Hostal Rural Santa Maria Bed and Breakfast — Hotel in Santa María

I hate writing this review but feel obligated. The owners Barbara, Victor, and Carmen-Gloria are lovely people, and when you stay here you feel like you are honored guests of their family, which in a very real sense you are. There is a very attractive pool in the back of the property to relax. We were sitting by the pool on a hot afternoon and they brought us a glass of cold water and a bowl of delicious fruit as refreshment. If given notice, for a very reasonable cost they will make you a simple dinner complete with pisco sour which you can eat in a lovely outdoor setting by candlelight. Breakfast is fine.||||So why the low rating? Despite the name of the place, it is not in the country but on an unattractive street in an unattractive town, a few blocks from the main square. If there is an attractive aspect to Santa Maria, we missed it. We did not feel encouraged to explore the area. Santa Maria itself is difficult to find, even with a GPS, and it takes longer to get to Route 60 than a look at a map might suggest. The owners were strangely reluctant to give detailed directions to the property, even when asked by email. There is no wi-fi available.||||The public areas of the property are well maintained, and give the feeling of an old hacienda. Our room, however, looked like it needed a good scrubbing and painting. It was very dingy looking. The door to the room was mostly glass, but there was no curtain, so there was no privacy or way to shut out the light. The hot water tap was not hot and the cold water tap did not work at all. They eventually fixed the hot water but not the cold. Even without these problems, accomodations are very basic. I wish I could recommend this place, but by U.S. standards...

Deep in the countryside just north of Santiago, and close to the highway across the Andes to Mendoza, we found this gem of a rural accommodation. It is not a 5-star international hotel chain place, you will be disappointed if you expect such, but the absolute opposite: a small, pretty basic private accommodation with some of the most warm and forthcoming hosts we have met through years of travel. Carmen Gloria and Ivan will do their utmost to make you feel welcome. From little extra treats here and there to expert advice on where to go and what to explore.||Mind you, there is no theme park around, no fancy restaurants, no extraordinary museums or such. The attraction is the easy life in the countryside itself, their lovely garden and great pool, and in the surroundings quirky villages, fantastic boutique vineyards and lush valleys against the backdrop of the Andes peaks. ||We had booked for three nights, and afterwards regretted we hadn't stayed for at least a week.||Carmen Gloria and Ivan, thank you so much for your outstanding...

Made a reservation via Booking.com for this property back on 18/3/18 with confirmation details and payment schedules by which I was happy to pre-pay, if that was the case to guarantee booking. On 2/11/18 received notification from booking.com that the hotel wanted to cancel my reservation. When I contacted them to arrange payment they emailed me saying: ||"Preziada Giselle, lamentamos no poder recibirla, el hostal estará completo ese día, por eso solicitamos la cancelación de la reserva. No debió entrar la suya, disculpe las molestias..." ||||It seemed nice property from the website, but they can not be trusted with reservations, particularly if you arrive to Chile from long haul flight during Christmas period with nowhere to stay. Shame on you Hostal Rural...