Estancia La Candelaria

Random Reviews — By DiegoM on February 1, 2010 at 1:34 am

This is an extremely loooong review, so unless you´re seriously looking for information about this Estancia, you may not make it to the end. For this reason, I thought I´d put the signature Expose “Bottom Line” at the top:

Bottom Line: If you want an Estancia with great food, excellent service, and lots of activities, you need not look any further. Not only that, but you get to stay in a French style palace, which for many is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

The Estancia Candelaria is a famous estancia situated near Lobos Lake, about 1.5 hrs (120km) outside of Buenos Aires. It is characterized by the breathtaking fairy-tale style palace surrounded by beautifully manicured grounds. A stay at the Candelaria can include lodging in the palace, which for many is a one in a lifetime opportunity. Combine this experience with gourmet food and all the activities you could want, and you can see why so many have chosen the Candelaria as their Estancia of choice.

My family was visiting, so we decided to try it out. The idea of the palace, and the fact that it was close to Buenos Aires made it very appealing. Once we were quoted a very competitive price, we booked in for 2 nights, hoping for a welcome respite from the GO-GO-GO we had experienced in the capital.

History

It was first established by two brothers back in 1840 (Don José and Don Orestes Piñeiro), who purchased large amounts of land. The estancia then passed on to Piñeiro´s adopted daughter Rebeca, and her husband Manuel Fraga. In 1894, they built a French style palace using materials imported from Europe, and had 245 (of the 8000) hectars of land surrounding the Estancia designed by the famous French landscaper Charles Thays (who also designed numerous parks in Buenos Aires).

These were the glory years of the Estancia, as they raised award winning cattle as well as race horses, and were prominent members of the community (Rebeca and and Manuel created different charities and were active members of the community). Unfortunately, they were unable to conceive, and when they passed away, the Estancia was passed on to Manuel´s youngest brother, Roberto Fraga. This could be seen as the beginning of the end, because once Roberto died, the Estancia was split between his 6 different children from two different wives. The Estancia was subsequently sold a number of times, and slowly began to fall apart.

Although not the same as in its glory, the Estancia has been used in some Argentine movies “La Casa de los Cuervos, El Ingles de los Huesos” and was also used by the Argentine government as lodging for important people. Although still a breathtaking piece of architecture, the palace is not quite what it used to be due to years of wear and tear with very little upkeep.

The Castle

The 1200m²castle was built as a replica for a castle he had fallen in love with in Normandy. It was designed by a French architect, and nearly the entire castle was built with materials imported from Europe. It is three stories high, has two Normandy style towers and a gothic style main entrance. Although the castle looks phenomenal in pictures, when you approach it, it is obvious that the castle has seen better days. The colors are faded, some of the stain glass windows are broken, and other parts are quite run down.

The inside of the castle is a similar contrast of beauty and neglect. The entrance, dining hall and library are especially stunning, and are still in excellent shape, from the old fashioned wall paper to the original furnishings. Oak floors, a marble fireplace, and a beautifully wooden dining table with matching chairs give you visions of the wealth and splendor that once existed in this castle.

One of the smaller rooms off to the side has a TV and DVD for those that don´t want to lose touch with reality. If you are staying in the castle, this is also where they serve breakfast. Just beside this room is a beautiful oak staircase leading upstairs, which is where the majority of the rooms are located and where the years of wear and tear on the castle become much more evident, especially in the bedrooms. For example, some of the walls were not in great shape, and the bathrooms contained stained sinks and toilets.

Our rooms were in no way luxurious, certainly not when you consider the beauty and lavishness of some parts of the castle. In this sense, it was a bit of a disappointment. Beds were okay, the room looked more akin to something you would see in a nice farm house. Bathrooms were very old, things were rusty, windows were dirty. Although not bad, this is not what you expect when you first walk into the castle, nor when you see the pictures online.

Nevertheless, just being able to stay in the castle was something special. This is the sort of place you see as a museum, and always wish you could stay in. In this case, that wish came true…for me, a bed was enough, because I could go to other parts of the castle to enjoy the royal ambiance.

If you decide not to stay in the castle, there are also other accommodation options, known as the Coloniales, the Bungalows (with wood fireplace) and inside a Windmill. We didn´t get to see inside all of them, but we did take a peak in one of the colonials, and they are quite nice, very good size, and have a quaint, country feel to them.

Surrounding the Estancia are over 200 hectares of beautiful landscapes. A 100 hectare park in front of the castle was designed by the French landscapist Carle Thays, who also designed several parks in Buenos Aires. The grounds are fairly well kept, and there is lots of nice green grass. Over 240 species of trees can be seen, and some that are really unique. Also, behind the castle you can find trails through 60 hectares of thick forest, where the sunrays shine through, basking you in beautiful rays of sunlight.

The Food

If you pay for “full room and board” (and it wouldn´t make sense not to), you will spend a good amount of time just eating.

We happened to go to the Estancia during the week, and there was only one other couple there. No asado would be served, and I was disappointed about this. Aren´t you supposed to eat a real Argentine asado when you go to an Estancia?

On their site, they state that their cuisine is one of their specialties, and that they use only the best ingredients. I must say, after seeing the state of some of the Estancia, I was a little worried. However, it only took the first meal to put my mind to rest.

We arrived near lunch time, and so after getting settled in our rooms, we went straight to the building they use for meals, which looked like an old barn that had been converted into a dining hall. The walls were old brick, and nicely decorated with gaucho ware. Tables and chairs were covered in white tablecloths, similar to what you would see in a wedding, they played a nice mix of Argentine folklore music, making a very inviting environment.

First, we were served some empanadas, which are “welcome” snack that the Estancia gives you when you arrive. These empanadas were some of the very BEST I have eaten in Argentina. I still have memories of the light, flaky pastry, with chunks of prime quality meat in a delicious gravy. At the time, I thought “I hope this is a sign of what the food will be like.” In retrospect, I can say it certainly was.

Following our empanadas, was our “lunch.” I put it in quotes, because it was absolutely massive. Not one us finished the entire meal. For an appetizer, we were given tasty a crepe/pancake, filled with a few different vegetables. This was followed by a massive piece of vacío and it is, without a doubt, the most delicious piece of vacío I have ever eaten, although it is partly because it was cooked in a different way. Instead of on the bbq, this vacío was cooked slowly in the oven, covered with a deliciously rich gravy, and accompanied by rustic potato wedges. The meat was soooooo tasty, and had that great vacío texture. To finish off the meal, we were then offered dessert – apple crumble or crepes with dulce de leche, but we were too full.

Here is a list of the rest of the food we consumed during our stay, and my thoughts:

Afternoon snack (day 1 and 2) – assortment of traditional argentine sweets (alfajors de maicena, pastelitos, and pie). Very tasty, especially the alfajors, some of the better ones I have had.

Dinner –chicken breast stuffed with ham, spinach, and cheese or sorrentinos pasta stuffed with vegetables and served with a cream sauce. Both were good, the chicken breast was huge. Dessert was cheeses and dulce de batata/membrillo (like jellied candies) or ice cream. The cheese was very good, and the ice cream was decent, but not as good as you´ll find in the better heladerías in Buenos Aires.

Breakfast (day 2 and day 3) – a selection of medialunas (good, but not the best I´ve had), fresh fruit, corn flakes, yogurt, fresh squeezed OJ (delicious) coffee and tea.

Lunch – grilled brochetta with vegetables on top as an appetizer, it was very very good. For the main course, a huge strip loin steak, served with fries and salad. The steak had great flavor, but was a little tougher than I would have liked. Dessert was apple crumble again, this time we took full advantage, and it was excellent!

Dinner – fresh tomato salad to start – very good. Roasted pork loin with roasted potatoes and gravy – the sauce was very good, the pork so-so. Dessert was pears baked in a port sauce served with homemade whipped cream – delicious!

All in all, the food was very impressive, and easily exceeded my expectations. I was no longer disappointed that we couldn´t have an asado, and I am still dreaming about those empanadas and that vacío, which were the culinary highlights.

One thing to note: the full room and board includes food and non-alcoholic beverages, but you have to purchase the alcoholic ones. Although the selection is not huge, there are very good wine options for all price ranges, and mark-ups aren´t bad either.

Activities at the Estancia

Activities that are included in the rate are similar to what you would find at most Estancias. Horseback riding, carriage rides, wandering the grounds, bicycling, soccer fields, two clay tennis courts, a nice sized pool with diving board, walks through the forest, ping pong, pool, visits to the castle, and on the weekends, a gaucho party. Now, just because these activities are offered, does not mean they are any good.

The grounds at the Estancia are beautiful, and if you have any appreciation for some of the different types of trees you can find in Argentina, you will love walking around the park. There are some amazing trees, and many that you won´t find anywhere in North America. There is plenty of green grass, and lazing around is another possible “activity.” At night, everything is very dark, and you get a pretty good view of the stars of the southern hemisphere.

The good:

The horseback riding was excellent. There is a lot of space to ride around, and you have the option of going off on your own, or having a guide. We went out on our own, and even though we aren´t particularly experienced riders, we had a great time, and no problems at all with the horses. There are some nice forested areas behind the castle, which made great riding trails. The tennis courts and pool were in great shape, and the football fields were decent as well.

The bad:

There are a number of wooden lounge chairs you can relax in to suntan. Unfortunately, these wooden chairs are not covered by any pillows, and become very uncomfortable within a few minutes.

The ping pong table was warped and in pretty bad shape. There were bumps all over the surface, and although this made for an entertaining new style of ping pong, it wasn´t ideal. There was also an old metal foosball table, but it was unbalanced, and we didn´t want to take the time to fix it. The pool table itself was in good shape, but there was only once cue, and it didn´t have all of the balls. Bikes were also in poor condition – tires were flat, and the brakes didn´t really work.

Service and Staff

I only had one bad experience with the staff at La Candelaria, and that was when I called to confirm a reservation that I had arranged. Prices that I had been quoted were not accepted, and this particular staff member was very unprofessional and poorly trained. However, everything got straightened out, and in every other way, the service was excellent. Professional, and very friendly.

Overall, our experience at La Canderlía was fantastic. I must say I was somewhat anxious as to how the entire stay would be, both before I arrived, and shortly after, when I saw that certain things were falling apart. However, shortly after I arrived, the friendly service and scrumptious empanadas were enough to put those fears to rest.

There is a lot of potential for this Estancia, but to reach that potential, they have a long way to go. There is plenty of upkeep required, and renovations and the purchase of new equipment would be a very good idea. Nevertheless, it can be difficult to find a good Estancia in Argentina, and this one certainly fit the bill. It is not a traditional working Estancia, so if that is what you are looking for, I don´t recommend it.

With regards to pricing, Estancia Candelaria was actually quite decent, and one of the cheaper Estancias that I found. This is not something you´d expect when you see the castle and the park surrounding the area. However, it is somewhat rundown, so they can´t very well charge premium rates. We were paying about $300 pesos per person (US $75 ) which included everything except alcohol. Most Estancias charge around $300-$400 pesos a night. One problem with La Candelaría is that you can only reserve your room 10 days in advance. This is unfortunate, and I am sure they lose business this way. Not many people want to wait until 10 days before arriving to secure a reservation. Hopefully, the Estancia will realize this, and change it in the future.

Bottom Line: If you want an Estancia with great food, excellent service, and lots of activities, you have found an excellent option. Not only that, but you get to stay in a French style palace, which for many is a once in a lifetime opportunity.