Maria & Roberto Trips

Roberto Agostini, CTC CLIA                                                                                                  Maria Hawkins
*Conde’ Nast Traveler Special Travel Consultant Luxury Travel and Cruises                            (214) 662-7750
(972) 247-9055       (214) 231-2821                                                                             e*- maria@conderoberto.com
e*-roberto@conderoberto.com                                              

MARIA HAWKINS AND ROBERTO AGOSTINI

“Where we’ve been”:  SOUTH AMERICA

Maria and I took a wonderful trip of a lifetime, visiting the South Americaregions of Chileand Argentina. We landed in Buenos Aires, the Cosmopolitan city where the tango was born, where we began a special itinerary prepared for us by the Abercrombie and

 Kentoffice. We arrived at the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, where we

 were greeted by nine concierge personnel; three concierges opened the taxi doors for us while another three opened the beautiful front doors and treated us as the only guests there. We were escorted to a beautifully appointed suite and we enjoyed the colorful and lush gardens of the hotel while smoking our favorite cigars. We visited the Duhau Restaurante & Vinoteca, where we were served wonderful Argentinean Cuisine and who offers over 7,000 bottles of Argentinean Wines to choose from! Maria and I then went shopping in the famous shopping district of La Floridaand we found leather goods, exquisite art galleries, and beautiful antiques. We visited the prestigious Galerias Pacifico Shopping Mall and the BorgesCulturalCenterand sipped a glass of Argentinean wine. Maria especially loves Argentinean Beef and we selected the La Cabana restaurant, which is one of the city’s most famous steakhouses. Manager Noelia Martinez’s staff prepared a special dish of prime beef with a wonderful pairing of specially selected Argentinean wine. While we were enjoying our stay in Buenos Aires, we were invited to visit  the famous Alvear Palace Hotel. The staff treated us as if we a king and queen, giving us an exquisite suite that was reminiscent of the Louis XV Empire. We savored breakfast at The L’Orangerie restaurant as we were surrounded by its delicate environment and splendid presentation of international culinary techniques.

No visit to Buenos Aires would be complete without dancing tango, (at least attempting to) so we decided to visit a Tangueria at 10:00pm on a Wednesday night and thought that they were preparing to close, but then people started arriving late and we realized that the night was just beginning. We enjoyed the night so much that we decided to have dinner and see a beautiful tango show the following night at the famous La Esquina Carlos Gardel, named after the famous Carlos Gardel, who was born in Franceand grew up in Argentina. Carlos was one of the most prominent figures in the history of Tango. The next day, we visited the La Boca neighborhood, where the Tango was born, and felt the vibrancy of life with wonderful choices of clubs and restaurants. We saw where Eva Peron was buried Then we visited the Puerto Madero waterfront, where every street is named after women. The Puente de la Mujer(Women's Bridge), by Spanish architectSantiago Calatrava, is the newest link between the east and west docks of Puerto Madero.

After a very memorable trip to Buenos Aires, we were then on our way to Santiago, Chilewhere we began another amazing adventure prepared especially for us by Abercrombie and Kent Latin Director, Mr. Pedro Barraza.

We arrived at the beautifully appointed Ritz Carlton, which has such sophisticated security that no one can enter unless they are a guest of the hotel or a recognized visitor. We were greeted by two concierges upon arrival and escorted to a beautiful hall where another two security personnel awaited inside. Everyone we encountered seemed like a welcome committee even though they were all security and civilians. We lodged on the concierge floor with a beautiful view of the city and the majestic AndesMountains.

While we were there, we made a presentation of the Saveur cookbook to the hotel and captured a photo for our publication section of our website.

We walked around the neighborhood area and shared the memories of where Roberto grew up and visited the CatholicUniversity, where Roberto studied physics and chemistry and the San Ignacio High School where he received a gold medal for scholastic achievement. We visited the Italian Country Club, where Roberto was on the Board of Directors. In Santiagowe discovered a unique restaurant, Prego. The owner, Carlo Boni, is a culinary creator of most of the dishes on the menu. He mixes the Italian culture with the Chilean flavor. After a few days exploring  Santiago, we spent a few days at Roberto’s family ranch, enjoying horseback riding, fishing, and admiring the breathtaking sights of the snow capped AndesMountains.

We visited various wineries, but we were most impressed by the unique taste of the Carmenere wine that we discovered by chance in Chile. The Carmenere grape comes from the medoc region of Bordeauxin Franceand in the late 1800’s, the Carmenere was brought over to Chilefrom France. In the Carmenere grape history in Chile, there was a wine selling as Merlot until an Oenologist discovered that it was actually the Carmenere grape from Franceand now it is correctly labeled. In 1994, French ampelographer, Jean Michel Bourisiquot discovered that these grapevines were actually the then “Lost Grape of Bordeaux”.

Carmenere wine is good with food, but it is not as pleasurable of an experience just sipping it while relaxing by contemplating sceneries. It is a good wine to pair with vegetarian dishes such as stuffed bell peppers or vegetarian lasagna.

When touring south in Santiago, we had to stop at Don Juan y Medio, a traditional restaurant that opened in 1947. The owner, Juan Macias Barrera, earned this nickname (John and one half) because of his large size given to him from his wife Ana and his children. We were served the biggest steak of over 24 ounces with two fried eggs on top and at least one pound of French fries, fresh vegetables, and our choice of the best local cheeses. We cannot forget to mention the dessert, which was at least one half pound of ice cream per person. The meal was accompanied with the local red and white wines of the area. We just knew that we were going to explode after the meal, but somehow we managed to survive!

Maria and I were then on our way to the fashionable beach resort town of Vina Del Mar. The town (mostly referred to as Vina) was founded in 1874 as a weekend retreat for the wealthy elite from Valparaisoand Santiago. The beautiful golden beaches and manicured lawns was the perfect place for us to relax and enjoy the peaceful scenery. Then we traveled on to Valparaiso, where we were pleasantly surprised to discover the quaint boutique hotel Casa Higueras. Maria was asked to go into the kitchen of the Montealegre Restaurant and taste a new brownie before they placed it on the menu. After tasting the brownie, Maria changed the recipe just a bit and now everyone wants to experience it! Our time there was so special that we decided to extend our stay another day.

 Upon returning to Santiago, Maria and I visited San Alfonso del Mar resort, where according to Guinness World Records; the man-made "lagoon" at Algarrobo, Chileis the largest swimming pool in the world measuring 20 acres of one pool. You must be there to completely understand the concept and see the bay full of multiple colored sailboats and the single-breaking-wave blue sea. It is the ideal spot for fishing enthusiasts and it constitutes a must-see landscape with a perspective that extends from the lagoon to the sea with no element or building that breaks its continuity and harmony. This was truly an amazing end to a vacation of a lifetime that we will always remember.

                                                                                                              Abercrombie & Kent Latin America Regional Manager  Director, Pedro Barraza, Maria and CEO Geoffrey Kent