Awasi Patagonia: A Luxury Hotel in the Wilderness of Chile
Awasi Patagonia: A Luxury Hotel in the Wilderness of Chile
We went to Awasi with high expectations and still found ourselves overwhelmed by the experience. Maybe it was the location, perched on a hill overlooking Torres del Paine National Park with nothing but untamed beauty stretching in every direction. Maybe it was the architecture that somehow feels both modern and perfectly camouflaged into the landscape. Or maybe it was simply the realization that we were somewhere so remote yet so lavish—a combination that shouldn't make sense but absolutely does.
Your Own Private Patagonia
The magic starts with a simple premise: no two guests have the same experience. Everything about your stay gets customized to you, backed by Awasi's "everything is possible" attitude that sets it apart from resorts worldwide. Want to ride horses along the river? No problem. Fancy a traditional cookout with local gauchos? It can be arranged. Ready to explore the most remote corners of Torres del Paine? Your guide will be waiting.
Every guest receives a private guide and SUV. Complete freedom to explore whatever you want, whenever you want. Your guide plans your days with you alone, happily accommodating your desires and requests. The all-inclusive structure means you never factor costs into your plans—you simply decide what you want to do with your experience.
Our guide, Jose-Thomas, crafted the perfect four-day itinerary for us. When we first met him, we mentioned hoping to ride horses (a lot of horses) and that while we wanted to see Patagonia, we didn't want to spend hours hiking to do it. He simply smiled and immediately started providing ideas for how he could make sure we experienced this remote corner of South America—on our terms.
Architecture That Disappears Into the Landscape
Awasi's 14 villas dot across the hillside, each quite far apart with trees between them. This gives you the feeling of being alone in the wilderness, uninterrupted by other guests. The buildings are designed to blend into their environment, inspired by old wood cabins that local ranchers built to survive when driving cattle across the vast, inhospitable pampas. While drawing from these traditions, Awasi manages to feel modern and create an authentic space.
Each villa is built from local wood on stilts to minimize environmental impact. The main room features a large double bed with spectacular views over the towers of the Torres del Paine massif. Each morning, waking up to gaze out the window and watch clouds roll over the scenery became pure joy.
A second seating area centers around a real wood-burning fireplace, which when lit in the evenings creates a romantic atmosphere while keeping you completely toasty as cold Patagonian winds blow outside. But perhaps the most unexpected feature is the traditional wood-heated hot tub. Each day before we returned from activities, the Awasi team ensured the hot tub was ready. The mixture of crisp mountain air and steamy warm water was absolute bliss—sitting there with wine, letting the bath massage tiredness from our muscles after being out in the country all day.
When Wildlife Becomes Your Neighbors
Every detail feels meticulously planned. The foyer had seating where you could take off shoes and put on slippers—such welcome comfort after a long walk in the cold, instantly changing out of dusty shoes into cozy slippers. The hotel's environment inspires decorations incorporating things found on the grounds: wood, branches, acorns. Local textiles and black-and-white photos of staff adorn the walls.
During downtime, we'd wander around the grounds outside our villa, reminded of just how close to nature we were. One night, while using our flashlight to get back from the restaurant, we almost bumped into a guanaco feeding outside. On another occasion, my husband, Chris went out to photograph the sunrise and discovered fresh puma tracks going right around our villa—amazing, even if slightly scary.
Appreciating our surroundings became the best use of our time. When would we have this chance again? We didn't mind the lack of TV or that wifi only worked sporadically in the main lodge (Awasi calls it an "internet detox"). We'd come to get away from those things anyway, and our days were so full of adventure that by evening, all we wanted was rest.
Gastronomy at the End of the World
Without fail, we looked forward to each evening meal. Awasi has made gastronomy a huge factor in the overall experience, and everything the chefs created was delicious. Top chef Federico Ziegler leads the kitchen, combining fine dining principles with local traditions. He sources food as locally as possible, designing plates that use ingredients endemic to the area—local guanaco meat, ceviche from fish caught in the nearby sound.
The restaurant menu changes daily according to what's available and what you request. One night I asked for a salad and the chef prepared it in front of me—one of the best I've ever had. Everything on the plate was arranged so artistically you almost felt guilty eating it. Given my curiosity about local cuisine, the chef even offered me a crash cooking lesson in Patagonian cuisine.
The drink menu matches this quality. Cocktails are clever and sophisticated, all created by in-house mixologist Manuel Bastias. Many prominently feature local herbs and spirits, creating unique flavors impossible to find elsewhere. Awasi also maintains an extensive wine list curated by a knowledgeable sommelier who happily pairs glasses with each course Chef Ziegler prepares.
Even though Awasi has a single restaurant where you eat each meal, you never get bored. The varied menu changes day to day, meaning you always have something to look forward to.
Adventures Tailored to You
After letting our guide know we wanted to explore the area on horseback, he quickly arranged several horses at local ranches. Those days on horseback in Patagonia became some of our fondest memories of our time in South America. From traversing hills and streams on our way to Mirador Cuernos with its spectacular regional views, to following a gaucho through the pampas as we crossed from Chile into Argentina, we knew we were having a unique experience created just for us.
Our favorite trip was to a remote spot Jose-Thomas knew—not a specific destination you'll find in any guidebook, but a beautiful place hidden deep in the Sierra Baguales. There, with no one else around except wild guanacos and horses, Jose-Thomas surprised us with a picnic complete with salad, smoked salmon, cheese, and plenty of wine. It was our favorite afternoon of the whole trip—and somehow our guide knew it was exactly what we wanted even though we never said a word about it.
Getting There Is Half the Adventure
Just reaching Awasi is an adventure. With no real "road" leading to the property, we forded a river in our 4x4. With the dramatic mountain backdrop, it felt like a scene from an action movie. On more than one occasion, herds of wild guanacos or flocks of rheas (a sort of South American ostrich) blocked our path to the hotel. That's exactly what you'd expect in a place as wild as Patagonia.
If you want to make your Patagonian experience your own, you can't really do better than Awasi. The freedom you get there is unique, and the local knowledge of guides ensures you visit places no one else sees. Sometimes you travel somewhere that surprises even the most worldly travelers—Awasi Patagonia is exactly that kind of place.
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