By Jennifer Hamady for Huffingtonpost.comYou know she's coming long before you see or hear her. The three dogs -- usually napping by the pool or lazily petitioning for a backrub -- come bounding around the corner, tails wagging and eyes beaming. Their mistress is here and it's quickly clear to animals of all varieties what the fuss is about.
Gabriela Furlotti is the owner of Finca Adalgisa, the rustic and enormously charming hotel and winery that was the last stop on my recent trip to Argentina. By every standard it's a terrific place to stay. But its story- and the woman those dogs call mom- are what make it truly special.
The five acres were originally purchased by Gabriela's grandmother in 1936. Malbec vines and olive trees had been planted at the turn of the century and meticulously maintained, though Lila Moretti was mainly interested in the property as a place in the country.
Three generations later, Lila's 'country' has changed, from an exclusively agricultural area, to a town, to a bustling city. With commercial development closing in, Gabriela decided to preserve the family home and traditional vineyard by converting the property into a hotel and working winery.
Anyone who's been to northern California may not find the idea of opening a boutique vineyard hotel noteworthy. But for western Argentina, Gabriela's idea in 2000 was not only controversial. It was unfathomable.
"At the time, there was no tourism in Mendoza. It was very expensive to travel here. As a result, there were no hotels -- small or large, boutique or chain."
In addition to a lack of potential guests, renovations and new construction began before- and continued straight through- Argentina's 2001 economic collapse. Finca Adalgisa (translation: noble land of promise) opened 7 months later and by January 2003 was at 80% occupancy from the influx of visitors eager to take advantage of the exchange rates.
Gabriela had- to put it mildly- hit the jackpot.
I asked whether it was wisdom or passion that propelled her through so many obstacles. "Neither. To open the hotel was simply an idea. I had no experience in the business, done no research, had no training. I just did it, though everyone told me I was crazy. Why not? Something I can't explain pushed me to do it, and it worked. The money, the guests, the American dollars after the crash. It wasn't planned."
Planned or not, subsequent ventures have proven her golden touch to be more than a stroke of luck. On yet another hunch, Gabriela started the first... Read Full Article
