Home comforts in Puerto Varas

For travellers in southern Chile looking for home comforts and an alter-native to the anonymity of another large hotel, the Guest House in Puerto Varas is a must.

By renovating a 1920s villa a few blocks from the city’s iconic Sagrado Corazón de Jesús church, US-born owner Vicki Johnson has successfully recreated the easygoing atmosphere of an American-style bed and breakfast while retaining the best of southern Chilean culture.

The hotel has ten comfortable rooms with en-suite bathrooms, five with double beds, two triples and three with two single beds, and also offers 24 hour internet access, private parking and airport transfers, plus massages and classes in cooking and yoga.
Delicious breakfasts of home-baked German-style Kuchen and warm bread are served on the huge wooden table which dominates the lounge-come-dining room.
The relaxed atmosphere attracts an interesting bunch of guests, says Vicki, and conversations from travellers of every nationality can last long into the night, fuelled by traditionally sticky Chilean sweets and her own brand of freshly ground coffee.

These last two items are both available at Vicki’s other venture, her Fine Foods and Gifts Store just a few blocks from the lakeshore in the heart of Puerto Varas.

A veritable emporium of delicious sweets (made in a kitchen just behind the shop – ask to see Vicki or her assistants at work) and traditional handicrafts, many produced by local artisans, including hand-knitted sweaters, wood carvings and jewellery produced Chile’s bright blue lapizlázuli stone.

CHOCOLATES

The assistant is at a loss when asked exactly how many varieties of mouth-watering chocolates, truffles and toffees are on sale, but needless to say, there is something for every taste.

Vicki uses 100% Belgium chocolate, free of additives to produce her delicious and seemingly endless range of chocolate delights.

A new line of bars uses chocolates from Ecuador, Venezuela and Costa Rica with delicious fillings chosen especially to compliment the delicate flavour of each cocoa.

Vicki has also developed her own alfajores (traditional Chilean biscuits, often coated in chocolate or icing sugar and sandwiching a thick layer of dulce de leche) including raspberry, white ganache with rose hip and triple manjar varieties.

PURO CABALLO

A Glimpse of Traditional Chile

The sun-drenched hills of the Casablanca Valley are the setting for a unique opportunity to learn about the customs and traditions of rural Chile.

Based at Fundo La Vega, a typical Chilean hacienda where the Moya family has excelled at breeding horse for the past eighty years, Puro Caballo offers visitors a mix of spectacles and experiences that capture the essence of Chilean culture.

After being greeting by the fluent English language guide, visitors have the chance to sample one of the many delicious wines made in the nearby Casablanca and San Antonio valleys or a potent pisco sour, Chile's other favourite tipple.

Next visitors are treated to a sample of the country's fleet-footed national dance cueca, by musicians and dancers in traditional costumes.

But the highlight of the visit is the equestrian show held at the farm's own traditional wooden stadium, known as medialuna or half-moon after the wooden fence which divides the playing area.

Here visitors have a chance to watch the spectacular riding skills of the Puro Caballo horsemen.

The guide explains that the Chilean breed of horse is the oldest on the South American continent.

They are descended from the original horses brought to the Central Valley by the Spanish conquistadores close to five centuries ago and grew up in almost complete isolation behind the Andes mountains and the Atacama desert.

Generally shorter than European horses (they measure just fourteen hands or so against sixteen for an English racehorse), they are extremely agile climbers, ideal for Chile's moun-tainous terrain, and able to turn in much tighter circles than larger breeds could.

The horsemen show off several breath-taking manoeuvres, including rapid figures of eight, trotting sideways and for the grand finale, a version of Chile's fleet-footed cueca dance performed by
a woman and a rider on horseback.

There is also time for a couple of rounds of the Chilean rodeo.

Unlike the Texan version, this involves two riders guiding a bullock around the perimeters of the arena using their steeds´ chests before knocking the animal off-balance over a pile of sa-cking.
After the horse show, visitors can enjoy a huge range of activities including horse riding or trekking in the surroun-ding countryside, a carriage ride round the grounds.

The restaurant, naturally lit through huge windows over looking the com-plex, offers an excellent range of traditional Chilean food.

Puro Caballo is very conveniently located in the historic village Lagu-nillas, one hour from Santiago and 45 minutes from Valparaiso and Viña del Mar.

Puro Caballo
Fundo La Vega - Lagunillas
Casablanca - Chile
CP: Casilla 18 Casablanca
Telephones: 09 - 9359 0485
09 - 9359 0307
www.purocaballo.cl
e-mail: arebolledo@purocaballo.cl