In the natural splendor of Chilean Patagonia, a new hotel offers a stirring showcase for the talents of local artisans.

In her book Across Patagonia, explorer Florence Dixie writes of encountering Torres del Paine National Park in Chilean Patagonia in the late 1870s. After an arduous climb, the group reached a favorable vantage point. She wrote:

“The sight well repaid us for our trouble… Beyond the hills rose the three red peaks and the Cordilleras. Their white glaciers, with the white clouds resting on them, were all mirrored to marvellous perfection in the motionless lake, whose crystal waters were of the most extraordinarily brilliant blue I have ever beheld […] the scene—the wooded hills, the glaciers rising into the blue above, and sinking mirrored into the blue below—was so unique, the spirit of silence and solitude which lay over all so impressive, that for a long time we stood as if spellbound, none of us uttering a word.”

It’s within this spectacular setting, still largely unchanged, that Chile’s Awasi Patagonia awaits. The Relais & Châteaux hotel, opened in November 2013, offers exquisite views of the summits of Torres del Paine and Lake Sarmiento below. The property is nestled in a forest of native lengas and ñirres (beech trees), where guanacos, foxes, condors, and the occasional puma make their home. Designed by Chilean architect Felipe Assadi, the 13 units (a lodge, plus 12 villas) take inspiration from the rough-hewn gaucho outposts scattered across the Patagonian Steppe; at night, these luminous cubes become modern havens.

Chilean artisans crafted almost 90%
of the hotel’s décor, representing the region’s
indigenous design heritage.

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The property prides itself on complementing its surroundings, and the interiors reflect this sensibility. According to Awasi’s interior designer, Paula Gutierrez, Chilean artisans crafted almost 90% of the hotel’s décor, representing the region’s indigenous design heritage. (Gutierrez demurred when asked to name her artists.) The natural materials and neutral palette makes for a “sophisticated, simple, and casual ambiance,” Gutierrez says; nearly all of the furniture is created from locally sourced lenga wood and almost every element was custom-made for the hotel. From rustic amber Patagonia bowls to soft woolen throws in shades of cream and sapphire, the interiors reflect the dense forests, glacier capped mountains, and vibrant lakes just outside the hotel’s doors. Florence Dixie would most certainly approve: the unique wonders of Chilean Patagonia are undeniably “mirrored to marvellous perfection” at Awasi Patagonia.