La Posada las Perdices: A Warm Welcome in Argentina

International Living Postcards--your daily escape

Wednesday, May 9, 2007
Candonga, Argentina

Three years ago, Fernando and Susana left Buenos Aires and bought 1,500 acres in Candonga, which lies in Argentina's spectacular Central Sierras. They converted the original homestead into a guesthouse, filled the common areas with excellent books (in several languages), and filled guests with tasty home-cooking.

We originally booked La Posada las Perdices for two nights, but once we got here, we stayed for four. A peaceful setting and warm welcome has that effect on me.

The guestrooms are laid out honeycomb-style in groups of two and three on the hillside. Across a gurgling river is the main house. Our guesthouse, named Glicina (meaning "wysteria") and painted in delicate mauve, has huge windows overlooking the valley.

Well-behaved cats, dogs, donkeys, and geese wander around in front of the main house. Breakfast and dinner are served inside a large, rustic dining room with high ceilings and huge designer wood-framed mirrors. The soft sounds of Bach's Goldberg Variations play in the background. We had lunch and afternoon tea al fresco, under the leafy fresno trees, listening to the animals and the sounds of the river.

Susana is a superb cook. A friend says she serves "the best steak north of Ushuaia"--he's right. She also produced homemade pasta, pesto, jams, and a wide range of non-slimming cakes, tarts and desserts.

In the mornings, Fernando took us on long horse rides, zigzagging across the river to a waterfall, and up the hillside from where we looked down over Cordoba, a city 30 miles to the south.

In the afternoons, after a long siesta, we walked along the winding track, which leads over the hills, 25 miles to the trendy mountain holiday resort of La Cumbre. Bright green parakeets filled the trees, and we spotted hawks, woodpeckers, and even a condor. The clear air was filled with scents: mint, anis, and wild flowers.

Paola Fornari
For International Living

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P.S. La Posada las Perdices has one quad and five double rooms. The high season cost is $78 per person, which includes all meals and activities, but not wine. If you fly into Cordoba airport, Susana or Fernando will be delighted to pick you up. E-mail: informes@posadalasperdices.com.ar.

P.P.S. Susana and Fernando are selling five-acre lots here for $40,000 per hectare. Their idea is to form a small community, with shared expenses of a common vegetable plot, chickens, goats, fruit trees, cows, and horses.