Hot Springs Termas de Colina
Stressed out? Feeling like a cat in its ninth and final life after yet another micrero tried to take a playful swipe at you with his bus? Or maybe you're just bored with life.
So, of course, you’d like a change. Get things out of your system. The Great Weekend Escape. Hah! Join the exodus, pal. Heading for the beaches, Viña or Algarrobo maybe? To battle it out with a few million other souls for your personal square inch of sand? Heading for the mountains and lakes of the south? Half the weekend passes and you’re still «heading».
So why not try some place less well-known, that isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue? A place that is cool, quiet and - thank God! - actually close to Santiago?
Yes, folks, a short stay in Termas de Colina is just what the doctor ordered! The next destination for your weekend outing. It’s also called Baños de Colina but we’ll just refer to it as «the hot springs of Colina».
The hot springs of Colina are situated on the slopes of the Andes, at the foot of Mt. Cocalan (900 mts.), roughly 930 meters above sea-level. The word colina, incidentally, is a corruption of coliruna which means «brave chieftain» in the Quechua tongue.
A colorful past: Until a couple of years ago there were baños (hot baths) at Colina that took their water from the springs. They were located at the bottom of a ravine, at the spot where it opens out into a plain that was once dotted with the beautiful haciendas of Peldehue, Colina and Polpaico.
Historical and literary references to the baths abound. The hot springs at Colina are perhaps the oldest in Chile. They enjoyed a predominantly middle-class patronage, at least in their final years, and were referred to as las Aguas Buenas (the good waters) due to, as one writer elegantly and discreetly puts it, "their beneficial effect on the ailments of the fair sex". To this you might also add rheumatic pains and chronic gout. The same - anonymous - source claimed that they were also most effective «for activating the digestion of those who suffer from a weak constitution or have suffered from frequent attacks of diarrhea.»
He was not the only one to note the curative powers of the water. On September 2, 1822, Mary Graham noted in her travel log, «Diary of My Experiences in Chile», that the water of the baths was colorless and odorless and was recommendable to persons suffering from jaundice, scrofula and skin diseases thanks to the minerals and salts contained in it.
In his treatise on the mineral waters of Chile, the late don Ignacio Domeyko, once rector of the University of Chile, notes poetically: «the hot springs at Colina were frequently visited at the time of independence, mainly by those wounded by the bullets of war or by the arrows of love».
The baths at Colina ceased to exist sometime ago. Their place has been taken by a worthy successor - Hotel Termas de Colina. A modern, neat and compact establishment, the hotel started functioning a little more than a year ago and has already gained a faithful clientèle.
The unique selling proposition of the hotel is, of course, the spring water that is channeled into its saunas, Jacuzzi, hot cabins, and even its rooms. The terms «hot springs», however, is a misnomer in this case for the water is not hot but warm, at a comfortable 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.
The sensation of being close to nature is sharpened by the birds you can hear chirping around you. In fact, the term microclimate in this case, would refer not only to the proximity of the mountains and the altitude but also to the feeling of tranquility that sweeps through you.
The hotel has 6 independent modules equipped with air-conditioning and kitchenettes, apart from the tastefully furnished and comfortable rooms in the main building.
Its conference facilities are regularly used by private companies. For those seeking recreation away from the enormous open-air swimming pool, there is a gym and a games room where you can release your tension by smashing a table-tennis ball over the net or by gently smacking a billiard ball across the baize.
The hotel restaurant keeps up the high standards set by the rest of the establishment and offers a simple but tasty cuisine. After a good meal, you can stroll over to a chair in the patio and read a book or take a walk in the moonlight. Whatever you choose to do, your stay is bound to be restful and pleasant.
Day visitors can avail of all the hot-spring water facilities (Jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool, individual cabin) for a fee that ranges between US$10-15 a day for each facility.
Distance and Cost: You take just 50 minutes by car to travel the 40 kms. to the hotel, traveling northwards along Independencia from the center and turning right after Esmeralda. To give you an idea of the tariffs, a double room, with continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner included, works out at around US$154 a day for two people.
Enquiries and reservations: Contact the Santiago office at Local 171, Galerias Crowne Plaza, Alameda 142 (tel. no.: 56-2-632 7399/632 2253; fax: 56-2-632 6214) or call the hotel directly (tel./fax: 56-2-844 0991/2/3).
So, of course, you’d like a change. Get things out of your system. The Great Weekend Escape. Hah! Join the exodus, pal. Heading for the beaches, Viña or Algarrobo maybe? To battle it out with a few million other souls for your personal square inch of sand? Heading for the mountains and lakes of the south? Half the weekend passes and you’re still «heading».
So why not try some place less well-known, that isn’t on the tip of everyone’s tongue? A place that is cool, quiet and - thank God! - actually close to Santiago?
Yes, folks, a short stay in Termas de Colina is just what the doctor ordered! The next destination for your weekend outing. It’s also called Baños de Colina but we’ll just refer to it as «the hot springs of Colina».
The hot springs of Colina are situated on the slopes of the Andes, at the foot of Mt. Cocalan (900 mts.), roughly 930 meters above sea-level. The word colina, incidentally, is a corruption of coliruna which means «brave chieftain» in the Quechua tongue.
A colorful past: Until a couple of years ago there were baños (hot baths) at Colina that took their water from the springs. They were located at the bottom of a ravine, at the spot where it opens out into a plain that was once dotted with the beautiful haciendas of Peldehue, Colina and Polpaico.
Historical and literary references to the baths abound. The hot springs at Colina are perhaps the oldest in Chile. They enjoyed a predominantly middle-class patronage, at least in their final years, and were referred to as las Aguas Buenas (the good waters) due to, as one writer elegantly and discreetly puts it, "their beneficial effect on the ailments of the fair sex". To this you might also add rheumatic pains and chronic gout. The same - anonymous - source claimed that they were also most effective «for activating the digestion of those who suffer from a weak constitution or have suffered from frequent attacks of diarrhea.»
He was not the only one to note the curative powers of the water. On September 2, 1822, Mary Graham noted in her travel log, «Diary of My Experiences in Chile», that the water of the baths was colorless and odorless and was recommendable to persons suffering from jaundice, scrofula and skin diseases thanks to the minerals and salts contained in it.
In his treatise on the mineral waters of Chile, the late don Ignacio Domeyko, once rector of the University of Chile, notes poetically: «the hot springs at Colina were frequently visited at the time of independence, mainly by those wounded by the bullets of war or by the arrows of love».
The baths at Colina ceased to exist sometime ago. Their place has been taken by a worthy successor - Hotel Termas de Colina. A modern, neat and compact establishment, the hotel started functioning a little more than a year ago and has already gained a faithful clientèle.
The unique selling proposition of the hotel is, of course, the spring water that is channeled into its saunas, Jacuzzi, hot cabins, and even its rooms. The terms «hot springs», however, is a misnomer in this case for the water is not hot but warm, at a comfortable 25 to 30 degrees Celsius.
The sensation of being close to nature is sharpened by the birds you can hear chirping around you. In fact, the term microclimate in this case, would refer not only to the proximity of the mountains and the altitude but also to the feeling of tranquility that sweeps through you.
The hotel has 6 independent modules equipped with air-conditioning and kitchenettes, apart from the tastefully furnished and comfortable rooms in the main building.
Its conference facilities are regularly used by private companies. For those seeking recreation away from the enormous open-air swimming pool, there is a gym and a games room where you can release your tension by smashing a table-tennis ball over the net or by gently smacking a billiard ball across the baize.
The hotel restaurant keeps up the high standards set by the rest of the establishment and offers a simple but tasty cuisine. After a good meal, you can stroll over to a chair in the patio and read a book or take a walk in the moonlight. Whatever you choose to do, your stay is bound to be restful and pleasant.
Day visitors can avail of all the hot-spring water facilities (Jacuzzi, sauna, swimming pool, individual cabin) for a fee that ranges between US$10-15 a day for each facility.
Distance and Cost: You take just 50 minutes by car to travel the 40 kms. to the hotel, traveling northwards along Independencia from the center and turning right after Esmeralda. To give you an idea of the tariffs, a double room, with continental breakfast, lunch, and dinner included, works out at around US$154 a day for two people.
Enquiries and reservations: Contact the Santiago office at Local 171, Galerias Crowne Plaza, Alameda 142 (tel. no.: 56-2-632 7399/632 2253; fax: 56-2-632 6214) or call the hotel directly (tel./fax: 56-2-844 0991/2/3).
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