The Spa by the Lake!

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Trish only has one birthday a year, but it seems to come around very rapidly! To celebrate Russ' birthday we always seem to end up in a cheap hostel somewhere in Bolivia, yet for Trish we seem to splash out on a bit of luxury!!

This year was no different and we headed out to the town of Coronel Moldes on the way to Cafayate. After sitting in the small plaza and eating our lunch we took a taxi to our hotel, The Hotel Del Dique for a weekend of pampering in the spa!

Unfortunately the weather wasn't great. Although dry, it was cloudy until the morning of our departure, and we've hardly seen a cloud since!! Still, the room was very comfortable with a great view of both the lake, and the swimming pool (which we didn't use), and the restaurant was superb. Russ particularly liked their mashed potato, which is a bit sad really, as there was so much good food to write home about!

The spa was a nice treat. For Trish it was the first time she had a proper massage. Injury prone Russ is no stranger to the physio's table, but an hour long session of pulling and pummelling was great for both of us. The sauna was lovely and the "Scottish Shower" hydro-massage was interesting!

We also had a body scrub and a facial. Now that was an experience. Neither of us have experienced being wrapped in cling film before (!) and the sensation of gooey mud drying on the face was most unusual.

By the time our weekend was over, we were extremely relaxed and considering a visit to a similar facility in the future!

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Photos

Room With a View
It was a bit grey and dark at times though

Ping Pong
Fun in the games room!

Out for a stroll
About 10km in all, but after all that good food, we needed it!!

Lakeside Hotel
Just underneath the tree you can see the hotel!

Trish contemplates a birthday bungee jump...
...but common sense prevails!!

El Dique
The reservoir, lake, or whatever it is!!

A Comfy Bed
At home our mattress is about 2 inches thick, This was luxury!

You know it's luxury when...
...even the bidet has gold and silver taps!!!!!

Morning of Departure
The sun was shining, it was nice and warm, but we had to go home!