Season Calendar

     At Portillo every week is special. Of course, some weeks are more special than others, and throughout the year the hotel offers a number of different promotions and events for guests to enjoy. So in line with my goal to make this blog as informative as possible, I`ve outlined each and every one of these deals. Further details can be found at:

- http://www.skiportillo.com/espanol/special_weeks
- http://www.skiportillo.com/espanol/promotions

June 9 - 30 : Family Weeks
For three weeks in June, there will be tons of activities designed especially for children and young adults, as well as combined events for the entire family. Let the games begin!

*(Associated Promotion)*
1 Child without charge
During the following dates, each family can bring one child between the ages of 4 and 11 to ski and sleep entirely for free:

• June 25 - July 2
• September 10 - 24

2 Children without charge
During the following week, any mother or father paying in full can bring two of their children between the ages of 4 and 11 to ski and sleep entirely for free:

• September 24 - October 1

July 30 - August 6 : Wine Week
As in years past, wine week offers guests the delicious chance to taste, as well as hear the stories behind, some of the best wines in Chile. The week, which consists of a different tasting each night, is easily one of our most popular, so it is  recommended that reservations are made far in advance.

August 20 - 27 : Friends Week
Friends week aims to provide a memorable experience for younger guests, large groups of friends who want a fun and lively vacation. Like Family Week, there will be activities organized throughout the week in the hope that guests can build new friendships and solidify old ones.

August 27 - September 3 : Wine Fest
Wine Fest is essentially a glorified continuation of Wine Week. Accordingly, guests will have the opportunity to try incredible wines and learn about the world of wine making. At the end of each presentation, guests will be asked a few questions, with the winner receiving special prizes.

*(Associated Promotion)*
Free Night at the Ritz-Carlton Santiago
During the following dates, upon reserving a Ski Week in Portillo, guests may solicit a night free in the hotel Ritz-Carlton in Santiago. It´s a great way to ease the stressful transition between the airport and Portillo.

• August 20 - September 3

     If any of this is confusing, or just seems to good to be true, leave a question and/or comment below and I'll be sure to clear things up. With so much going on, it's important to get the details straight. Anyways, hope this helps!.... Also, it's snowing like crazy right now. Powder day tomorrow.

Cocktail de Bienvenida

Yesterday evening marked the season's first Welcoming Cocktail! As always, the event included an assortment of drinks and finger foods for guests to enjoy, as they mingled casually with each other, ski instructors, and other staffers. The cocktail takes places each and every Sunday, and for many it's the first opportunity to socialize, maybe catch up, and even meet possible instructors for the coming week. Owner Henry Purcell and his family even attend, a reflection of the management's desire to welcome guests at all levels.

     In my opinion, the event represents the best that Portillo has to offer: delicious Pisco sours (just kidding). In reality, the cocktail's casual and friendly nature is an excellent way for guests to get acquainted with the hotel and its employees. Because after a long of travel - whether it's from Mendoza, Sao Paulo, or Boston - there's nothing more inviting than a room full of friends, food, and wine.

Opening Day

June 25, 2011

    Portillo is well known for its blissful days of clear skies and lots of sun. The yellow hotel itself almost bursts with light. But as the saying goes, too much of a good thing is often dangerous, and last week Portillo needed snow… not more sol. Like many of the nearby resorts, the Portillo was forced to painfully delay the season opening as it waited for that fluffy white stuff to make its graceful arrival. While pushing back opening day is never optimal, it made today, the first ski day of the year, that much better for everyone.

     It’s no secret that Portillo is a special place – and not simply because of the world-class skiing. This will be my second year working at the hotel, and I was as impatient to return as anyone. I had originally decided to spend my summers in the frigid cold of the Chilean Andes because I love to ski, and the prospect of making turns from June to October seemed pretty great. Yet after last winter, my love of Portillo stemmed as much from the intangibles – the friendships and the memories– as it did from the skiing. Generations of guests and employees will agree: it’s the complete atmosphere, the classic yet ever-welcoming nature of the Portillo experience, which made postponing the start of this season so painful. People want to be here; they want to reunite with old friends and a hotel that has been their winter home for decades. Guests that are new to Portillo will quickly learn that the skiing is only a slice of what Portillo has to offer, and now that the snow has finally fallen they’ll have the opportunity to do just that.

     This last storm shored up the base we needed, and guests have been pouring in all morning. The front desk, where I work, has been overrun with folks eager to take advantage of the new snow – many having had their reservations rescheduled from the week before. What I love most about working in reception is the opportunity to talk with them all, to answer questions and placate concerns. Behind the front desk are brokers of information – snow conditions, entertainment, the how’s and where’s of the hotel, we know it all.

     This same paradigm of sharing is what will frame the Portillo blog for 2011. There’s a lot going on here this winter and I’ll be covering all of it. As in years past, Portillo will host camps and teams from the world over. We’ll have wine week and friend’s week and kid’s week… And although my job is to know what’s going on, there are probably a few surprises that even I’m still unaware of. Nevertheless, my entries will ultimately be notes from the desk (the front desk, that is), consisting of much of the same information that I relay everyday as a receptionist. And if you can bear the some banal commentary from a gringo, I’ll share that too.

Like I said, Portillo is a sunny place, and today is no exception. But as it should, the warm sun has followed the soft snow and the slopes are filled with friends and families alike. One of my favorite things to do on days like this is to stand on the hotel deck that overlooks the lake. It’ll freeze over in a month or so, but until then it will sit in majestic silence. It’s a welcome stillness from the front desk downstairs, where the screams of children and the clamoring of ski boots can only mean one thing: the 2011 ski season in Portillo has officially begun!


- Alec Barfield