A Luxury Chilean Patagonia Tour

Overview

The extraordinary sophistication and contemporary chic of the Vik Chile is quite simply unparalleled in Chile’s wine region.

Fresh from an extensive refurbishment, this 22-room (with seven Puro Vik glass pods) avant garde luxury boutique hotel is set within the 4,400-hectare Millahue Valley and Vik vineyard, just two hours south of Santiago in the Colchagua Valley area. Each suite is individually themed and decorated, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows which allow guests to take in the majestic views of the region. A newer addition to the hotel, guests can now choose to stay in one of the separate Puro Vik glass pods, providing an incredible vantage point for overlooking the valley.

The lodge is decorated in keeping with the vineyard’s holistic and ecological principles and it’s almost as if the exterior’s inconspicuous minimalism was intended to touch the hillside on which it perches. This spectacular sense of floating is further emphasised by seamless glass windows-for-walls in the rooms. Yet the insightful use of dark heavy woods, rough natural materials, functional furniture and a minimal elegance also makes the lodge feel contrastingly very solid, grounded and stylishly real.

The lodge enjoys uninterrupted views of the vineyards and lake and there is a cosy sitting area with a fireplace, patios with sofas, and a well-equipped and elegant dining room where excellent traditional Chilean cuisine is served.

Plenty of activities and expeditions can be arranged to suit guests according to their time and preferences, especially with immediate if not exclusive access to the vineyard and winery.

Overview

Set around 50 miles from Santiago in the Casablanca region, this boutique vineyard produces entirely organic wine. This is a traditional wine ‘Estancia’ and was originally built at the beginning of the 20th Century set in it’s own San Antonio Valley of around 27,000 acres. The main building housing the accommodation blends traditional style with plush furnishings and was entirely refurbished in 2004. Rooms are spacious and have their own private terrace.

The winery itself is an advanced gravity-flow facility producing excellent Syrah (judged to be among one of the world’s best). There is an excellent restaurant on site and a good number of activities to keep guests occupied including horseback riding and harvesting, as well as relaxing in the beautiful gardens.

Overview

Less than an hour from Santiago in the Maipo Valley, the Santa Rita estate combines celebrated wine with a long history. Chilean independence leader Bernardo O’Higgins and his men took refuge here during their struggle, while the grand neo-gothic chapel has been gloriously restored by the same craftsmen as the Sistine Chapel.

Even the restaurant, the much-celebrated Doña Paula, is a National Monument, and you can venture further back in time at the pre-Colombian Andean Museum.

Among beautiful and expansive gardens, find the old landowner’s elegant house, now converted into the Casa Real Hotel. There are 16 rooms, each comfortable and traditional with antique furniture and lofty ceilings.

Explore the grounds to find a swimming pool, tennis courts, sauna and café in the former bakery. You can also take a ride in the horse drawn cart or borrow mountain bikes out to the vineyards and enjoy extensive tasting sessions in the cellar, with the estate’s wine flowing at every opportunity from picnic lunch to sundowners.

Overview

Constructed over three years using reinforced concrete, the structure of this hotel incorporates contemporary concepts and techniques with the local identity and culture, while still respecting the surrounding environment. The aim was to enhance nature rather than compete with it, and there is a strong focus on sustainability and energy efficiency.

Inside you’ll discover local materials like flagstone, volcanic rock, and exposed indigenous wood all adding to the warm and inviting atmosphere of the hotel. Modern art and traditional crafts are a focal point of the decor throughout. All 16 of the spacious rooms boast large floor-to-ceiling windows with breathtaking views of Llanquihue Lake and Osorno Volcano.

Food is an important part of any stay at Hotel AWA, and the chef and his team create a new menu every day featuring interesting flavours. Cuisine showcases local traditions and the finest regional ingredients, some of them sourced from the hotel’s own organic garden.

The aromas of wood and sweet citrus in the spa provide the ultimate relaxation experience combined with unique treatments designed to help balance the body, mind and soul. Other facilities include a heated pool, sauna, steam room and hydro-massage pool.

Overview

Set a beautiful area of woodland, fresh water and traditional farmland that is so characteristic of the Pucon Valley, Hotel Vira Vira provides a delightful selection of comfortable accommodation with the intimate feel of a Chilean hacienda in its own 23-acre estate.

The design is both modern and at one with the wild surroundings, with large windows and a warming use of wood. Just 21 beautifully crafted rooms are spread between the guest house and the main hotel building’s junior suites, with a handful of villa suites on the banks of the Liucura river and the opulent Ruca Suite set in the middle of the forest. The latter two options offer their own living room and fireplace, with a private terrace and an outdoor tub to enjoy the clear Chilean night skies.

Vira Vira’s restaurant offers food created from homegrown produce, a blend of local, ancient indigenous recipes coupled with the best and truly fresh ingredients, accompanied well paired wines.

The area around Pucon and the neighbouring Villarrica volcano is famed for its range of actives, from hiking and hot springs to a plethora of adventure activities. Several beautiful wilderness areas are nearby, including Huerquehue National Park, and horseback riding, mounting biking, river rafting, fly fishing, kayaking, varied hiking tours, ascents to the active volcano and even skiing on Villarrica’s slopes can be arranged. Each day, guests meet with Vira Vira’s excursion manager to discuss and plan excursions, or one can chose to explore the area around the estate, getting a glimpse at some of the rare wildlife species that live nearby or visiting the lodge’s farm to learn the skills of artisanal cheese making.

Overview

This is Chiloé’s most famed and architecturally unique hotel that has been built in the beautiful, picturesque surroundings of the Rilan Peninsula. With a hilltop position it offers splendid views overlooking the ocean.

The hotel has been designed using native materials such as wood, sheep’s wool, weaving’s and basketry, all of which have been hand crafted by local islanders to offer guests the highest level of comfort. Each of the rooms offers breath-taking views overlooking the sea and the wooden furnishings give off a cosy and naturally authentic feel to the hotel. The welcoming lounge offers an open fireplace, a great place to relax while looking out over wonderful views of the rolling hills and the wild open ocean.

Overview

You wouldn’t think that the spectacular Patagonian region of Torres del Paine could get any better regarding luxurious design-led hotels, but it has, courtesy of the exclusive sibling hotel to Awasi Atacama, and the only lodge in the area to offer tailor-made excursions for each guest. Adding to that, a portion of the proceeds from each guest’s stay helps to support The Awasi Patagonia Conservation Project, which aims to create a natural corridor for wildlife. Awasi guides also help to monitor the puma populations and keep hunters away, increasing the properties, and its guests, positive impact on the region.

14 wooden-clad, shipping crate-style ‘villas’, which were inspired by the old outpost shelters, lie scattered over the wind-protected private reserve, facing the epic Lake Sarmiento and the famous three-tower peaks. Inside, the warming and minimal Scandinavian cabin decor nicely cushions you from the harsh weather outside, with natural wood interiors, large inviting beds, your own living room with log fireplaces, a hot tub and with every modern amenity to hand. The master villa, which has two bedrooms, is perfect for families.

The dispersal of these freestanding villas befits the solitude of your surroundings, giving you a pleasing level of privacy but also a heightened experience of the landscape’s isolation.

The main house, just a short walk from the villas, features a Relais & Chateaux restaurant, terrace and living area. Awasi is renowned not only for its style, but for tailoring its tours to each individual guest and for serving delectable gourmet food. Guests can choose whatever excursions they want to do, without having to compromise for the sake of a group.

Overview

Perhaps the most famous hotel in all of Chile, the Explora Patagonia one of the most stunning settings in the world.

Simple and cool from the exterior, things could not be more different once inside. There are large picture windows everywhere (even in the bathrooms) to make the most of the stunning vistas surrounding the hotel. Much of the furniture is hand crafted from local wood and slate, and there are many little design touches to make things more comfortable. The hotel also has a large indoor swimming pool and outdoor jacuzzis.

All activities are included in the programme as are all meals and drinks. Food is generally of a high standard at the restaurant.

Overview

Housed in the restored, post-Victorian cold-storage factory “Frigorifico Puerto Bories” first built in 1915, the Singular is in fact a National Monument and has been sympathetically and stylishly converted into one of Patagonia’s most elegant exploration hotels. By this we mean its remoteness has in no way inhibited its refinement.

Located on the shores of the Señoret Channel, at the end of the Ultima Esperanza Sound, Singular is ideally placed for expeditions to some of Patagonia’s most inaccessible parts and sights. With two of their own boats to explore the intricate fjords, channels and islands, as well as a wealth of other land-based activities, you really are in the best hands.

The hotel’s décor has been expertly and creatively designed to a high but understated level of luxury, blended with regional character and the building’s unique history all for a contemporary industrial chic fused with a warm, old-style comfort. All of its 57 rooms command steely Patagonian views over the channel water or rugged plains, and soft carpets, cosy beds and traditional pieces of furniture add a warmth to their contemporary, bunker-style design of bare concrete walls and seamless glass windows.

In-between these lie rooms displaying much of the factory’s restored machinery and galleries detailing its history, so Singular acts as much as an offering to the region’s past as it does a hotel.

The service and food are both excellent, and apart from the simple task of deciding on whether to go for the Magellenic Lamb or conger eel for dinner, or perhaps what spa treatment you’ll go for to end your day, the bigger challenge is choosing from over 20 different well-thought-out and extraordinary expeditions on offer by Singular.

We also highly recommend Pisco Sours at sunset.

Overview

It’s this hotel’s bizarrely beautiful shape, designed to imitate that of a sun-bleached fossil on the ruggedly wild shores of Lake Sarmiento, which makes Tierra Patagonia such a striking place to stay. In fact, this sustainable lodge is known worldwide for its innovative architecture, which blends naturally into the landscape. The revitalised pampa, where the complex is based, has benefited from great conservation efforts, as well as focus on minimising footprint in this beautiful area.

This impressive blonde-wooded, design-led ‘shell’ houses 40 simple yet sophisticated Scandinavian-style rooms. Their exposed timber interiors create a tangible Sauna-like warmth that contrasts well with the views of the desolate pampas outside. There are family apartments of two adjoining rooms available, as well as the extensive Uma Spa, which is particularly welcomed after a hard day hiking the Torres del Paine National Park, which is simple given the hotel’s superb team of guides and the varied activities on offer here. From horse riding to climbing, this great range of opportunities means you really can take full advantage of your truly magnificent surrounds.

Overview

Patagonia Camp is one of the only true luxury camping experiences of its kind in South America. Set on a bluff overlooking one of the stunning lakes in the region each of the spacious ‘yurts’ is heated, has a private terrace and bathroom with shower and hot water.

Service is excellent and a full programme of activities is included as well as all meals.

Overview

Hotel Magnolia offers you an oasis where the art of hospitality and comfort are celebrated. The 42 rooms are inspired by history and each highlights remarkable details, like the stained glass windows of the heritage building. The decor is elegant, with a focus on being a home away from home.

Overview

The Singular Santiago is a luxury hotel in the Lastarria neighbourhood of Santiago.

A sister hotel to The Singular Patagonia, The Singular Santiago is located in one of the artiest areas of the Chilean capital, Lastarria: the Museum of Fine Art, the Museum of Visual Arts, and the Gabriel Mistral Center are all within walking distance of the hotel.

It’s not just the location that’s appealing: the rooftop pool provides a scenic setting in which to both cool down after a day exploring Santiago and take in the view; the spa offers post- or pre-long-haul flight massages; and the Singular Restaurant serves French dishes alongside local specialties, such as Guanaco and Penca, to keep the flavour decidedly Latin. The ninth-floor Sky Bar is the perfect place to polish off a day in Lastarria.

There are 62 rooms: the Patio Rooms and the Classic Rooms overlook the Plaza Mulato Gil, and the Deluxe Balcony Rooms have views across the Parque Forestal. All rooms at The Singular benefit from stylish decor and all the mod-cons you could wish for, including wireless internet, LCD TVs, large and comfortable beds, and well-equipped, spacious marble bathrooms.