Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa

From the proper angle, Tierra Patagonia looks like little more than a fissure in the earth, a minor geological feature beneath the gasp-inducing major ones of Chilean Patagonia’s Torres del Paine National Park. It’s a landscape so strikingly otherworldly that, from a modest distance, this UFO–shaped hotel blends in nearly to the point of imperceptibility. But while the setting is end-of-the-earth rugged, the hotel itself is casually luxurious. It’s got an Uma spa, a surprisingly ambitious restaurant, spacious vista-rich rooms, and not an ounce of ostentation.

The interiors are largely glass and natural woods in varying states of rawness, from gnarly sun-bleached tree branches and crooked log support-beams to soft wood floors that beg for bare feet. All forty rooms face Lago Sarmiento and the ever-present jumble of peaks, the Paine Massif, beyond. Inviting nooks are everywhere, from the library to the map room to a sitting area with an open fireplace, many of them made cozier by fluffy sheepskins piled onto the furniture and soft cowhide rugs underfoot. Ostensibly the idea is to cozy up with a book or one of the hotel’s iPads (there’s wi-fi throughout), but really the reading material is just a pretense for gazing out the floor-to-ceiling windows. With luck a guanaco might step into the foreground.

But the landscape doesn’t just look pretty; it beckons. For while luxuriating within sight of one of the earth’s most striking geological features is no small pleasure, a stay at Tierra Patagonia is designed as a more immersive experience. After you’ve settled in, the knowledgeable staff will consult with you about the various excursions on offer, from easy guided strolls to gaucho-led horseback rides to challenging ascents into the mountains — all included in the price of your stay.

Also included are three meals a day, an open bar, all the sauna and steam room time you require, and round-trip transfers from the airport in Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales. Though the hotel’s location on the edge of the park makes excursions into the interior a little longer, it also means you don’t waste nearly a whole day getting in from the airport and another day getting back. You’ll want all the time you can get here.

Please note: Tierra Patagonia requires a 3-night minimum stay. The hotel is a seasonal property and open between November and May.

How to get there: Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa is located 1 hour 45 minutes from Puerto Natales Airport and 4 hours from Punta Arenas Airport by car. Transfers are included in the rates; consult staff for scheduled departures.