Our PODCAST

Episode 04: On the intersection of beauty, art, and hospitality with Carrie Vik

Nov 12, 2020

WORDS BY Liz Caskey

PHOTOGRAPHS BY Francisco Ramírez

“Beauty to me is anything that’s exceptional. It’s diversity, it’s self-expression, it’s the beauty of thought. It’s not always aesthetic. It’s much deeper than that.”

 

Today Carrie Vik joins us for a peek into her beautiful world of art and travel. Carrie is the founder and visionary, along with her husband Alex Vik, of Vik Retreats, a family of exquisite luxury, art-centric hotels in Uruguay, Chile, and Milan. Liz and Carrie discuss how the idea for Vik was born in Uruguay while visiting family many years ago and they saw the potential to create a destination hotel that fused their love of the local art with a real estancia experience. Today, each one of their hotel properties is unique and a testament to their keen eye for meshing design, modern art, outstanding cuisine, and fine wine…That’s right, Vik also now make some of South America’s best wines in Chile.

In this episode we talk about:

• How the inspiration for their hotels was born on a family trip to Uruguay
• Why the beach village of Jose Ignacio was the perfect spot to bring their dreams to life
• How Carrie & Alex Vik’s appreciation of art became a passion
• The concept behind Vik property and creative process of designing and commissioning local artists for the hotels
• Why aesthetics and beauty are the heart of their guests’ experience
• Carrie’s valuable lessons learned in the design, and hospitality, business

Resources:
El Arte de Desenchufar (Jose Ignacio, Uruguay)

From Garden-to-Table, and Straight from the Heart (Vik Chile)

Viña Vik: Birthing New Terroir in Cachapoal

Contact:

Website
@vikretreats

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Uruguay is South America’s best-kept secret. A nation of over three million maté lovers, meat-eaters, winegrowers, cheese makers, and artists, what makes Uruguay so irresistible is its low key vibe.

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