Oeno Wine Lodge

This was our second stay at Oeno, and this time I booked three rooms in the Village. We were really disappointed by how dirty they were. There was mold on the blankets and pillows, hair on a pillow, and a bloody fingerprint on the phone. The bathroom was dirty too, with lots of hair in the shower and on the floors. The walls and light switches were dirty, and the property clearly isn't being kept up or cleaned properly. The receptionist was super friendly, though.

The restaurant had a nice vibe, and at least there's a Tesla charger for an overnight charge. But don't be fooled, this isn't any kind of wine destination. With no WiFi and a useless TV with no channels, you're roaming for your whole stay. The bed was hard and uncomfortable, and the rooms and bathroom badly need renovation.

The ranch is in a beautiful spot, close to most of the places my wife and I wanted to visit for a wedding about a month ago. Service was quick, and the food and drinks at iPetra were top notch. Everything we tried was delicious, and the wedding and event staff were great. Parking, though, was awkward. It's easy enough to walk through the grape vines to reach your car, but inconvenient. Maybe they'll eventually use heavy equipment to make a parking space by each cabin. Our arrangements through WhatsApp got mixed up when we added extra days. They accommodated us, but the booking process wasn't as smooth as we'd hoped. I also ordered flowers for my wife through the front desk. They quoted a price for 75 roses from Ensenada, but when the flowers arrived, they sent a photo and said there were fewer than expected. We got 45 flowers and 20 chocolates. It was still a nice bouquet, and they told me about the shortfall when it arrived, but I'd paid in advance and needed it at a specific time, so there wasn't much I could do without ruining the surprise. Forty percent fewer flowers is a pretty big discrepancy without a discount. The serious issue was a gold wedding band that went missing. We'd left it in one of our bags in the room while we went to a wine tasting off property. I waited a month before posting this so we could thoroughly check our luggage and give the lodge time to change its response if they found it. They told us in less than 15 minutes that housekeeping hadn't found it. When I followed up again recently, they said they'd taken the bed apart and couldn't find it anywhere. They hadn't offered that detail until I asked again. It was the only piece of jewelry she'd left behind with a quality mark engraved, 12k. There's little chance we dropped it, but we don't want to accuse anyone of stealing without direct evidence. If it was stolen, it could have been the maid or one of the three or four men driving around and working on the property. The doors used a keypad, and it seemed like everyone knew the code. Service was decent overall, but don't leave behind anything that has an easy-to-see value and could easily be pocketed.

Tranquil and inspiring, with an amazing hike right in the backyard. There really isn't another place like Oena Wine Lodge in Valle. Make it a must-stay! 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽