Lodge Casa Chueca

Talca's Lodge Casa Chueca was built by Franz Schubert and Kathrein Splett, a mountain guide and a tourism professional who settled in Chile in 1993 and founded the travel outfit Turismo El Caminante before establishing this guesthouse nearby. Rooms are simple. Each has hot water, mosquito nets and comfortable bedding, without pretension toward luxury. The grounds hold a swimming pool, a wine cellar, a botanical garden and a small museum, along with a gym for guests who want it. The lodge works well as a base for day trips: into the mountains, out to the coast, or around the region's vineyards. Guests who stay longer tend to use the grounds themselves, walking the garden or reading by the water. The lodge closes each year from early June to the end of August, and hiking season in central Chile generally runs from September through autumn. Staff know the region well, having written trekking guides and maps of the area themselves.