Puyuhuapi Lodge travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises, spa and resorts

It is hard to imagine a more romantic arrival. After rumbling over gravel roads between fairy-tale forests along Chile‘s remote but spectacular Carretera Austral, you come, at last, to a tranquil little hamlet on the edge of a fjord: Puyuhuapi. The last stretch of your journey must be done by boat, crossing the glassy waters to find a cathedral-like wooden building poised right on the water against a backdrop of virgin forest. It seems an unlikely place for a luxurious spa, and yet inside this beautiful structure there are immaculate pools, fed by three kinds of natural waters. There are also healing mineral water hot springs too. From this superb range of combinations, the owners have created a wide specialty of treatments which transformed the guests’ well-being. 

The accommodation is simple, rather than chic. The comfortable rooms are designed with natural materials and floor-to-ceiling windows to make the most of tranquil views onto the fjord. Fine cuisine completes the luxurious treatments. Bedfellows can conclude their trip there with an unforgettable voyage to see the mighty glacier at Laguna San Rafael.

It is Puyuhuapi’s complete contact with nature that is so special: Take a kayak out onto the water to explore, or hike to the inspiring glacier on the other side of the fjord. After a day of exertion, there is no better therapy than to bask in hot pools under the beautiful sky and watch the stars.

Location: Chiloe Island, Chile. Photos by: nazgulhead