With our primary goals firmly cemented in the importance of exemplary personal service and unique travel experiences, it was only a matter of time before we were seduced by the charms of Portillo, South America's oldest ski area. Standing in the shadow of Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas, the sunshine-yellow facade of the Hotel Portillo is a welcoming site for the lucky ones who discover this all-inclusive ski experience, a two hour drive from the capital of Santiago. Standing alone, the Hotel commandeers the powder white slopes giving you and your maximum of 500 fellow guests exclusive access to the numerous all-ability slopes and 13 chair lifts leading to them, including a one-of-a-kind lift that was specifically designed for Portillo to cope with steepness of the expert runs!

This compact and beautifully managed ski area, home of the 1966 Alpine World Championships, has been family-run for over fifty years and the Purcell family pride themselves on their personal service with over 450 employees, that's one per guest. "It's like a cruise ship in the mountains," says world champion extreme skier Chris Davenport, a long-time Portillo visitor who holds his annual 'Ski with the Superstars' freeskiing clinic at the resort.

Given that this is summer skiing for us, running from late June to early October (best months July and August), the Ski School has the pick of best instructors in the world and is internationally renowned for its quality. This quality extends to its fabulous childcare facilities - Portillo is extremely family-friendly with the resort featuring a nursery, daycare centre and kids camp and offering kids menus, après-ski kids entertainment and 'Kids Ski Free Weeks'.

Trips to Portillo will start from 2008 and can be combined with visits to a number of other destinations, including a cultural trip to Machu Picchu or perhaps even a beach holiday in Brazil. To find out more, please contact us.