Gonzalo is the owner of Natural Wine Tours and he is the most amazing person. He set up our entire…read moretrip to the Santa Cruz region. He has all positive reviews on TripAdvisor and thought he needed a Yelp review. He made lunch reservations for us at Fuegos de Apalta (highly recommend) and then we went horseback riding through the vineyards. We were on Mont Gras vineyards. We met our guide, Nicolas who led the tour. There was a gentlemen (Juan?) who works with the horses and held the ropes for the horses for the kids. He was amazing! He was very sweet to the kids. He offered panchos for everyone because it was a bit chilly. Nicolas was taking pictures along the way. It was a beautiful view at the top of the mountain! They had drinks for us just in case we were thirsty. Kids were amazed that Paloma (dog) came for the ride up the mountain. After our two hours tour, we got to try a glass of the Mont Gras Pinot noir. Kids got cookies :) The whole experience was excelente! But the fun doesn't end there. The next day, we did a wine making class while the kids got to make the wine label for the bottle of wine! We went to the Mont Gras Winery and met Marcello who was great! He showed us the different types of leaves for each grape. We tried some grapes too. Then he quizzed the kids. The kids had a blast as they were engaged during this process. I got to make my own blend of wine to take home. The kids helped cork the wine and seal it. Even if you didn't have kids, this was such an educational experience! Gonzalo catered this experience around my kids and wanted them to have fun! He made the entire experience so memorable for all of us. Thank you! Gonzalo then set up lunch for us at Rayuela which is another restaurant people recommended. Gonzalo made our short trip to the Santa Cruz region a memorable one and one we will cherish forever. I highly recommend him. Also, he never stops working! He was on vacation while we visited but wanted to make sure everything was perfecto! Even when we decided we wanted to have a late dinner, he recommended a place and called the restaurant to make reservations for us. Gonzalo's service is one of a kind and I really hope people get to experience it as well. Muchas Gracias, Gonzalo!!! Gonzalo's website: https://naturalwinetours.com/

Amazing experience! We had 9 in our party and were the only ones there for the day. We were…read moregreeted with various wines and several appetizers. Then we sat down for lunch. We chose the chefs choice. The chef was one of the owners. His love for food was very apparent. First we had freshly made pasta. The flavor was fabulous. We also had seafood causa, a stack of seafood. Also amazing. Throughout the day the other owner talked to us about the wines, their history getting there and other interesting topics. Afterwards. We took a tour of the house and the winery. A totally amazing experience we will not forget.

This one is tough. If I could leave 3.5 I would, but the overall experience pushes it to 4 in my…read morebook. My friend and I wanted to stay here but it was outrageously expensive. Something like $1500/night USD. But we still wanted the experience so we were offered a day pass essentially for $300 US each. This included a one hour guided horseback ride around the property, a three course lunch with two glasses of wine, a wine tour and tasting, and access to the spa and pool, which had breathtaking views. We were told to arrive at 9:45 and that our hotel was only about 30-45 minutes to the vineyard. This ended up being a gross understatement. It took us one hour and ten minutes so we didn't arrive until about 10:15. Since the first wine tour went off at 10, we audibled at the direction of the vineyard and took the horses out at 11, got back at 12, hung out by the pool until we decided to have lunch at 2, followed by the last wine tour at 4. I was somewhat immediately annoyed that we weren't offered anything to drink upon arrival. For $300/person, I expected a welcome glass of champagne or sparkling wine, or at the very least water. But we got nothing. The horseback ride was a very cool first experience for me. The property is stunning. The views are out of this world. The staff is very nice, and our wine tasting guide, Claudio, is very knowledgeable and speaks incredible English (he's a former English teacher). What left me with a bad taste in my mouth was the tasting itself. Vik only sells blends, but their flagship blend was less than desirable, especially at a price point of $125 US. And all six of us at the table agreed. The one wine we loved - the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, which my friend compared to Caymus - was not for sale. Earlier at lunch, we also had one of the best Sauvignon Blancs I've ever had, which also was not for sale. If you're willing to cough up the dough to spend a day here or stay as a guest you'll definitely enjoy yourself but you'll likely leave wondering whether it was worth it.

Very nice upscale hotel! VIK sits on a hill overlooking the vineyards and small lake. It is modern…read moredesign and nice comfortable rooms. This is probably the best winery experience in Chile many others are wired to pour the cheap wines even if you are willing to pay$$$$$. We did drive to Vina Montes but would not bother with that but Francis Mallman Fuegos de Aplata next door just like Miami or Mendoza location.

We were supposed to stay at the Vendimia Boutique hotel, but there were issues with the rooms and…read moreprior guests not leaving so the owners booked us into their other property. This one is bigger and much nicer. It's not in downtown Santa Cruz but it's quieter. The owners were outstanding (only the son and daughter) speak English. They were very hospitable and did their best to make us happy. They even gave us a bottle of wine to apologize for the confusion and mix up with the original booking. The grounds are a lush garden with a pool (the filtration system needs work), and a balcony that looks out over the pool where you can watch the stars. It has a rustic vibe with modern amenities. The rooms were spacious and had AC. They had a fridge with drinks and a shelf with snacks (for purchase) in each room. Thr water pressure is quite weak and sometimes there is not enough hot water. The breakfast is communal and the hosts like to chat with everyone if they can. They will make you a bowl of almost scrambled eggs and there is fresh fruit, coffee, bread, and meats/cheeses as well. Nothing fancy but it's filling. They happily offer restaurant suggestions (2 close by) and can give advice on winery tours and other excursions. There are multiple seating areas and we felt very comfortable here. I will definitely stay here again if I'm in the area.

For hotel options in Santa Cruz, this is probably your best bet. The front desk and staff are super…read morefriendly and helpful with accommodations and valet parking. The rooms are small but nice. The breakfast buffet is fresh and delicious and the dining room is spectacular. The property is very large with a wine room in the back by the pool area and spa, where I got a 90 minute massage/exfoliation/facial treatment for just over $50,000. My only complaints are the archaic safe, which I couldn't get to work despite help from the staff, and the thin doors against the echo of the hallway, which made for a challenge when attempting to sleep in. Overall, I highly recommend this place if you're touring wine country in Santa Cruz.

Nice hotel in a very busy town. Helpful staff. Pool is icy cold!…read more Rooms didn't have a great view.

*** 3.5 stars *** We…read moregot a discount rate of ~$100 per night, and for that rate, I have no complaints at all about Hotel Vendimia. Location It is located close to the main part of Santa Cruz (about a ten minute walk from the square), where the museum is located and where we had dinner both nights. There isn't a ton to do in the square, so I don't think it's necessarily worth paying extra to stay right in the heart of it. If you're staying here, you are most likely going to be spending the days away from the hotel visiting wineries anyways. Breakfast Breakfast is included, but the latest time that it can be served is 9:45 am. Each night they ask what time you want it served, and both nights we said 9:45 am, at which time they called us in the morning - and we were still asleep - and passed on the breakfast. So I can't speak as to the quality of it. I'm sure they were a bit annoyed to prepare it and have us not eat it; hopefully someone on the staff was able to enjoy it. Wifi The Wifi is free, but spotty. Good enough to check emails and whatnot, but I wouldn't try to stream a movie on it or anything. Parking There is a driveway in front of the hotel that can accommodate 4-5 cars. There also appears to be tons of street parking in this area, but it was nice to have the car parked right out front where we could see it. Room There are about 8 rooms, each named after a type of wine. We were in Room 8, the upstairs corner room facing the street. The rooms are simple and not very large, but have everything that you need. The TV didn't appear to have any reception, but we were never really hanging out in the room long enough to need to turn it on anyways. They provide you with a little fruit bowl with a banana, pear, and apple. The shower was hot and the room had its own AC unit. "Propina" - Tip They requested a 10% tip upon our check out. A bit on the high side, and I don't really like being asked for a tip, but at the end of the day it was just $20 so we paid it. There appears to be one guy working all the time, and his English while not perfect is good enough, and he is very nice and seems to really love his job and really wants to be helpful. Power I'm not sure if this happens all the time, or if we were just "lucky" but on our first night, they had to turn the power off for ten minutes and then we heard the loud sound of a generator outside. The next morning, the power was off all morning and was still off at noon when we left for the day. The shower was still hot and we got ready using the sunlight so it wasn't a huge deal, but a bit odd. Front Door The front door is always locked and you need to push a bell to bet let in. Not a big deal since the place is small and someone was always there to open it for us quickly. Other There are two floors and no elevator, but the guy working there insisted on bringing our bags up. I guess that's to help justify the 10% tip that he'll be asking for later on. There's a patio outside with a pool which we saw some people using, but we never used ourselves. We were too busy exploring wineries to hang around the hotel!

This hotel is an old "hacienda" or "casa de campo" . It's rustic and original. The rooms are clean…read more The front patio is really pretty. The garden has roses, palms and cherry trees. There are vineyard with chairs to eat or drink alfresco. The breakfast is included. There is private parking inside in the back patio for guests. The hotel has its own restaurant. The bathrooms don't have shampoo or conditioner, only hand soap and toilet paper. The hotel is right in the center of el Pueblo "Malloa" is conveniently located near everything the Pueblo has to offer.