"Set the scene Having acquired an enormous slice of land in Chile’s Millahue Valley, a craggy, robust environment, the Norwegian investor and art collector Alexander Vik planted nearly 10 percent of it with vines in 2006, and is already producing some of the country’s most revered wines. The adjacent property, Puro Vik, might equally lay claim to being Chile’s best hotel. What’s the story? Vik began to diversify into hotels in 2009 when, having built a 12-bedroom Spanish-colonial-style ranch in José Ignacio, near Punta del Este in Uruguay, where his maternal grandmother came from, he turned it into a hotel. That property, Estancia Vik, was the first Vik Retreat; Puro Vik is the fifth. What can we expect in our room? Each casa is different. Letras, for example, is named after the graphic art on its walls and comes with a De Sede chaise lounge shaped like a giant red-and-white boxing glove; a desk lamp crafted from the headlamp and handlebars of a Vespa scooter; and a safe and fridge concealed within what looks like a retro petrol pump. How about the food and drink? There’s no choice at supper. One night it’s Italian: a translucent carpaccio of veal with an airy mousse of avocado and polenta crisps, exquisitely fine pasta flavored with squid ink, filled with white fish, and dressed in a deep green sauce of local herbs. The next, it could be bao buns and pork belly, followed by ramen with prawns. First courses come accompanied by a glass of Milla Cala, the estate’s second wine (the red is a Bordeaux-like blend of cabernet sauvignon, cut with merlot, carmenère, syrah, and cabernet franc) and the grander Vik cuvées follow. Anything to say about the service? We couldn’t fault the staff (nor the eight horses, who get equal billing in the directory found in each room, “because they work too”). Most are Chilean, though Williams the engaging Venezuelan waiter is the one we remember most fondly. However many you may have visited in the past, it’s worth doing the tour of the estate’s state-of-the-art winery. Even the most seasoned wine aficionados will learn something. What sort of person stays here? Oenophiles, contemporary art buffs who like the outdoors. As the hotel’s Argentinian general manager, Pablo Ferral, noted, Puro Vik “isn’t for everybody. It’s not a place for kids or babies.” What’s the neighborhood scene like? It’s located in the depths of the country, 17 miles from the nearest town (San Vicente de Tagua Tagua, not worth the detour) and about 100 miles (about two and half hours) south of Santiago airport, so kick back and stay put. Anything you’d change? Puro Vik shares its grounds with marginally less rarefied Vik Chile next door, which opened in 2014. It’s hardly a snag, but it does mean the spa, gym, and art-filled sitting room can fill up when the weather is bad, and it’s unlikely that the pool is ever empty. Is it worth it? Each casa is extraordinary both in terms of its architecture and the art and design it contains. Staying amid work of this beauty makes for enduring memories." - Claire Wrathall
