Vina la Playa Hotel Santa Cruz

Vigo was our last port of call on our cruise and I had given this place little thought and done no research, so it came as quite a pleasant surprise. Its a big place and quite spectacular when viewed from the height of the ship.. We didn't get chance to look ...

... a spunky 26yr old competitive jumper. After our morning lessons, we would either ride or walk through the vineyard, or explore other nearby vineyards. <br><br> This is a great property and the best place to stay in the Colchagua Valley. Some people had recommended the Hotel Santa Cruz, part of the holdings of Carlos Cardoen, former arms dealer to Saddam's Iraqi regime. An attached museum ...

Today I´m headed for Vigo on the Northwest coast. Madrid has been good although tiring. It rained yesterday so I spent the afternoon at the Prado Museum. After that I walked forever, took a few pictures and ate some ice cream. If you´re ever in Madrid I recomend the Museo del Jamon, ham and cheese sandwich + beer = 2euros.

... br><br>Crew Schedules and Hours <br><br>We had a crew change today. It occurs almost every other Friday, where two crew go home for a month and two other crew arrive. <br><br>Most large yachts operate seasonally for their owners or are available for charter. In both these situations, there are periods of time when the crew can return home to visit their families. Since we live aboard our yacht all year long, the crew doesn't have the ...

<br><br>Today our port of call was Vigo, Spain. It is in the Galicia region (northwest) and it is quite beautiful. It rains there a lot, but we had a beautiful sunny day. We had hired a guide to show us the area. The highlight of the day for me was going to a castle. It was amazing&#8230; both the building and the ...

After a night of heavy rain in which there was occasionally a raindrop heavy enough to splash the condensation on the inside of the tent on us, it stopped raining. We woke up, showered, got ready for a great hike, got our backpacks ready, and headed to the top of hill out of our campsite. Once at the top, it thundered. Then Kevin realized he forgot his sunglasses. We headed back to the car for the sunglasses and as the clouds looked really threatening, decided to wait for ...

It was great being back behind the wheel again, captain of my own ship with my beautiful co-pilot at my side. Even though our rental car was tiny and not quite a ship, it was great to be in control again, great to be able to pull over and stop where ever you like, great to be able to drive at any speed of my choice (till the co-pilot threatens to jump out) and great to be able to set your own pace for the day. By now Inge-Marie had become an expert navigator, when she had a ...

We almost felt like we were at home passing Los Angeles, Santa Barbara and entering Santa Cruz! Santa Cruz is one of Chile´s many wine regions with more than 30 vineyards. We went to Montes and MontGras and as you can only imagine, we really ...

... produced in this region for centuries, it only has become popular in the last 10 to 15 years as foreign investors have realized the climate here is perfect for growing wine grapes. In addition, the Chilean vineyards started concentrating more on quality than quantity, importing French and American oak barrels to be used in the processing instead of the ones they were using with inferior wood earlier.

... well designed, if eclectic, collection (including lots of arms displays). One of our favourite sections was the collection of beautifully restored carriages from the 19th century. The collection of over 20 antique cars was incredible too. He must be an amazing collector. One could spend days in there. Breakfasts at the hotel were excellent with a daily selection of the seasonal fresh fruit from the region including tiny sweet ...