Parador Darwin — Hotel in Chonchi

The reason we reserved and stayed at Parador Darwin was that it was one of the few accommodations in Cucao that had a website, plus it had a rather good rating on Tripadvisor. When we arrived there, however, we found out that its owner had recently changed and the restaurant that previously belonged to the hostel had burnt down, so that earlier reviews may not be fully representative anymore. ||||This being said, we were pleased with our stay at Parador Darwin. Our room was clean and had a private bathroom. The bed was comfortable enough, yet given the price of the room we suggest the owner may consider renewing the mattresses and replacing the wool blankets with duvets.||||The owner was very friendly and provided us quite a lot of useful information about Cucao's surroundings and Chiloé in general. Breakfast was good and rather varied containing bread, cheese and ham slices, honey, jam, yogurt, fruit, coffee and juice; it starts only at 9am, though, which can be rather late if you plan for an early start. Luckily, the owner agreed to make an exception for us on our departure day, preparing a (slightly reduced) breakfast for us already at 7:30am.||||The owner makes a point of not having WiFi/internet for guests in his hostel, and we didn't really miss it on this trip. However, we believe that for many travelers it could be rather useful to have internet access for planning the continuation of...

We stayed at the parador for three nights, before the beginning of the official opening for the season, and as the only guests it was amazingly quiet. There are only four rooms, in a long low wooden hut set in a leafy garden, along with the owner's home and the restaurant. The rooms were basic but adequate, and pretty clean and comfortable. The bathrooms were tiny and well-worn, but fairly clean. The owner, Susi, spoke a few words of English and with our little bit of Spanish, we managed to communicate fine. She and her cook whizzed up a couple of amazing dinners - spreads of chilli con carne, salmon, steaks, steamed veggies, salads... The breakfasts were hearty too - bread, cake, hard boiled eggs, jam, cheese, coffee, juice, fruit...||||But, although the accommodation was fine, what made it great was its location - in a remote part of Chiloé, right by a river mouth, very near the entrance to the national park, near vast sandy beaches pounded by huge surf. And hardly a soul around, apart from a few locals and the odd tourist. We ate one evening at El Fogon de Cucao, also very good but much more expensive, and had excellent chocolate cake a couple of times in the little café in the park - lovely walks by the lake and to a mirador.||||Susi was lovely, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place if you want peace and quiet in a remote location. ...

We stayed three nights at Parador Darwin, just before a recently posted review, and had an opposite and excellent experience. Marcelo and His wife Patricia were both helpful and informative hosts. I appreciated their warmth and their open and direct style and found conversations with them delightful. Breakfast was excellent, especially Patti's kuchen. Rather than a paying customer, I felt like I had simply been invited into the kitchen for breakfast with the family. There are four rooms in a separate structure, country simple not city sophisticated, but this is Cucao. My room and private bath were comfortable and clean. There is also a more rustic small house with two bunk beds, shower, and toilet available. Marcelo is knowledgeable and helpful about things to do in Cucao. I am glad I stayed here and did't try to "do" Cucao as a day trip from Castro. Breakfast at 9 is typical of Chile if a bit late by US standards, but this simply gave me the opportunity for early morning walks in a wonderful, quiet, and still world--only the sound of the...