Hot Springs Termas de Cauquenes
I'm back from my trip down South. It was so beautiful. I am noticing that in the area around Santiago it is even warmer, summer has finally come! I like things in extremes, and I hope you do to. If soaking in 120-degree mineral water in Carrera Italian marble tubs is your idea of a good time, Termas de Cauquenes hot springs resort may be for you. Located in a quiet valley painted with tall, pale green cypress trees, this hotel complex set alongside the rushing Cachapoal River is less than two hours south of Santiago.
Attendants drew two delicious thermal baths for me during my 24-hour stay at Termas de Cauquenes. The healing waters contain lithium, calcium, sodium and chlorine, and since pre-Hispanic times have been said to heal injuries and rheumatism and to aid in respiratory, digestive and skin ailments, among others.
Lovers of fine food will also enjoy this hot springs resort. Five-course lunches and dinners and an excellent breakfast buffet are included in the not insubstantial price of lodgings here. Dinner included an exceptional smoked salmon appetizer and good corvina (a flaky white fish) meunier. Breakfast was highlighted by a variety of excellent pastries and coffeecakes and surprisingly flavorful coffee. The next day's lunch of beef filet and warm apple strudel with creme anglaise were well made too.
The extensive wine list has a number of interesting choices, especially in its Regional Wines section. Particularly recommended are the wines of Vina La Ronciere -- unctious Chardonnay Reserve as well as elegant Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves are a bargain at US$19.
My fellow diners included older couples and families, the ambiance is laid back and people keep to themselves.
The first testimonial about "the thermal waters of Rancagua" was written by Jose Toribio in 1581, just 63 years after the founding of Santiago. They were ceded by the Spanish military to the Santo Domingo convent in 1605, and doctors in Santiago sent patients to partake of the healing waters throughout the colonial period.
Despite its distance from the capital, by 1800 the colony's top leaders and landowners were flocking to Termas de Cauquenes. After Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, Creoles (Spaniards born in the New World) throughout the colonies began talk of independence and the hot springs were a favorite place for discussions among the future Chilean rebels.
In 1814 improvements in the road to Termas de Cauquenes funded by the government of Santiago began, only to be interrupted by the Battle of Rancagua, in which the Spanish royalist army defeated an insurgent independence force. Chile's independence war hero and first president, Bernardo O'Higgins, who fled to Argentina after the disastrous battle, was fond of the springs, and there is a bust in his honor in one of the interior courtyards of the hotel.
The railroad reached the nearby town of Gultro in 1856, reducing the trip from Santiago to less than five hours from the previous 12 or more, while tracks to the U.S.-owned Braden Copper Mine arrived at the hot springs themselves in 1911.
With construction of the Eduardo Frei Montalva Copper Highway from Rancagua east to the huge El Teniente mine in 1970, the railway was removed. Termas de Cauquenes, about 20 km east of Rancagua, can now be reached by car via the highway, which offers gorgeous views of the Andes, and then a short dirt road from the town of Coya. An alternative route is via the bumpy dirt road on the former train bed along the river. This unmarked road is a right turn exactly 5 km east of the Pan-American Highway (Ruta 5) in Rancagua.
In addition, Buses Coya goes to the springs daily from the Rancagua bus terminal at 9:30 am and 11 am, returning at 11 am and 5:15 pm. The terminal is near the Rancagua train station, reached by the quick Metro Train from Santiago's Estacion Central. Also, the hotel offers transportation from Santiago's airport.
After a period of decline, the hot springs resort was purchased by a Swiss couple in 1983, and currently has 50 rooms grouped around two courtyards as well as a spacious dining room, television lounge and bar. There are ping-pong and pool tables, but otherwise entertainment consists of rest and relaxation in the beautiful natural surroundings.
The resort has a park along the river, and the virtually undeveloped Rio Cipreses (Cypress River) National Reserve is just 16 km above the Termas.
(Termas de Cauquenes, phone (72) 899010, fax 899009, email cauquene@ctcinternet.cl. The accommodations include bed and breakfast, or full room and board for slightly more, and are reasonably priced. Inexplicably, the price does not include thermal baths, which cost extra. A whirlpool bath for one person costs a little more than the thermal baths, and even more for two. You can also get massages and bioenergetic and Reiki treatmenets pretty cheaply. These rates apply for day use as well. There is a modest outdoor swimming pool that is heated depending on flow from the hot springs.
There is also a restaurant serving meals to people not staying at the facility, including lunch and dinner, a Friday tasting dinner, Saturday dinner, once (afternoon tea), sandwiches and desserts. Dee-licious!
Attendants drew two delicious thermal baths for me during my 24-hour stay at Termas de Cauquenes. The healing waters contain lithium, calcium, sodium and chlorine, and since pre-Hispanic times have been said to heal injuries and rheumatism and to aid in respiratory, digestive and skin ailments, among others.
Lovers of fine food will also enjoy this hot springs resort. Five-course lunches and dinners and an excellent breakfast buffet are included in the not insubstantial price of lodgings here. Dinner included an exceptional smoked salmon appetizer and good corvina (a flaky white fish) meunier. Breakfast was highlighted by a variety of excellent pastries and coffeecakes and surprisingly flavorful coffee. The next day's lunch of beef filet and warm apple strudel with creme anglaise were well made too.
The extensive wine list has a number of interesting choices, especially in its Regional Wines section. Particularly recommended are the wines of Vina La Ronciere -- unctious Chardonnay Reserve as well as elegant Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon Reserves are a bargain at US$19.
My fellow diners included older couples and families, the ambiance is laid back and people keep to themselves.
The first testimonial about "the thermal waters of Rancagua" was written by Jose Toribio in 1581, just 63 years after the founding of Santiago. They were ceded by the Spanish military to the Santo Domingo convent in 1605, and doctors in Santiago sent patients to partake of the healing waters throughout the colonial period.
Despite its distance from the capital, by 1800 the colony's top leaders and landowners were flocking to Termas de Cauquenes. After Napoleon invaded Spain in 1808, Creoles (Spaniards born in the New World) throughout the colonies began talk of independence and the hot springs were a favorite place for discussions among the future Chilean rebels.
In 1814 improvements in the road to Termas de Cauquenes funded by the government of Santiago began, only to be interrupted by the Battle of Rancagua, in which the Spanish royalist army defeated an insurgent independence force. Chile's independence war hero and first president, Bernardo O'Higgins, who fled to Argentina after the disastrous battle, was fond of the springs, and there is a bust in his honor in one of the interior courtyards of the hotel.
The railroad reached the nearby town of Gultro in 1856, reducing the trip from Santiago to less than five hours from the previous 12 or more, while tracks to the U.S.-owned Braden Copper Mine arrived at the hot springs themselves in 1911.
With construction of the Eduardo Frei Montalva Copper Highway from Rancagua east to the huge El Teniente mine in 1970, the railway was removed. Termas de Cauquenes, about 20 km east of Rancagua, can now be reached by car via the highway, which offers gorgeous views of the Andes, and then a short dirt road from the town of Coya. An alternative route is via the bumpy dirt road on the former train bed along the river. This unmarked road is a right turn exactly 5 km east of the Pan-American Highway (Ruta 5) in Rancagua.
In addition, Buses Coya goes to the springs daily from the Rancagua bus terminal at 9:30 am and 11 am, returning at 11 am and 5:15 pm. The terminal is near the Rancagua train station, reached by the quick Metro Train from Santiago's Estacion Central. Also, the hotel offers transportation from Santiago's airport.
After a period of decline, the hot springs resort was purchased by a Swiss couple in 1983, and currently has 50 rooms grouped around two courtyards as well as a spacious dining room, television lounge and bar. There are ping-pong and pool tables, but otherwise entertainment consists of rest and relaxation in the beautiful natural surroundings.
The resort has a park along the river, and the virtually undeveloped Rio Cipreses (Cypress River) National Reserve is just 16 km above the Termas.
(Termas de Cauquenes, phone (72) 899010, fax 899009, email cauquene@ctcinternet.cl. The accommodations include bed and breakfast, or full room and board for slightly more, and are reasonably priced. Inexplicably, the price does not include thermal baths, which cost extra. A whirlpool bath for one person costs a little more than the thermal baths, and even more for two. You can also get massages and bioenergetic and Reiki treatmenets pretty cheaply. These rates apply for day use as well. There is a modest outdoor swimming pool that is heated depending on flow from the hot springs.
There is also a restaurant serving meals to people not staying at the facility, including lunch and dinner, a Friday tasting dinner, Saturday dinner, once (afternoon tea), sandwiches and desserts. Dee-licious!
Posted by Rebecca at
9:34 PM
1 Comments:
I am thinking about spending three days in this place in December 2008. Would you mind telling me what is the rate you pay in 2007? I have been searching in the web but I find a wide range of prices: from US$73/night to US$130 and I'm confused. I already sent an email to Termas de Cauquenes to request information, but I'd like to have a customer's point of view.
Thanks!
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