PRICE:
Frommer's Exceptional

This lodge may be a fair distance from the park proper, but it's the only top hotel with a view of the distinctive Torres, from its perspective due west across the plains. It also has a marvelous view of the vast steppe, and of Sierra Baquedano to the east. While the sheep ranch covers a vast 100,000 hectares (247,000 acres) between the park and Argentine border and includes the entire village of Cerro Guido, the facilities themselves include the two estancia buildings formerly occupied by the administrators and owners, the restaurant, and a few service areas like the 12-horse stable. The finest view of the Torres is from the restaurant's dining area, which has barbecue facilities indoors and out. Rooms, with fine polished hardwood floors, are furnished largely according to the lodge's original, country English-style, early-20th-century decor, with the superior rooms in the former administrator's mansion worth a thought; at a 10% higher price, I'd guess they're more than 10% larger and have fireplaces along with central heating. It's the perfect place for an authentic dive into Patagonia's rural traditions, and horseback and hiking excursions can take you to an aboriginal gravesite with a spectacular view.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Chile & Easter Island, 1st Edition, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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