Lodge Andino El Ingenio - Cajón Maipo — Hotel in San José de Maipo

We were visiting Chile from the US and had to re-route after the flooding in the Atacama desert. Picked Cajon del Maipo due to its proximity to Santiago and picked the Lodge Andino after seeing the rating on Trip Advisor. It exceeded all expectations. We were greeted by Henry, the chef who warmly welcomed us and gave us the lay of the land in wonderful English. We ate 2 lunches, 1 dinner and 1 breakfast at the Lodge and were blown away by how wonderful the food was. The cocktails that came with lunches and dinner were amazing. Couldn't decide which was best- the strawberry martini or the mint pisco sour! The courses for each meal were perfectly paired. Henry came out after each course was served and we very much enjoyed him discussing his process. Rebeka assisted in serving the meals and she was kind, hospitable, and very engaging with the most lovely smile. Gonzalo was yet another employee who helped make our experience so wonderful. He spoke perfect English and accompanied us on a horseback ride. He was incredibly knowledgable about the area (flora/fauna/animals/geography) and taught us much about Chilean history. Henry, Gonzalo and Rebeka were amazing and after only 24 hours at the lodge, we were very sad to leave them. The grounds, main lodge, and our tucked away room were perfectly curated and so very warm and inviting. The pool and jacuzzi were private and well maintained. The orchard that was occupied by herd of sheep made for a magical vista. Massages were booked with only a few hours notice (therapist was wonderful) as was the horseback ride. This tucked away paradise in the canyon is worth...

Where to start. This place is just unbelievable. Beautiful grounds, secluded and quiet, a well maintained pool and hot tub, incredibly scenic views and surroundings and ideal location for walking further into Cajon de Maipo.||||What really makes it outstanding is two things: 1) the food and 2) the staff.||||In particular, Henry the chef, alongside his sous chef, creates fabulous meals every day, to any dietary requirements (one of us was gluten free) and with different themes and ingredients each day. Amazing breakfasts, 3 course lunches and 4 course dinners, all gourmet is style and delicious. He also went out of his way to be inventive and create new ideas based on what we’d previously liked, he made superb packed lunches to take out on walks, and even baked fresh bread. ||||Rebecca was also the sweetest, most charming hostess and waitress - so accommodating, funny, nothing was too much effort, and between them they made the stay what it was.||||Would come here again in a heartbeat and hopefully won’t be long...

Pro :||- very nice welcoming staff and 'chef de cuisine'.||- big lovely garden and orchard - very peaceful and quiet, swimming pool and seats||- groundfloor room with little private terrace - ||- very cosy common spaces with several woodstoves||- the beautiful setting of the lodge in a magnificent valley||- lovely diner and breakfast||- excellent location for visits to 'Embalse en Yeso', 'hike to the San Francisco glacier'(trail not yet open on Nov 2 and 3, 2017 - bridge repair in progress), banõs Morales,....||||Contra :||- We had some problems entering the closed gate at the entry of the property. (We did 't have wifi in Chile to contact them)||- No possibilty to diner a la carte. No menu=no prices.(no restaurants in the neighbourhood)||- Room needs updating : wallpaper off the wall under the desk- wet spots in dressing ||- overpriced : 200 usd/ night without taxes (very nice breakfast...