Thursday, January 8, 2015
Carpe Diem B&B – Helping You Seize the Day in Salta
Added by Hike Bike Travelon February 3, 2011
Saved under Accommodation (Hotels, B&B’s, Inns)
Tags: Argentina, B&B’s, Salta
Carpe Diem, a four bedroom bed and breakfast inn, located within easy walking distance of the bus station and the main square of Salta, is the perfect place to stay and use as a base for a few days. It has an unimposing front entrance off a busy street but don’t be alarmed. The B&B is housed in a long , narrow building and it’s only the common rooms at the front that are susceptible to noise. Once through a set of over-height doors you are welcomed into a bright foyer and a living room – reading room – sun room combination. In here there are comfortable places to sit, lots of books in many languages to peruse, a TV and a computer at your disposal.
The comfortable front room in Carpe Diem
Continuing down the hall you’ll find an inner atrium filled with plants. It’s open to the skies.
The inner atrium
The bright sunroom
Then you reach the bedrooms. Each one has a window fronting onto the hallway but no windows to the outside world. On a dull day the rooms can be a little on the dark side. All bedrooms come with very comfortable beds, bedside tables and lights, a large wardrobe, private bathrooms, a desk, desktop computer and a safe. They are very clean too.
Look for a large dining room once past the bedrooms. Breakfast is served here on beautifully laid antique tables, complete with silverware. There is a fridge in here and throughout the day all are encouraged to help themselves to cold drinks.
At the very back of the house sits a peaceful garden. Unfortunately when we were there it was raining so we didn’t spend anytime here. But on a hot sunny day, sitting on a shaded bench would be a treat.
The Owners
Meet Silke and Ricardo. She’s German and he’s Italian. They met in a hostel 6½ years ago when they were both traveling….and their common language was Spanish. Love worked its magic and they closed out their lives in Europe. Research on where to move landed them in Salta. They bought Carpe Diem – at the time a rundown 100 year old building – and spent 2½ years renovating and adding an addition. Now they have a busy life between running the B&B and chasing their two year old daughter, Amanda – who livens up the place in the best way possible.
And now for some accolades .
Silke is truly amazing and I know I’m not the first person to say this. A glance at their guestbook confirms that she extends a helping hand to everyone that walks through the door. Its one thing to suggest restaurants and sights in the city – which she did – but she went way beyond the call of duty. In fact Silke booked our bus tickets over the Andes and helped tremendously in getting us to Salta on the day we wanted. It wasn’t possible to do this online and it required research on her part too. That’s not all. She hooked us up with Nick from Poncho Toursand helped organize our fantastic three day private tour to Tucuman. Incredible really. And she and Ricardo both speak English too.
Breakfast
You’re in for a treat with regards to breakfast. Beginning at about 7am Ricardo, a passionate coffee drinker, will whip you up as many espressos or lattes as you want. (Tea drinkers – don’t despair – you’re looked after too.) You can sit down to eat anytime between 7:30 and 10 am. Each morning you can look forward to fresh squeezed orange juice, yogurt, fresh fruit, cheeses and ham but best of all homemade treats. Everyday there was something new and delicious. It was like dessert for breakfast. Yum.
Homemade breakfast goodies at Carpe Diem
Needs Work
There are only two additions in my mind that would be great.
Maybe it’s a North American thing, but I always love two pillows per person on a bed so I can comfortably read at night. Although each room is equipped with a computer, WiFi throughout the house would be even better. Then you could sit in the garden with your computer and enjoy the flowers or perhaps sit in the living room while a spouse or friend snoozes.
A street scene a block from the B&B
To contact Silke at Carpe Diem directly you can email her at info@carpediemsalta.com.ar. Although they have a website I can never access it’s link from my computer. Silke is very quick with a response. Rates for your stay runabout $US105 per night. Plan to pay a deposit via Paypal or through a wire transfer and the balance in cash – either US dollars or Argentinean pesos. Cash by the way, even for hotels, is very much the norm in Argentina.
Other posts that may be of interest in the area:
Leigh McAdam
***Photo credit to Jo Beyers for the sunroom and street scene pictures.***
Disclosure: I was given a discount by Silke and Ricardo on my room in exchange for a blog post.
Vote for my article on WorldTravelist.com, sharing the best travel content on the web.
About Hike Bike Travel
Avid world traveler. Craves adventure – & the odd wildly epic day. Gardener. Reader. Wine lover. Next big project – a book on 100 Canadian outdoor adventures.
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