Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa

Relax and spoil yourself at Chile's best spa hotel, stunningly located on the shore of a fjord amid ancient forests

Treat yourself with a few days at this idyllic natural spa. Set in a tranquil sea inlet in northern Patagonia, the Kossmann family have created a unique hotel, combining beautiful sea, forest and snow-capped mountain views, and a top-notch thalassotherapy centre offering thermal pools, pampering massages and seaweed treatments. Despite its remote location, the lodge offers all that you'd expect from a small luxury hotel: fine cuisine, comfortable accommodation and friendly service.

The emphasis is on relaxation, but there's plenty to keep you occupied, with guided and self-led activities on land and sea. Hike through the temperate rainforest, kayak through island-filled channels, go fly-fishing in exceptional conditions or take an unforgettable catamaran trip to the spectacular San Rafael glacier. It's a fantastic resting place along the visually stunning and little travelled Camino Austral, and it's well worth coming down here for one of the 3- to 6-day escape packages.

Highs

• The unforgettable sight of Laguna San Rafael, with its massive glacier and blue icebergs
• Soaking in the hotel's many indoor and outdoor thermal pools
• Professional massages and treatments
• Walking through the lush, dense, atmospheric forest
• Sympathetic architecture: native woods blend in well with the surroundings, picture windows make the most of the views
• There's a wide choice of all-inclusive programmes lasting from 3 to 6 days - they're pricey but well organised, and all the excursions and transfers are taken care of

Lows

• Weekends in high season are busy, and the thermal baths can get quite crowded
• Out of season, the rain can be persistent - although this won’t worry you if you’re submerged in the spa
• The décor is cosy rather than hip
• It is almost impossible to get there under your own steam, so you have to take a ready-made package with transfers from Balmaceda airport or Puerto Montt