Finca La Azul

Managers Pablo and Shirley are very helpful and will go to great lengths to ensure you are comfortable and get the best out of your stay, lending Finca La Azul the feel of a friendly family home – albeit a very stylish one.

This small family-owned hotel has six bedrooms, each facing the vineyards and the snow-capped Andes beyond, and featuring exposed stone walls and tasteful geometric designs - the decor is sleek and contemporary but features organic touches such as pebbles embedded in the walls. Huge, floor-to-ceiling windows allow you to get a really good look at the mountains wherever you are – even from the bathrooms! Contemporary artworks adorn the walls, while the beds are decorated with traditional Andean fabrics and cushions.

The hotel's cuisine pays homage to the mixed ancestry of the family owners, with Spanish, Italian, Arabian and Latin Criolla cuisines and traditions represented. With a quincho (an outdoor area designed for traditional Argentinean barbecues) and a mud oven, used to make the typical pan del campo (homemade bread), enjoy an al fresco-style lunch by the pool overlooking the mountains. Dishes range from homemade gnocchi to succulent steaks, and barbecue nights are a regular occurrence.

With two restaurants, one in the hotel and one located at the winery, you will be spoilt for choice, as each serves sumptuous meals paired with perfectly balanced wines - the only way to accompany the food is with a glass of local wine from the Uco Valley, where some of Argentina’s finest is produced.

Situated in the heart of Argentina's premier wine region, Finca La Azul has massively expanded its grape variety to include Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, and to accompany the freshly-prepared pan del campo, Finca La Azul is also growing hectares of peaches, plums, and quince to make delicious homemade marmalades and jams.

The finca’s lovely gardens, overlooking the vineyards of the Uco Valley with the Andes Mountains beyond, are a great place for a stroll, and there’s a lovely outdoor pool where you can go for a refreshing dip. Back inside you’ll find a cosy library, where you can brush up on your classical Argentinean literature.

As tends to be the case in the Uco Valley, wine tastings are the preferred activity here, with a wide selection of the finest wines from the Mendoza region and beyond. Cookery classes are also on offer. Away from the hotel, the Uco Valley and the Andes beyond are waiting to be explored, either on foot, by bike or horse, or with more adventurous activities such as paragliding. Shirley and Pablo will happily give advice about excursions and help you organise them, including providing you with expert guides.