lackbook update Tierra
lackbook update Tierra Patagonia continued Rooms at Tierra Patagonia Hotel & Spa start at AU,495 for four nights, including excursions. To book or for more details, call +56 2 207 8861 or go to tierra patagonia.com From the outside, it looks like a modern Noah’s Ark washed up on the shore. Cazú Zegers, one of three prominent Santiago-based architects who designed the hotel, took inspiration from the winds by integrating the undulating woodand-glass hotel into a long bank of low-rising hills. Zegers clad the exterior and interiors in local Lenga wood from a sustainably planted forest. The exterior appears malleable, as though the winds are responsible for the exaggerated curves. The wood inside will keep its honey-coloured hue, but over time the elements will cause the outside cladding to grey. The suites are done floor to ceiling in Lenga and embellished with only downy sheepskin throws and picture windows that frame the distant mountains. The restaurant, bar, lounge and library are all housed in one grand communal space. But Tierra Patagonia is more than just a pretty crash pad. Wilderness excursions depart several times a day, ranging from light hikes around turquoise lakes and soft grassy plains to challenging climbs (all excursions included). The Pingo valley is one of the greenest spots in Torres del Paine National Park, and Tierra Patagonia’s guided journey there includes the magnificent Grey Glacier, pounding waterfalls and rock formations like nothing else on earth. ECOCAMP Patagonia A luxe tent city C amping in Patagonia is a romantic notion complicated by a reality that includes blistering winds and occasional torrential downpours. Javier López and Yerko Ivelic tackled the problem by creating EcoCamp Patagonia, a string of 25 tent-like geodesic domes that are waterproof, wind-resistant and easy on the eyes. This luxury encampment in Torres del Paine National Park looks like a futuristic hobbit village and was inspired by the dome-shaped huts typical of Patagonia’s nomadic Kawésqar people. The suite and loft domes are sealed in green and transparent coverings that keep the elements out but let in views of the Andes and the stars. Larger domes house the from top: © tierra patagonia hotel & spa (3); © ecocamp patagonia 24 departures-international.com
lackbook - I N T E R N AT ECOCAMP continued lounge, bar and dining areas, and the whole camp is connected by a network of raised wooden platforms, which reduce EcoCamp’s environmental footprint and give the impression of living in the trees. Like Tierra Patagonia, EcoCamp Patagonia offers a clutch of day trips into the wilderness. Local adventure experts act as guides on mountain fly-fishing expeditions to the icy Baguales and Serrano rivers; EcoCamp provides instruction, transportation and equipment (AU3 a day, including suite accommodation). For the non-angler, there’s the Torres del Paine to Perito Moreno full-day sightseeing blitz, which begins with a EcoCamp Patagonia packages start at AU3 per person for a three-night stay. To book or for more information, call +1 800 901 6987 or go to ecocamp.travel sunrise breakfast in Torres del Paine and moves across the border into Argentina to Los Glaciares National Park for a boat tour of the Perito Moreno Glacier (AU6 as day, including standard accommodation). Two countries and countless natural wonders later, you’re back at EcoCamp for cocktails and dinner under the stars. D E PA R T U R E S at Log on for the oenophile‘s guide to Patagonia m o r e S e e I O N A L . C O M clockwise from top right: © singular hotels (2); © ecocamp patagonia (2) THE SINGULAR Patagonia A postindustrial revelation It took ten years of renovations and remodelling, much of it guided by the renowned Chilean interior designer Enrique Concha, to turn a former coldstorage and sheep-processing plant into a 57-room resort and spa. Today the industrial behemoth’s massive buildings – essentially three-storey refrigerators – are enjoying a second life as the region’s most impressive lodging. Concha kept things simple in the rooms with concrete ceilings, minimal furniture and walls painted mostly in taupe. The idea is to keep your eyes trained on the icy blue fjords and towering Andes visible through the massive panoramic window that constitutes the longest wall in every room. The beating heart of the hotel is the restaurant, bar and lounge. The room recalls a soaring brick cathedral, if cathedrals served pisco sours to guests perched on oversized couches. Despite the enormous proportions, the dining room is cosy, sectioned off and shares its quarters with an open kitchen. Here, a team of regional cooks works under the helm of chef Laurent Pasqualetto, who trained at Fouquet’s in Paris. But it’s the hotel’s architectural heritage that makes it stand out in this recent wave of Patagonia retreats – you wander back to your room along ribbons of elevated glass walkways that amplify the powerful scale of the hotel’s historical bones. GETTING THERE Plan for at least one day en route in both directions. The first stop for most is Buenos Aires, Argentina, or Santiago, Chile. From there, it’s less than four hours in the air to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales. Both airports are within driving distance of all three hotels. Rooms at The Singular Patagnia start at AU5. To book or for more information, call +56 2 954 0480 or go to thesingular. com Contact platinum card service for bookings departures-international.com 25
