Casa Ishi is like a dream you don't want to wake up from. Two gorgeous acres of gardens, a breezy, comfortable home, thoughtful little touches, prime location, charming hosts...there's nothing not to love here.
The house itself is situated on a larger property with several buildings, including Michelle and Teiji's beautiful historic home. It was wonderful being able to wander around the garden and relax in the shade with a bottle of wine at the end of a day. My daughter spent the bulk of her time running around with two new puppies that arrived just 3 weeks before us, and charmed the pants off us all. While we were there, the peaches and avocados were ripe and we sampled quite a few of both. There are upper and lower terraces at the back of the house, overlooking the valley but still well protected by trees and vegetation. We had a leisurely breakfast on the terrace every day and watched the sunset every night.
As a foodie and cook, I appreciated that the kitchen was outfitted with everything needed to create wonderful meals, in addition to a barbecue on the nearest patio for grilling. The bed linens were absolute heaven to sleep on and an abundance of plush bath linens were provided. The beds were so comfortable I never even missed my own while we were there. There is an air conditioner available if you need one, but we preferred throwing open all of the windows at the front and back of the house and cooling everything down with the glorious cross breezes that brought in smells from the garden as well as distant sounds of life from the valley.
The town of Pirque is the epicenter of some of the best things Maipo Valley has to offer. A few of the valley's best wineries and restaurants are a 30 minute drive or less, including Concha Y Toro (in the center of Pirque) which we learned is the largest winery in the world. Gorgeous landscapes and recreation in the Andean foothills are also close by and accessible by car. Michelle and Teiji have great recommendations for places to visit should you need them.
In Michelle and Teiji we found two like-minded souls who we are so lucky to have met. They graciously hosted us for an evening of good food (lamb roasted in their mud oven!), good drink and good storytelling. Travel is great but connecting with people when you travel is even better. We couldn't have had a better experience than we did thanks to these two and we will forever be grateful for the time we spent with them.