Parador Austral Lodge — Hotel in Chile Chico

Well this place is really hard to rate, and I will be doing two write-up’s for both the Hacienda Tres Lagos and the Parador Austral. They are in the same complex. When I wanted to book the Hacienda (was recommended in the Bradt guide) I was redirected to the Parador website. Not sure why but found out when I got here. The Hacienda is closed fort he season, apparently for major renovation work (although I did not see much being done). For New Year’s Eve holiday – due to too many bookings ant the Parador – they closed the Parador and moved all guests into the Hacienda, which was a really nice upgrade (got a big room with full front windows overlooking the lake). All that was a really nice treat. However the common rooms at the Hacienda felt very abandoned and lacked warmth. It’s a really nice place but most things like massages, whirlpool, excursions and the cafe were closed. I did not quite sign up for that and that was very disappointing. Also the WiFi was only available at the Parador and that meant to walk up and sit outside to check up on mails and such. In sun or rain! The restaurant was only open for dinner, although the staff was around all day. It would have been nice to have a bar or cafe where you could get some snacks and little plates like a salad, soup and/or a cheese plate during the day (not such a complicated feat the accomplish I believe). They did though give me some bread to keep me from starving! There is practically no choice nearby. It would also have been nice to have a choice for the main course at the dinner. The just served a fixed three course dinner (and I never knew how much they cahrges, only when I got the check-out bill) and when one wanted to change something is was not really possible as they had no other food on site! It is really a shame because the location is really nice, the room rather spectacular but it feels very run down and lacks professional management. It has so much potential, hope they fix it up not just on the outside but also on personnel and service. Would really be a pitty to let such a gem go to waste. The personnel is very friendly and tries to make up for a lot of things. So I’m not quite ruling it out to stay here again on another trip on the Carretera Austral. There is unfortunaltey not...

I have really mixed feelings about this place. The location is absolutely stunning, 50kms south of Puerto Rio Tranquilo, where you would not expect such a lovely place to be. The Parador Austral is part of the larger Hacienda Tres Lagos, which has multiple accommodation units. The parador Austral has few rooms, I have seen 5 but possibly there are a few more in the area. Again, the location is lovely, there is a hot tub and a games room. Our room was very new, with a nice wooden finish, large bed and bathroom, huge windows and a good sized terrace overlooking the lake, ideal for chilling out while drinking something and enjoying the view. We were the only guests in the hotel that week (we stayed 2 nights) but the room was not properly cleaned (it was not dirty from previous guests... It looked like it was cleaned the previous season and not cleaned properly again before letting us in - there was dust, cobwebs and hair in the bathroom). In the bathroom there was only one roll of toilet paper with no replacement available. The breakfast was barely acceptable, with ham, cheese, bread, milk/coffee/cereals/jams and orange juice. The people welcoming us (not sure if they were the owners) were nice and polite but did not seem too interested in us (e.g. asking our plans, if we needed directions etc.). There is no restaurant but only a bar which serves drinks and hot sandwiches. There are not many options of restaurants around, the closest being around 30 minutes drive. |Bearing in mind they sell the rooms for 200+ USD per night in a remote location, I would have expected a more attentive service.|Something I really hated was the people (either employees or friends of the owners) who left their trucks with engine on for a long time (over 15 minutes in several instances). At night I had to hear the diesel engine noise and, in the morning, the stink of diesel in a place where you should only enjoy nature. |All in all it is a place I'd recommend, considering there are no decent alternatives in the area (at least in mid December). They could be much better with just a...

if you coming for a luxury treatment - not the place. But if you are coming to experience the last remaining wastness and beauty of the untouched patagonia - this is your paradise. Your morings will see woodpackers wrecking cabin's window, hare backing in the quite of the early morning, wild geese stralling by the lake and more. Parador is a simpler version of the Los Tres Lagos just a 5 min walk down to the lake - same owner. it is a mountain cabin style, modern but simple interior, your windows looking at Lago Nero. This is not a Val d'Isere or Aspen, but personally i found nature far more stunning!||Breakfast is simple - cereal, eggs, cheese, youghurt, toast and jams. Please note, this is not the part of patagonia easily provided by fruits and veggies. Look at the map for where they are cultivated and do your math how long and how much it makes to get them this far. They try to work with local farmers but choices and season are short. But what you have is a great selection of Chilean wines and Los Lagos restaurant very good with fish and meat dishes for dinner (did not have breakfast there). Also, some staff speak English (and even those who dont will go out of their way try to help you). There are several hikes from the cabins to enjoy the 3 lakes (and the views are stunning!). You are also 40min from puarto tranquille - water activities and san rafael glacier trips; as well as 1.5h driving to the newly created Patagonia National Park - it is a must visit as not even the National Geographic can reproduce the views and animals you will see. So if you are not coming here for the unbelievable nature and quite to disconnect from your iPhone, why bother? This is the last unpopulated Patagonia to be enjoyed. (hence it is not about...