Town & Country, March 1996

Pampered in Patagonia

Explora-Hotel Salto Chico in Patagonia is the perfect spot for people who'd love to visit one of the most remote places on Earth but would hate to give up four-star comforts. Set in the Torres del Paine National Park, a six-hour drive from Chile's Punta Arena airport, the white-clapboard hotel is furnished with the best linens from Barcelona, china from England and wicker furniture from Chimbarongo. Every day, well-trained guides lead guests at this luxury outpost on exploration to glaciers, mountain peaks and waterfalls, passing through fields of guanacos (orange-and-white colored members of the llama family), rheas (ostriches) and flamingos to the base of Patagonia's most famous mountains, the Horns. Visitors ride horses or mountain bikes, passing colorful neighboring estancias along the way, and set out in boats or vans to view azure icebergs. After their wilderness adventures, guests return to the Explora, where they can relax in the outdoor Jacuzzis. And, whether eating fresh Chilean seafood in the cypress-paneled dining room, swimming in the indoor pool or lounging in a whirlpool bath, they are never far from the hotel's majestic view of the 8,000-foot-tall Horns. What a civilized way to be in the wild.