Mapuyampay Lodge Gastronómico

We spent four days and three absolutely delightful nights at Ruth and Vicente's wonderful home. This place is one of the most tranquil and beautiful places we've ever stayed at. We were given the Africa room, a spacious, airy room that opened onto a lawn. The lodge itself is surrounded by the most amazing variety of fruit trees, with peaches, apples, prune plums, table grapes, pomegranate, watermelon, and pear trees, along with a sampling of various wine grapes growing nearby. We would sit on the lawn, under an umbrella, surrounded by beautiful jasmine, roses, nasturtium (used in our salad!), honeysuckle, canas, and hydrangeas, and just enjoy the peace and quiet. The room was very comfortable and the bed perfect. After struggling with poor wifi all over Chile, it was a relief to be able get very strong wifi. If that's not enough, wait until you try the amazing meals Ruth, a professional chef who has worked all over the world, and has two cookbooks to her name, makes for you. One the first night for dinner we had an elderberry aperitif and homemade chips with hummus (everything sourced from their garden) followed by a zucchini moussaka, spanakopita, and tres leches in a berry compote. On the second night we had a flaky pastry like a pizza slice topped with very light blue cheese and figs, Moroccan style turkey stew with couscous, and a sorbet dessert. Finally, on the last night we had eggplant tempura and shrimp risotto followed by blueberry cobbler and homemade vanilla ice cream. A typical breakfast was stewed apricots, poached eggs on a cornmeal Belgian waffle with avocado and salsa and fresh cheese with the yolk done to a perfect consistency. The breads were accompanied by homemade apricot jam with a touch of vanilla, sour cherry jam, and fresh pear or apple juice with nothing added. All sourced from their home garden. Finally, and crucially, both Ruth and Vicente are the most welcoming, relaxed, and warm hosts you could find. They are very friendly, and clearly take pride in the home and garden they have created, and in the meals they serve the guests. We have stayed all over the world, but it's going to be a long time before we forget, if ever, the four days we spent in the wonderful, secret sanctuary, where, as the poet said, "every prospect pleases".