personal collection of pre-Colombian and Conquistador-era artefacts to the town and created a fascinating museum
  
  
• Espiritus de Colchagua: Tour this typical adobe house in Santa Cruz to learn (and taste) how the family makes delicious liqueurs and brandies from 21 different types of fruits, nuts, herbs, and spices (call to arrange a visit; +56-72-822-754, Thurs-Sun)
  
  
• Museo de la Artesania Chilena: Located in the nearby town of Lolol, this museum showcases more than 2,000 pieces of antique craftwork including Mapuche pottery and handicrafts from Rapa Nui (Easter Island)
  
  
• Pichilemu: this coastal town is about an hour away and is popular with surfing expats - wetsuits and lessons available or you can just eat grilled seafood by the shore
  
  
• La Lajuela: this hamlet is the best place to buy chupallas, the handmade braided straw hats - Casa de Campo also has a small shop with ponchos, purses and sombreros for sale
  
  
• The Train Tour: The Tren del Vino is a 1913 steam engine that wends through the Colchagua Valley, stopping at various wineries and offering wine tasting on board - unfortunately temporarily suspended because of the February 2010 earthquake, check this website for updates

Activities on site or nearby include:

• Cycling
• Hiking
• Historical sites
• Horse riding
• Museums / galleries
• Private guided tours
• Shopping / markets
• Surfing
• Swimming
• Wine tasting

Kids

Children will enjoy the pool, extensive grounds, and wandering through pathways to the willow trees by the river at the edge of the fields, or watching the blueberry pickers and sorters. All of the rooms in the extension can fit an extra bed or a baby cot and some are triples with a single bed in a small loft.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

The Deluxe Room has a single bed in a small loft area, and all rooms in the newer extension building can fit a rollaway bed, where a child can stay free of charge

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

• Airport: 2 hours (Santiago)
• Shops: 5 minutes

For more family-friendly places, see our Kids Collection

Location

Casa de Campo is on the main highway into Santa Cruz, the I-50, about 2km from the centre of town. Santa Cruz is in Chile's Colchagua Valley, 200km from Santiago.

By Air:
There is a small airfield near Santa Cruz, called Tobalaba, where planes land at the Club Aéreo del Unco (Unco flight club) but it's mostly for private planes. Most people fly into Santiago and drive here. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving Santiago.

From the Airport
The hotel can arrange a transfer from Santiago - see Rates - but we'd recommend hiring a car (see below) for ease of getting here and so you can visit wineries on the Ruta del Vino through the Colchagua Valley.

By Car:
The hotel is a 2-hour drive from Santiago, for car hire please see our car rental recommendations.

By Bus:
There are buses from Santiago to Santa Cruz every half an hour - the trip takes around 3 hours.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Chile and getting around