I don’t usually write about hotels but the Tierra Patagonia is an exception. A fabulous place well worth a blog post.

Located in the Torres del Paine National Park in Chile, the hotel is a well designed lovely retreat and launching pad for hikes and explorations into the park.

The Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Reserve is uninhabited. Truly uninhabited. Filled with glaciers, lakes, gnarled Magellanic trees and dramatic mountains, it is fantastic for nature lovers, hikers, introverts and people who just want to “get away.”

The hotel is nestled into the landscape, hardly noticeable. This was by design.

The thought process for the design is described on the Architect, Cazu Zegers’ web site this way

“The building shape emerges from the wind, natural element which is characteristic of the zone. The form seeks to join the metaphysical landscape of the place. The hotel’s image looks like an ancient fossil of a prehistoric animal, stranded on the shore of the lake. The hotel is anchored to the ground with stone embankments and entirely coated with wood paneling of washed lenga, in order to get the silver color which is common of wood corroded by water.”

The goal of the design is to be seamless with the environment.  According to the brochure about the hotel, “The interior spaces aim to be warm and welcoming, structured by inner paths……The design of the interior seeks to evoke a sense of simplicity for guests, as if they were staying on a local ranch, rather than an international hotel.”  I think it does just that.

It uses lots of local wood, a form of beech, and features a ceiling that feels like an airplane wing in the wind appropriate since the wind is one of the strongest natural elements of Patagonia.  It took 60 carpenters to put it together, a bit like a gigantic jigsaw puzzle.

I loved the red doors, echoing the gates of the local Estancias.

The pool was fabulous, the spa divine, the food delicious, the staff friendly, the activities great and the views amazing. We looked out on the towers of rock that the park was named for. I enjoyed watching the light and clouds on these huge mountains through out the day. It was a definitely a daily visual treat.

We spent four nights at the Tierra Patagonia on a National Geographic trip. I’d love to go back.