Chile’s passion for food and wine take center stage on this wonderful excursion of hands-on cooking classes and winery tours, punctuated by explorations of Chile’s historical architecture in Valparaiso and Santiago.
DAY 1
After proceeding through immigration and Customs at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport in Santiago, Chile, your local guide will meet you between exit doors numbered 2 and 3 and will take you to your transportation, and then directly to your hotel.
Check in time is at 3:00pm and the remainder of the day is at leisure. Meals are on your own today.
Your hotel in Santiago is the Eco Boutique Hotel Bidasoa which is a 100 percent sustainable, non-smoking hotel designed to offer a unique experience for guests. They are making an effort to incorporate a great number of ecological practices including the use of renewable energy, which engage recycling and construction. They buy local products and their cleaning is 100 percent green.
Guests can also enjoy one of the best restaurants in Santiago without leaving the hotel. Bidasoa Restaurant is known for their authentic Mediterranean cuisine highlighted by vegan specialties that have earned them a top ranking amongst all Santiago Restaurants. The dinner menu is complemented by a diverse selection of over 28 organic and sparkling wines carefully chosen and constantly updated by their sommelier.
DAY 2
After breakfast, board your coach and sit back and relax as you are taken on a panoramic drive through Chile’s capital city Santiago. Its downtown core is comprised of winding streets, grand avenues and squares where you will view many styles of architecture including 19th Century neoclassical, art deco, neo-gothic and newer modern styles.
During the City tour, guests will see part of the most important sectors in Santiago. You will drive along the main avenues, walk around the main squares (Plaza de Armas and Constitución), and see the Presidential Palace, the Cathedral and historical buildings. You will also visit the San Cristobal Hill.
In the afternoon you will enjoy the exclusive experience of “Cooking in Chile”- a family owned house opens to guests who would like to fully enjoy Chilean cuisine. Here you will accompany and learn from renowned cooks how to choose the best ingredients at one of the most popular markets in town, La Vega Central. Once you have found all the necessary ingredients to prepare a typical Chilean lunch, you will be hands-on in part of the meal preparation.
After enjoying your meal, you will be taken back to your hotel where the remainder of the day is at your leisure. Dinner is on your own.
DAY 3
After breakfast and checking out you will travel east into the beautiful Casablanca Valley, a wine-producing area since 1875. The growing conditions are ideal and similar to those in California’s Napa and Sonoma valleys. The valley is oriented in such a way that daily ocean breezes cool the grapes on the vine and result in intensely fruity wines.
Here, you will visit two signature wineries in Casablanca: Casas del Bosque and nearby Viñamar. You will enjoy tours and tastings at both wineries. The white wine produced in the Casablanca Valley is particularly noteworthy.
Following the winery tours, you will visit the esteemed Puro Caballo Ranch, where you will discover the unique qualities of the Chilean horses and watch the huasos skillfully ride them. Then, after a pisco sour cocktail near the stables, you will enjoy a traditional Chilean barbecue lunch featuring various grilled meats. You will also learn how to prepare the meal, receiving assistance and tips directly from the chef.
Once the lunch is over, you will continue travelling towards the coast.
Your overnight will be in Valparaiso, which today remains as one of the most important ports in the Americas.
Dinner is on your own.
DAY 4
After breakfast, you will accompany a local guide to the fish market at Caleta Portales. Here, you will pick up all the necessary ingredients to prepare the traditional Chilean dish “Caldillo de Congrio,” a dish so culturally important that Nobel Prize-winning Chilean poet Pablo Neruda wrote an ode to it.
Then, it is on to the Cardonal Green Market, another bustling marketplace with stands overflowing with fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. As no traditional meal is complete without an aperitif, the guide will purchase the ingredients for the ritual preparation of Chile’s iconic Pisco sour.
Afterwards, the chef will continue to prepare the kitchen for your cooking class, while you explore Valparaiso, a city whose architecture earned it a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage distinction. During the tour, you will meander through the hilly old part of Valparaiso, as well as the impressive downtown section.
You will also ride two “ascensores” or funiculars; one of them climbing to the top of Concepción Hill, an area revered for its boutiques, mansions and restaurants. From here you will walk to the Alegre Hill where you will enjoy a cooking class in a typical “Porteña” house, here the chef will have everything arranged for your culinary experience.
You will then re-join the chef who will have everything arranged for your culinary experience.
Following your immersion into Chilean cuisine and additional time to further explore this part of Valparaiso, you will be transferred to the Central Port located in the San Antonio city.
Land Program Details Step by Step:
•Please note: The order of sites visited may vary to avoid congestion.
•Itineraries with the most up to date details (at the time) will be issued when you are emailed your final cruise documents 21 days prior to sailing. You will then receive one last final itinerary from our ground operator with a Welcome Letter upon arrival or at your hotel. Please review that Welcome Letter and your final itinerary carefully for any further amendments.
•The hotels used for your land program will be the hotels listed in this document unless you have been advised otherwise in advance of the land program start date.
•Guests failing to arrive on Day 1 of a scheduled land program will be considered a no-show and their hotel space released.
Extra Nights
•If you book extra nights through the cruise line, you will be met as per the flight details provided and transferred to your hotel. Check-in is 3:00pm (subject to change). Meals other than breakfast, as well as activities, are on your own until day 2 of the program.
•If you have an early-arriving flight, you may wish to book an extra night as your room will not be ready for occupation until approximately 3:00pm.
•If you book extra nights on your own, transfers are not included.
DAY 1
Arrive at the Arturo Merino Benitez International Airport.
You are met at the main lobby hall of the Santiago Airport between exit doors number 2 - 3 and transferred to your hotel to spend the afternoon and the evening at your leisure.
Check in time at your hotel is at 3:00pm. Although every effort will be made to have rooms available sooner, this cannot be guaranteed.
Meet and Greet and transfers
•Final cruise documents will be emailed 21 days prior to sailing. The local ground agent’s telephone number will be on page 1, if you can’t locate the meet-and-greet representative upon arrival. Be aware that the representative may be assisting others and may not be in sight when you first exit Customs and the luggage claim area.
•Look for someone holding a sign with the cruise line logo and possibly your name. If in doubt, ask the airport staff to direct you to the meeting area for transfers or to page our representative.
•Meet and Greet and transfers are arranged for guests arriving on Day 1 of a land program or for extra nights booked through the cruise line and are arranged based on the flight details received by guests at least 14 days before sailing. Guests arriving independently before the program start date will not have a transfer included.
•If we have not received your flight details or your flights have changed, and the Destination Services Land Team has not been notified, then a transfer cannot be provided, and guests will be responsible for getting to the land program hotel at their own expense. Please immediately contact our Reservations Department for any flight changes before departure.
DAY 2
AM Breakfast at the hotel
9:00am Depart from the hotel for a Santiago city tour
11:30am Meet the representative of “Cooking in Chile” and start your culinary experience
12:15pm Shopping at Vega Central Market
1:00pm Cooking class at “Cooking in Chile”
2:00pm Lunch
3:15pm Departure from “Cooking in Chile”
3:40pm Arrival at your hotel
Remainder of the day is at leisure. Dinner on own
Overnight at the Hotel Eco Boutique Bidasoa or similar hotel
DAY 3
AM Breakfast at the hotel and check out
8:30amq Depart from your hotel and drive to Casas del Bosque
10:00am Private tour at Casas del Bosque Winery
11:00am Drive to Viñamar
11:20am Private tour Viñamar winery (Sparkling wines tasting)
12:15pm Drive to Puro Caballo Ranch
12:40pm Arrive at Puro Caballo Ranch and enjoy a cocktail near the stable
1:10pm Watch a Chilean rodeo show
1:40pm Enjoy a traditional BBQ lunch
3:00pm Depart from Puro Caballo Ranch and drive to Valparaiso
4:00pm Arrive at your hotel and check in
Remainder of the day is at leisure.
Dinner on your own
Overnight at the Sheraton Miramar in Viña del Mar or similar hotel
DAY 4
AM Breakfast at the hotel and check out
8:30am Departure from your hotel
8:40am Drive to the fish market in Caleta Portales
9:00am Visit the fish market in Caleta Portales
9:30am Drive to Cardonal Green Market
9:45am Visit the Cardonal Green Market
10:30am Tour of Valparaiso
11:30am Ride the funicular to Concepcion Hill
11:50am Arrive at Chilean Cuisine´s house
12:00pm Cooking activity and lunch at the local Porteña house
2:00pm Departure from the Cooking classes activity
2:00pm Drive to the Central Port in San Antonio
3:20pm Arrival at the port for embarkation on the ship
Expected Weather:
Santiago: Sunny and dry with temperatures ranging from 15°C to 32°C (59°F to 90°F)
Valparaiso: Occasionally cloudy with temperatures ranging from 8°C to 26°C (46°F to 79°F)
What to Bring:
Due to varying weather conditions, bring clothing that allows you to dress in layers. Weather-appropriate clothing such as hats, sunglasses, and flat comfortable walking shoes are recommended.
Local Currency:
Chilean Peso
Electricity
220 volts. We recommend bringing a universal travel adaptor for electric devices.
Documents and Visa Requirements:
A passport valid for 6 months after travel is required
Hotel addresses:
Santiago: Hotel Eco Boutique Bidasoa
Av. Vitacura # 4873, Vitacura, Santiago - Chile
Phone: (+56 2) 294 18 100
Valparaíso: Hotel Sheraton Miramar
Avenida Marina #15, Viña del Mar, Chile
Phone: (56 - 32) 238 8600
We will only substitute a hotel in unforeseen situations. If a hotel is substituted, it will be similar and with equal ratings and standards and guests will be notified in advance. If guests are not notified of any changes before departure, then the hotels listed in this program will be used.
Program Includes for guests:
•2 nights in Santiago at the Hotel Eco Boutique Bidasoa (superior room)
•1 night in Valparaiso at the Hotel Sheraton Miramar (classic room)
•3 breakfasts
•3 lunches including a half bottle of wine and 1 mineral water per person
•Entrance fees as required per the itinerary
•Gratuities at restaurants where meals are included
•Touring per the itinerary
Please Note: Guests booking their own flights (independent of the cruise line) are responsible for ensuring that the cruise line has the updated arrival information, so your transfer can be arranged. If you book additional nights independently of the cruise line, an arrival transfer is not provided. If we do not receive flight details a minimum of 14 days in advance, transfers will not be provided.
Program Excludes for guests:
•Hotel incidentals including mini bar and room service
•Gratuities for drivers and guides
•Personal expenses
•Any meals and beverages not listed above
Please note: Land programs that encompass multiple days ashore customarily include extensive and prolonged activity, while those of shorter durations typically have more moderate activity levels. However, each program varies, and participants should be prepared to negotiate a mixture of surfaces which may include inclines, cobblestones, sand, and gravel or natural paths. There may also be a need to climb steps or stairs on occasion. Guests who utilize a wheelchair and those with mobility concerns are advised to check with the cruise line in advance to see if any portion of the tour program may not be considered suitable for their individual situation. Weather appropriate clothing; hats; sunglasses; and flat, comfortable walking shoes are generally recommended.
Please note: All land programs are capacity controlled and subject to availability. Programs falling under the minimum number of required participants are subject to cancellation. Pricing listed is also subject to change to meet unexpected cost increases for transportation, land arrangements or currency fluctuations. Once purchased, pricing is guaranteed and not subject to change. Land Programs must be purchased no later than 60 days prior to your sail date. Cancellations made within 60 days or less prior to the sail date are subject to 100% cancellation penalty. There are no refunds for unused portions of any program. Guests failing to arrive on Day 1 of a scheduled land program will be considered a no-show and their hotel space released. Arrangements for accommodation and transfers will be at the expense of guests.
Prices are per person, based on double occupancy and subject to availability.