8/12/2019 Ballathie House Hotel in Scotland on Sunday
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26 August 3, 2014 SCOTLANDonSUND
TRAV
EL
IMAGINE looking up at night and
seeing so many stars in the Milky
Way that it would be easier to nameconstellations after the dark bits.
Up in a mountain valley near Pisco
Elqui in Chile, a good mile or two
from the nearest artificial light, were
shown some of these by our guide.
Appropriately, one of them resembles
a llama and her baby. Upside-down,perhaps, but easy to make out.
The way the terrain rises rapidly
from sea to plains to towering Andean
peaks within about 50km for most of its
4,270km length means that the country
has long been a base for professional
astronomers, especially as the aridinland climate means outstandingly
clear skies. Its also great for amateurs
like us, here in the middle of nowhere
at 1,300 metres high with a campfire
and a couple of pisco sours, the national
drink, to keep us warm essential, as at
night it is very, very cold.Wed arrived on horseback, hired from
locals who assumed we knew what we
were doing. Most of us didnt. Luckily,
the horses did. Seeing the zodiac riseand set across the sky was a stunning
end to a magical week, but there was
more to come back at our hotel. Onthe hill just above Hotel Elqui Domos,
which has a choice of geodesic domes,
with viewing panels in the ceiling, or
apartments with huge skylights, was
a small observatory manned by an
enthusiastic expert who showed us the
life cycle of stars from dust throughstellar nurseries to supernova. It was
quite breathtaking and only a few
metres from my room.
The town of Pisco Elqui is named after
the fact that it has one of the countrys
oldest pisco distilleries, Los Nichos,
founded in 1868. Pisco production is
thought to have begun when Jesuitsbrought muscat grapes from Europe,
but they didnt make good wine, so they
used them for a spirit instead: pisco.
Los Nichos is a small concern, with
the fermentation tanks, steam-heated
kettle still and hand bottling all withina couple of buildings, and anyone with
an interest in whisky distilleries would
find the methods interesting. There is
also the story that the original owner,
one of the Rodriguez family, annoyed
that his staff were stealing the booze,
turned the cellars into a tomb withjokey dedications to friends over each
pisco grave to keep them out. No, I
didnt really get it either.
Just down the road is a much bigger
After climbing the peaks to gaze at the sky, returnto the valleys to sample the pisco and fine winesWORDS CRAIG NAPLES
distillery, which produces Mistral pisco
on an industrial scale. While the smaller
Los Nichos might be more authentic, Ifound its product a little rough (its also
incredibly cheap, about 4 a bottle).
Mistral is more corporate and has an
excellent bar and restaurant attached
(serving huge chunks of goat with roast
potatoes), and does a proper tour with
tastings. Its premium brand, MistralNobel, is reminiscent of a Bowmore
whisky, only sweeter. Its named after
the areas most famous daughter,
Gabriela Mistral, the first woman to
win the Nobel Prize for Literature, and
she is also honoured throughout the
area with statues and a stunning muralat the local school.
Mistrals poetry took much
inspiration from the Elqui Valley, and
much is made of the areas spiritual
energies. So much so that a hippyish
village, Horcon, is colonised by people
who make dreamcatchers and spendtheir days by the banks of the river
taking herbal therapies.
They say there is an energy here,
says our guide Marcelo. There arespas, pools and therapies, and we have
Hindus and Buddhists as well. When
we visit, none is out of bed, as its early,but i ts easy to imagine a buzzing yet
peaceful community here.
Returning down the valley to La
Serena, the capital of the Coquimbo
area, one striking legacy of the Inca
empire follows us for almost the whole
100km: narrow canals dug into themountainside to irrigate the valleys
with water from the high Andes.
Though they arent visible themselves,
their route is obvious as greenery erupts
from the side of bare mountains in a
line that snakes away into the distance.Its an incredible feat of engineering,
made about 600 years ago with verybasic tools, and which still supplies the
valleys agriculture. The rock they are
cut into is also fascinating, formed from
sedimentary rock that means it used to
be quite recently, in geological terms, on
the ocean bed. It was forced up by the
Pacific and Atlantic plates slammingtogether: fossils of sea creatures can be
found at the top of the Andes.
La Serena itself is quite a pretty town,
with neocolonial buildings, and there
is an impressive collection of sculpture
along the main drag, many churches to
admire and an archaeological museuthat houses, among other treasure
a bona fide Easter Island head. Its
popular tourist beach resort, and th
have high hopes for their golf cour
but Im not sure its a great destinati
other than as a staging post to Elqui
Probably better to spend time
Chiles capital, Santiago, and take in tlocal vineyards. Just make sure you
not driving, as Chile has zero toleran
for drink-driving. With our guide Je
Albert Rauld, we crossed from h
sunny Santiago through a short tunn
under the coastal mountain ran
into the chilly mist that makes t
Starstruckin Chile
SUN TRAPClockwise from main: vineyards in the Elqui Valley in spring; the skylights of apartments above Hotel Elqui Domos; a geodesic dome by the pool
8/12/2019 Ballathie House Hotel in Scotland on Sunday
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2SCOTLANDonSUNDAYAugust 3, 2014
S P E C T R U M
L
OVE was in the air when
we headed off to BallathieHouse Hotel for the wedding
of our good friends Donald
and Victoria and what a
splendid event it turned out
to be. After a beautiful service in the
magnificent surroundings of Dunkeld
Cathedral, we repaired down river tothe four-star Ballathie House Hotel for
an unforgettable reception.
BUDGET OR BOUTIQUE?
Grand country house would be a
more accurate description of this
classic hotel. With its stunning
location overlooking the River Tay,Ballathie is splendidly situated with
its turreted traditional Scottish
architecture, which dates back to
the 17th century, peeking out of
the Perthshire countryside. For city
dwellers it offers a taste of luxurious
country living.
ROOM SERVICE
Accommodation varies from thehotel itself with its glorious four-
poster beds with en-suite traditional
bathrooms to the 16 Riverside
rooms, complete with patios with
sensational views of the Tay, a shortwalk through the gardens from the
main building. Guests can also stay
in the hotels Sportsman Lodge, a
three-star facility which provides an
additional 12 bedrooms. We were
lucky enough to be in a lovely room
in the main building with good
views over the policies. Marvellouslycomfortable and quiet, the room had
all the facilities one would expect
from a modern hotel, including TV
and broadband, while retaining the
time-honoured atmosphere.WINING AND DINING
Having toasted the bride and groomwith gallons of champagne, we sat
down to a truly memorable wedding
meal of quite superb quality. Every
guest was superbly catered for by
attentive staff, with the tenderness of
the dishes beautifully complemented
by the excellent wines. After abrilliant meal and erudite and
witty speeches, the dining room
was effortlessly transformed into a
ballroom, where we danced the night
away to the sounds of an excellent
ceilidh band. The following day,
with the excitement of the weddingover, we enjoyed a slightly quieter
meal where again we were able tosavour the superb menu and fine
wines. As one might expect, there
was a great selection of fish on offer,
and the pan-fried plaice fillet was
particularly enjoyed by my wife. Iwent for the Ballathie beef, which
was also delicious. A highlight for
both of us was the superb butternut
squash and sage soup and the
wonderful cheese board.
WORTH GETTING OUT OF BED FOR
We enjoyed walking around theBallathie estate and strolling along
the river bank. For those into their
country sports, the fly-fishing on
the Tay is a huge attraction. As our
free day was a Sunday, this was
not an option for us, unfortunately.But angling aficionados amongst
the guests raved about the nearby
brown trout and salmon fishing. On
days other than Sundays, ghillies
take guests out in boats on the
Ballathie beats. As a keen golfer,
it was disappointing to read inthe hotel literature that Ballathies
nine-hole course once played by
the famous English amateurs Roger
Weatherhead and Cyril Tolley
had not been restored since it was
ploughed up to feed the nation
during the Second World War.However, the famous championship
courses at Blairgowrie, and
numerous others, are within distance
of a few well-struck shots. Alsowithin range are miles of excellent
walking and cycling, Glenshee ski
centre and the world record-breakingbeech hedge at Meikleour. For those
who fancy a bit of Roald Amundsen-
style adventure, Ballathie is home to
the Scottish Sleddog Academy.
LITTLE EXTRAS
Our stay was made all the more
pleasurable by the attentive andefficient staff. Our own enjoyment
of Donald and Victorias lavish
hospitality was greatly enhanced by
tolerant bar staff who were adept at
dealing with well-refreshed wedding
guests (such as ourselves).
GUEST BOOK COMMENTS
As one might expect for anestablishment that has recently been
named the best independent hotel in
Scotland in the Catering in Scotland
(CIS) Excellence Awards, a stay at
Ballathie is a truly memorable and
charming experience.
Tom Peterkin
Ballathie House Hotel, Kinclaven, Stanley,
Perthshire PH1 4QN, 01250 883268,
www.ballathiehousehotel.com. Standard doubleroom in main house, B&B from 100pp per
night, with dinner from 145pp per night.
Master rooms, B&B from 130pp per night,
with dinner from 165pp per night. Sportsman
Lodge, B&B from 60pp per night, with dinner
from 105pp per night.
BALLATHIE HOUSE HOTEL,PERTHSHIRE
DO NOT DISTURB
Casablanca region renowned for whitewine. If you drink a Chilean sauvignon
blanc or chardonnay its probably from
here, and you can taste the mineral
hint of jalapeno from the soil. We
visited Casas del Bosque for a winery
tour and tasting that was extremelyinformative and reasonably priced.
One grape variety to watch out for is
carmenere, which was rediscovered
in Chile among the merlot vines in
the mid-1990s, having being declared
extinct in Europe.
Just up the road, at Vina Indomita,we ran through their wine list too,
accompanied by generous helpings
of dishes created by chef Fernanda
Guerrero. These ran from tuna tartare
with soy jelly, in a reduction of apple,to a huge plate of mushroom-stuffed
beef and mashed potatoes. It was allexcellent, if a bit too much on top of a
huge volume of fine wine. Not that we
were complaining.
Chile is such a narrow, long country
about as tall as North America is
wide it covers several climate zones:
the far north pokes over the Tropic ofCapricorn and is largely desert; the far
south is full of lakes and fjords, more
like Scotland or Scandinavia. It is also
very, very far from Scotland, so it might
be best to combine a visit with other
South American countries, or even use
it as a stop on a round-the-world trip.
HOW TO GET THERE
Return flights to Santiago de Chile from
London Heathrow via Madrid with LAN
(www.lan.com) start from 644 per person
and depart daily. Easyjet flies to Madrid
from Edinburgh, but connecting with BA and
Iberia though London may be easier.PLACES TO STAY
Sheraton Santiago, Ave Santa Maria 1742,
Santiago +56 2 2233 5000, 105 based on
a standard room with breakfast included
(www.sheraton.com)
Hotel Elqui Domos Camino Pblico, Pisco
Elqui (book through www.i-escape.com/
elqui-domos/overview), from 92 per personincluding breakfast.
THINGS TO DOSantiago: wine tours. A private day tour in
Casablanca Valley with guide and driver, a
tour in Casas del Bosque Vineyards and a
tasting of four reserve and grand reserve
wines, a tour of Indomita Vineyards with atasting of four reserve and grand reserve
wines and three-course lunch with wine and
coffee in Indomitas Vineyards Restaurant:
two passengers, from 166 each; four
passengers, from 120 each; six passengers,
from 105 each (www.andestraveler.com)ELQUI VALLEY: TURISMO DELFINES
Horse riding is 83, and with the distillery
tours included, 107. Also includes transport
(www.turismodelfines.com)
FACT FILE
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