The Best Resorts to Book in Chile

Don’t expect a standard hotel here at the gateway to Northern Patagonia in the Los Lagos Region. Instead, guests stay in either self-contained cabins in the woods, domes with private bathrooms or tents with shared facilities. Days are spent trekking in the Puyehue National Park, mountain biking by Lake Puyehue and soaking in the two thermal pools, filled with crystal-clear water from the area’s natural springs.

It may not look like your average all-inclusive property, but this extraordinary hotel on Chiloé rewrites the rule book. A wooden property built on stilts, the hotel has just 24 rooms and every single guest feels like a VIP. Room rate includes meals at the farm-to-table restaurant, Chilean wine and the signature cocktail of Chilean pisco and local ulmo honey. A mind-boggling array of excursions are on offer, including horse-trekking, a trip to the capital of the island, Castro, and kayaking.

Stargazers, adventure seekers and anyone hoping to escape the daily grind will be wowed by this lodge in Atacama, the world’s driest and highest desert at 2,500m above sea level. Days are spent soaking in outdoor thermal baths or joining once-in-a-lifetime excursions to Moon Valley, the Salar de Atacama flats or the geysers at El Tatio. After dark, prepare to be amazed – the hotel is one of the world’s best spots for stargazing and even has its own on-site telescope.

When a city break appeals but you just can’t resist the lure of the beach, this hotel in Viña del Mar is the ideal solution. The beachfront property, two hours from Santiago, is moments from the sand, with an outdoor pool overlooking the ocean and the colourful cliff top houses of Valparaíso port close by. There are plenty of attractions on the doorstep too including the home of Chilean poet Pablo Neruda and historic Wulff Castle, with ocean views beneath its famous glass floor.

Rooms with a view are standard at this unique property in Patagonia, housed in the century-old former cold storage plant, which was declared a National Monument in 1996. Every room features sweeping vistas of the Patagonian fjords through its six-metre-wide glass window. If you can tear yourself away, there are countless attractions nearby including the Milodon Caves, Sofia Lake, Dorotea Hill and the local town of Puerto Natales.

Don’t stress about the final bill at this exquisite property in the Araucania region of the Chilean Lake District. With just six suites and 12 villas, this intimate hotel takes care of everything, with the nightly rate including daily farm-to-table meals and excellent Chilean wines. A vast array of activities make the most of the surrounding rainforests, glacial lakes and snowy volcanoes, too, including heli-skiing, whitewater rafting and even tours of the hotel’s own boutique cheese factory.

One of South America’s first solar-powered hotels is on the edge of remote San Pedro de Atacama, where guests can soak up the majestic silence and awe-inspiring sights of the desert landscape. There’s a spa offering treatments inspired by the surroundings, a yoga space and an excellent restaurant with particularly mouth-watering desserts. Excursions from the hotel include trips to the Tatio geysers at sunrise, a full moon desert hike and guided stargazing with the largest public telescope in the region.

Nature lovers and adventure junkies can fill every spare moment at this unique property, in the heart of the Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, in the Chilean Lake District. A series of wooden buildings built in the trees and connected by aerial walkways, the 55-room hotel immerses guests in their wildly wonderful surroundings offering a thrilling zipline, cable car rides and treks to the plateau of the Mocho Choshuenco glacier.

No need to leave the children behind to make this bucket-list trip to Northern Patagonia. The spa resort at the foot of the Andes has plenty for families including suites that sleep up to six, children’s menus and a special buffet table, a kid’s club and dedicated activities including mountain biking, horse riding, tennis, mini golf and bowling at the hotel’s very own alley. Afterwards, the whole family can soak together in the mineral-rich waters of the dreamy thermal pools.

Positioned on 11,000 acres (4450ha) of vineyards in the Millahue Valley, Vik Chile is a wine buff’s dream. Guests can ride horses through some of the world’s best vines, enjoy gourmet picnics and wine tasting and join in with the harvest at the right time of year. There’s even a wine spa, where treatments are derived from grapes and include luxurious wine baths.