Estancia El Colibrí - Gentle Traveller

If you like, you learn the asado from Bramajo, or prepare a three-course lunch in the kitchen of La Maison, from gathering eggs to fresh pasta. Service is relaxed and familial, by the fire or out under the arcades. Alcohol is not included; everything else is.From Córdoba airport you drive an hour through open country, gentle hills, pastures and woods, until behind a gate a white, colonial-looking house appears, freshly painted, with arcades and red roofs. Out front, a free-roaming llama grazes. Inside, a fireplace large enough to walk into greets you, and above it, hung from the ceiling, an upturned wooden boat. Nobody hurries.

Brightly lit lounge area with beige sofas, potted plants, and a fireplace, featuring arched ceilings and tiled floor.

The Location

El Colibrí lies in Santa Catalina, in the north of Córdoba province, at the foot of the Sierras Chicas, set in some 170 hectares of grassland, woods and polo fields. Córdoba airport is about 45 minutes away, with a transfer included. Around it, gentle pampas, rivers and quiet trails, ideal for riding and walking. The house itself, built in colonial style by local craftsmen, looks like an estancia of the early twentieth century: white walls, dark woods, arcaded walkways. From the forecourt the view opens across gardens to the hills. It looks old but dates from 2005.

Llama standing in a grassy field with a large, white house in the background under a clear blue sky.

Backstory

Behind El Colibrí stands the French Fenestraz family, third-generation hoteliers who began as builders of luxury chalets in Courchevel. In 2003 Raoul and Stéphanie Fenestraz swapped the Alps for the Argentinean countryside, had a house built at the foot of the Sierras Chicas and opened it in 2005 as an estanciea. Their guiding line, and family motto: the best thing one person can do for another is to share their dream.

Group of staff members posing in front of the El Colibrí building, surrounded by blooming flowers.

Intricately carved golden headboard against a light wall, with soft white bedding visible below.

The couple now live in Puglia and run the Maisons Fenestraz from there, a group that includes houses in France, Brazil and the House of Jasmines near Salta. El Colibrí remained the heart of it. Each May the house closes, and the old artist who painted the wall and ceiling murals climbs a ladder for touch-ups.

A couple walks hand in hand along a tree-lined path, smiling, in a black and white photo. — The owners: Mr Raoul Fenestraz & Mrs Stéphanie Fenestraz.

Interior & Architecture

The house is built in Spanish colonial style with a European streak: white walls, high ceilings, dark wood floors, arcaded walkways and terraces facing the Sierras. The renovation and decoration were brought together by Stéphanie Fenestraz with the French architect Bernard Burlot of Carré Concept in Nîmes.

Elegant outdoor seating area in front of a charming, traditional-style house with a lush lawn and pond.

Each room is different, dressed with antiques, ornately tiled floors and hand-painted ceilings; the central living room has a fireplace you can almost walk into, chandeliers and, hung from the ceiling, an upturned wooden boat. The murals are refreshed every year, which explains why the house looks new after two decades.

Elegant living room with two orange armchairs, a fireplace, and a chandelier, featuring a colorful artwork above the mantel.

Elegant room featuring a chandelier, wooden furniture, and patterned tile floor, with a black canvas print reading "Love.

From the central salon the view runs through high windows over the gardens to the hills. Inside, cool and composed; outside, the breadth of the pampas. The style stays estancia, only without the patina.

A Look Inside

Around the central living room with its bar and fireplace, the nine rooms gather on one side, the restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating on the other.

Elegant hotel room featuring a cozy seating area with a sofa, red chairs, a fireplace, and a view of a bed in the background.

The rooms are bright and spacious, each one unique; all but two have their own terrace with views over the land. Inside, a fireplace, chandeliers, a sitting area, plus modern kit: Bluetooth speakers, a flatscreen, free Wi-Fi. The bathrooms have freestanding tubs and rain showers, big enough to sink into after a day in the saddle.

Elegant hotel room featuring two ornate headboards with floral designs, complemented by white pillows and bedside lamps.

Elegant bathroom featuring a white chair, floral decor, and a bathtub with a tiled floor.

For more space, you rent La Maison, the family’s former home, five bedrooms, private pool and private chef, a few steps away. Beds and service are, as you would expect from Relais & Châteaux, faultless.

Culinary

The restaurant La Table de El Colibrí has been led for almost two decades by head chef Léo Bramajo, a farm-to-table approach of simple, seasonal ingredients that celebrates Argentinean cooking.

Outdoor gathering with a barbecue setup, featuring a fire pit and a tent illuminated under a cloudy sky.

The vegetables come from the estancia’s own organic garden a few steps away, the meat from the family’s neighbouring farm, which raises Aberdeen Angus cattle on pasture. Légates magazine named the house’s asado the best in Argentina, that open fire around which the country keeps its conviviality. Meals are served at changing spots across the estancia, in the kitchen garden, by the river, on the terrace, depending on the day and weather.

Chef preparing dishes outdoors, surrounded by greenery, with various seafood displayed on a wooden table.

Plate of mashed potatoes and chicken topped with a runny egg yolk, set on a checkered tablecloth.

A server presents a tray of food to two seated guests in a greenhouse setting, surrounded by greenery.

Wellness & Relaxation

A few steps from the room lies the pool, quiet and open to the sky, with a view of the hills.

Modern outdoor pool surrounded by lounge chairs and greenery under a clear blue sky.

There is also a spa with treatment rooms, a sauna and a round-the-clock wellness area; the menu lists massages, facials and hand care.

Luxurious circular hot tub surrounded by mosaic tiles, with a view of a bright room and greenery outside.

Man sitting cross-legged on a wooden bench in a sauna, surrounded by warm wooden walls and soft lighting.

A sauna warms you after cool mornings, and if you like, you start the day with yoga or a walk through the dew-wet garden.

Hot stone massage in a serene setting, with a therapist placing smooth stones on a client's back.

Two women practicing yoga outdoors on mats, with one in a warrior pose and the other in a supportive stance.

The idea is less a catalogue of treatments than the rhythm of country life: into the saddle in the morning, a picnic by the river at noon, a massage in the afternoon while the horses graze outside. After a long ride across the pampas, which tests back and legs, the still water of the pool is the day’s easiest rest.

A man on horseback herds a group of horses through a grassy field under a clear blue sky. — The Horse Paradise is a true immersion in the gaucho way of life, combining nature, tradition and privileged moments in the Argentine countryside.

Surrounding Area

The real attraction begins at the garden gate: the land itself, the Sierras Chicas with their valleys, rivers and woods, to be explored on horseback, on foot or by bike. Culturally, the nearby Jesuit estancia of Santa Catalina is worth it most, about seven kilometres away, the largest of Argentina’s former Jesuit missions, with its baroque church and waterworks, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Vibrant sunset over rolling hills and rocky terrain, with a colorful sky transitioning from pink to orange.

It belongs to Córdoba’s Estancia Route, which links five such sites; further south, in Jesús María and Alta Gracia, more reward a visit, the latter with the young Che Guevara’s house, now a museum. The city of Córdoba itself, with its colonial Manzana Jesuítica and a lively university and music scene, lies an hour away. In the summer months nearby Jesús María fills with the Festival de Doma y Folklore, one of the country’s biggest gaucho and folk gatherings. For craft, the villages of the Sierras offer leatherwork, mate gourds of horn and silver and regional weaving; in the farms around, families sell cheese, salami and home-made dulce de leche.

Lush green valley with rocky cliffs and a winding stream under a partly cloudy sky.

Black cow grazing on grassy hillside with rolling green mountains and a sunset sky in the background.

Activities

For riders. Two guided rides a day on calm Criollo horses, plus full-day rides and the multi-day “Horse Paradise” programme, an immersion in gaucho tradition with experienced guides, past woods, rivers and quiet trails.

For polo players. An in-house team that competes in regional and national tournaments, plus introductory lessons for guests on the estancia’s own field, from first swing to a small match.

For food lovers. Asado classes at the open fire, cooking workshops in the kitchen of La Maison, tastings from garden and neighbouring farm, with Argentinean wine at every dinner.

For families. The hands-on organic farm, gathering eggs and feeding the lambs in spring, gentle rides and safe paths for children, plus croquet on the lawn and wide, safe spaces to play.

A rider in a helmet and light shirt gallops on a brown horse, wearing red leg wraps, against a blurred green background.

Two children interact with a llama in a grassy area, one child gently touching the llama's head.

For nature lovers. Walks and bike rides through the Sierras Chicas, birdwatching in wood and riverbed, excursions to the red rocks and caves of Ongamira.

For culture travellers. The Jesuit estancia of Santa Catalina, Córdoba’s Estancia Route and the colonial Manzana Jesuítica of the city with its old university.

For the active. Mountain-bike tours along farm tracks, tree-top adventure courses and a round of golf at the nearby Ascochinga course.

For those seeking quiet. A picnic by the river, long hours by the pool, a massage in the spa and quiet evenings by the salon’s great fire, a book in hand.

For celebrants. Weddings and family parties in the estancia’s indoor and outdoor spaces, with in-house catering, décor to taste and room for guests in the nine rooms and La Maison.

Details

Nine individual rooms (seven with their own terrace), plus the separate guest house La Maison with five bedrooms, a private pool and a private chef.
Restaurant La Table de El Colibrí (head chef Léo Bramajo), award-winning asado, meals at changing locations.
Spa with treatment rooms and a sauna, outdoor pool, round-the-clock wellness area.
All-inclusive: riding, polo lessons, farm visits, hiking and cycling included; alcohol excluded.
Organic garden and own cattle farm; airport transfer included.
Families welcome; located in Santa Catalina, at the foot of the Sierras Chicas, an hour from Córdoba and seven kilometres from the Santa Catalina World Heritage Site.