Finca San Antonio

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We could tell Salta was a tourist town from the second we got off the bus. As we waited for our baggage we were approached by a tout for a hostel in town. There were several others ready to pounce. This was the first time we had seen such tactics in Argentina. We brushed them off, found a taxi and jammed ourselves and all our luggage inside.

We wanted to hire a car and thought the airport would be the best place. Town would actually have given us more choice but we ended up getting a car at the airport. The offices are only open when someone is due to return a car or when a flight comes in and there weren't many cars available. The hire lady was really helpful showing us which roads were sealed and unsealed, how long each trip would take and where we should go.

Toby had booked for us to stay a few nights on an estancia. These are the ranches of Argentina and we were looking forward to being in one place for a few nights, home cooked food, space and horse riding. The estancia we were staying at was just outside a small village called El Carrill. The address, like many in Argentina, was the km number. Major roads have a sign each kilometre to tell you how far down the road you are. The estancia was at km146 which meant it was 146 kms from Cafayete. Of course at km146 there was more than one property and we weren't sure where to go. We asked a couple of people and knew we were in the right vicinity. We drove up the drive of where we thought we should be but no one seemed to be around. Then we went to the jam factory next door. Again there was no one around. A lady came across the road from the cafe and managed to confirm that the first place we had been was right. We went back next door and shouted a bit louder. The hostess, Josephine, came out and showed us into our suite.

We had a two room suite in a corner of the bulding. The building had three sides around a courtyard. The fourth side was a fence with a gate to keep it private. The suite was beautifully decorated and furnished, but a little dark. It didn't matter though as we could sit out on the veranda around the courtyard or in the main lounge if we wanted to.

Josephine was hilarious. She didn't speak a word of English and was convinced all tourists spoke French. So we communicated in French. Neither she nor Fiona spoke perfect French so it was fun trying to work out what was really being said. We only needed to ask for anything and a guy called Manuel provided it for us. We went across the road for lunch. The cafe had no menu but served empanadas and so that was what we had for lunch. Then we crossed the road to the jam factory which also sold homemade ice cream. Trust Toby to book a place next to an ice cream store- no other shops for miles!

Afterwards we were a bit tired from our bus travels and so we really just wanted to relax. Josephine insisted on finding us robes and filling the pool for us. The pool was in the gardens and empty. We weren't sure how it was going to be filled so quickly, but somehow they pumped water from an underground source into it and it filled in a couple of hours. We sat by it while Toby swam. It was too cold for the girls even though the day was beautifully hot, verging on too hot. The farm dogs came to say hello and were very friendly. One started to get a little over friendly jumping up and trying to bite if you pushed her away. Eventually one of the gardeners noticed and chased her away.

Dinner was served in the dining room. We sat at one end of the huge solid table and felt like lords and ladies. We had a delicious spinach and ricotta pie for starters which was just about enough for the whole meal but there was more to come. Each dish was served by Manuel who had even changed into white shirt and black pants.

We think we might enjoy our stay here.

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