Finca Valentina

The hotel’s owners, Valentina and Fabrizio Ghilardi, are expatriate Italians from Milan who brought their young family to northwest Argentina in 2006. The hotel is imbued with that family atmosphere, and Valentina and Fabrizio will go to great lengths to make your stay as enjoyable as possible; be sure to take advantage of their travel agency to organise excursions into Salta.

Finca Valentina’s eight comfortable guestrooms follow the same rustic-chic aesthetic as the rest of the hotel, with extensive use of robust wooden furniture, whitewashed adobe-style walls, and crisp white linens; traditional South American textiles also adorn the walls and furniture. All the rooms have underfloor heating, and either a private patio or access to a shared gallery.

Breakfast at Finca Valentina is a fantastic way to start the day, accompanied by spectacular views of the pre-Andean mountains. It takes the form of a spread of homemade cakes and pastries, bread from the local bakery, jams and honey from neighbouring farms, and other natural and locally sourced products; drawing on the couple’s heritage, breakfast is accompanied by a range of delicious Italian-style coffees. Dinner is also available, taking the form of an ever-changing menu of traditional Argentine dishes accompanied by the finest wine from Salta and Mendoza. Cookery classes are also available.

The hotel’s cosy living room is the perfect retreat after a day’s activities, featuring a wood fireplace and a modest library. There’s also an outdoor swimming pool with a solarium, and a garden and barbecue area where guests are invited to relax.

Owner Fabrizio also runs a prestigious local travel agency specialising in excursions into Salta, which range from walks of a few hours to multi-day adventures. For example, you can enjoy a day trip to the elegant city of Salta or the beautiful brightly coloured valleys of Cafayate, or opt for longer trips which head into the otherworldly Calchaqui Valley for several days at a time. The lunar landscapes of the Puna of Catamarca, characterised by huge fields of pumice stone, are also not to be missed.