Cajón del Maipo · Chile
Don't do the Cajón del Maipo in a day. Sleep in it.
Almost every visitor sees this valley the same way: a 6:30am pickup, ten hours in a van, back in Santiago by dark. There is another way — stay in a 1920 stone house in the middle of it.
One night changes the whole valley
The Embalse El Yeso is 79 minutes from our door. On a day tour from Santiago it is more than two hours each way, which is why those buses leave before dawn and everyone sleeps on the way home.
From here you leave after breakfast, you are at the reservoir before the crowds, and you are back for lunch. The same is true of the Cascada de las Ánimas, nineteen minutes away, and of the hot springs at the head of the valley.
Most guests come for one night and wish they had booked two. Two or three nights is what this place is actually built for.
The valley, measured from our door
Real driving times from the house, without traffic. No other guide publishes these, because no other guide is written from inside the valley.
- 5 minSan José de Maipo village
- 19 minCascada de las Ánimas
- 39 minLagunillas ski centre
- 72 minBaños Morales / El Morado glacier
- 79 minEmbalse El Yeso
- 75 minSantiago airport
Driving times estimated with OSRM from the house, without traffic (2026).
The house
Chalet de Piedra is a heritage stone house built in 1920, on the road that climbs from San José de Maipo towards the Lagunillas ski area. Seven themed suites and a separate bungalow, inside gardens, under the Andes.
It is not a hotel with a lobby. There are books in almost every room, poetry on the walls, objects that have been here for decades, a piano, a clarinet, a transverse flute, watercolours and pencils left out for anyone who wants them. Outside there are old trees, birds, and at night you hear the tucúqueres — the great horned owls of these mountains.
Françoise, Paola and Juan Pablo live here and receive every guest themselves. There is no front desk and no shifts.
What is here
Seven suites and a bungalow
Each one different. The bungalow sleeps a family.
Hot tub and pool
The hot tub looks straight at the mountains.
Homemade breakfast
Included. Taken looking at the cordillera.
Library and music
Books, a piano, a clarinet, a flute. Use them.
Gardens and old trees
Fruit and walnut trees older than anyone here.
Children and pets welcome
Pets on request. Free parking inside the property.
What guests say
5,0 Google (260) · 4,92 Airbnb (500) · 9,8 Booking
Their words, unedited.
This historic stone chalet offers a perfect blend of luxury, nature, and rich heritage. The hosts were incredibly warm and welcoming, making us feel right at home from the moment we arrived.
This is more than just a place to stay for the night. It's a whole experience. And the bed! Wow, we haven't slept so well in years!
Comfortable and tranquil stay in beautiful surroundings. Easy drive to and from Santiago airport, so also a very convenient and peaceful alternative to Santiago for ending our Chile travels.
Practical
Getting here
70 minutes from central Santiago, 75 from the airport. Paved all the way to the village. A rental car is easiest; we can advise on transfers.
When to come
Open all year. Snow in winter, long green evenings from October. July and August are quiet here and are the northern summer holidays.
How to book
Write to us directly on WhatsApp and we answer ourselves. We are also on Booking and Airbnb.
Languages
We receive guests in Spanish and English.
The house is open
If you are planning Santiago and wondering whether to add the mountains — add them, and give them more than a day.
Camino Lagunillas 20.890, San José de Maipo, Cajón del Maipo, Chile · (+56) 9 2390 8115