By train to the canyon

We had set our alarm for six so when we got up it was still dark, and very cold. The wall heater soon warmed the room however, and it soon felt more comfortable. As another bonus, my clothes had all dried overnight, draped as they were all over the room! So we packed everything before going to breakfast. I would have liked to have lingered to enjoy the stars, but it was well below freezing outside. So after a brief look at the Plough, bright overhead, we hurried into the restaurant and secured a table near the fire.

There seemed to be a good selection of hot dishes at the buffet, but I was happy with granola, fresh fruit and yoghurt. The coffee was less good, being very weak. After eating we retrieved our bags from the room and waited in the lobby for the transfer to the station to catch the Chepe Express, our purpose in coming to Creel.

At the station it was barely organised chaos! We found the luggage car and joined the queue to drop off our suitcases, only to be told we should be queuing the other side. It wasn’t easy to move anywhere, with people trying to walk both ways along the narrow platform, most with bags and cases, not to mention the dogs underfoot. Waiting in that queue I got very chilled, as the sun wasn’t up and it was still below freezing. But eventually we reached the front, dropped our bags and got the tags, then followed directions to the executive class carriages marked with an orange flag.

The queue to board was much shorter and once inside we could start to warm up. But I was disappointed that our seats weren’t level with a window, so our view was a bit limited. And there was no panoramic roof window as I’d seen in some photos. I was to discover that this was only in one section of the restaurant car and only those quick to move once that car was announced open would be able to enjoy that view. But to be honest, on this leg of the journey at least, the views were mainly limited to trees and rocks, with only brief openings for wider landscapes.

We arrived at Divisadero a bit earlier than I'd expected, and the chaos was much more organised, with a number of people meeting the train and directing those of us disembarking to the bus to the appropriate hotel.

Ours was the Mirador, which definitely lived up to its name. We were immediately drawn to the view from its lounge and terrace. This was just as well as we were to see plenty of that view! We were told our room wouldn’t be ready until 3.00 so we spent the intervening time enjoying the view from various perspectives. We had a coffee out on the terrace (warm sun by now but a nip in the air), enjoying the views and the hummingbirds at the feeders.

Later we used the WiFi to catch up on messages, share photos and in my case post a blog entry, and had lunch in the dining room at a table with a slightly different angle of the view. Plus of course the light was changing all the time.

Stays here are full board, with a three course, no (or very limited) choice menu for both lunch and dinner. We don’t eat a big lunch so chose to have just starter (very good vegetable soup) and dessert (excellent tiramisu).

Around 3.00 we went back to the desk and were given the key to room 40 which proved to be quite near the main building. That was a bonus in two ways. Firstly, less distance to walk in the chill of the evenings and mornings. And secondly, the hotel WiFi, which is promised only for the public areas, still worked in our room.

The view from our balcony was as good as from the main terrace, and again with a bonus as the small hummingbirds frequented the trees just beneath us.

We had a drink in the bar before dinner, watching the sky turn pale pink above the canyon. The latter was soon all in shadow – too soon to allow for good sunset photos. But I went outside to try anyway and was rewarded by finding myself in the thick of the hummingbird action as they swooped into the feeders, their wings beating frantically in my ears. They didn’t seem bothered by my presence and I was even able to grab a few photos on my phone of them in the air.

Dinner was as of good a quality as lunch – tomato soup, beef in a delicious sauce which involved chillies and parmesan (which shouldn’t work but did) and cheesecake. We didn’t linger afterwards but went back to the room to relax before another early night. But we made sure to step out on to our balcony to enjoy the sight of the stars overhead.