Chile has some incredible travel destinations and luxury hotels to go with them, but in the wine lands there are few that can compare to the grandeur and playful luxury of VIK.
Set within a private 4,450ha nature reserve, VIK rises in the distance with its shimmering crown. One of the most incredible roofs you can imagine, this swooping bronzed titanium structure echoes the folds of the undulating hillsides all around you.
As beautiful as it is from the outside, the beauty of VIK really lies inside — between the 22 bedrooms and 7 glass bungalows each designed and decorated by different artists. The owners, Norwegian billionaires and art lovers Alex and Carrie Vik, have put art to the fore throughout — selecting and commissioning each piece themselves.
One of my favourite rooms is Vicky Money, designed by Uruguayan artist Victoria Aguirre who decked out the bathroom with 50,000 one euro cent coins to make the walls and sink glimmer in copper. The colourful Valenzuela room has the iconic red lips sofa of Dalí. While the Letras bungalow boasts a hot tub on the terrace and a giant boxing glove as a lounger.
But the Master Suites are something else. Taking up the corner rooms, you get an incredible view of the valley to wake up to – and bathe to, if you score the VIK room (the owner’s favourite) with its hammock-shaped bathtub.
It’s hard to find a reason to leave the bathtub with views like that. Although the infinity pool, yoga studio and wine spa might be calling you. Or try one of the incredible horse treks you can take around the estate.
Wine and food
The underground winery itself is also a work of art, with a river rock sculpture as its roof, designed by Chilean architect Smiljan Radic and surrounded by the 327ha of vineyards. A tasting of the quadruple of VIK wines also gives you an insight into VIK’s innovative winemaking concepts — from the in-house cooperage where fallen oak is used to toast their ‘barroir’ barrels and where amphorae are made from clay from the estate.
Even the restaurant takes the ‘local’ concept to a different level. Chef Pablo Cácares grows most of his own ingredients for the fine-dining Milla Milla hotel restaurant and laid-back Pavilion winery restaurant. The rest is sourced from local artisans and breeders — including salt harvested from the nearby coast. You can harvest your own ingredients from the 80-plus vegetable varieties grown in the garden, and herbivores will welcome the newest addition to the dining experience — an outdoor vegetarian restaurant nestled between the roots, flowers and fruits.
A stay at VIK is not only a vivid once-in-a-lifetime luxury, but also a holistic deep dive into the heart of Chile’s Central Valley and all the colourful bounties it provides.
While you wait for your dream trip to Chile, you can take a 360 tour online.
For more information, visit vikwine.com