Las Bandurrias Eco Hostal - Cochamó — Hotel in Cochamó

We (four adults and a teenager) stayed here for 4 nights to do some hiking and sightseeing after a week-long conference in Puerto Varas. We had a wonderful stay. The hosts, Silvie and Manuel, speak English, French and Spanish and were lovely people, very welcoming and helpful in planning our day trips. The accommodations were simple but clean, modern and comfortable. Heating is provided by a wood pellet stove located in the dining/living area. There are LED lights throughout. The bedrooms were very clean and comfortable with down comforters that kept us warm. The hostel is beautifully constructed with bare wood and fanciful touches such as ceiling lights made from tree branches and kitchen lights from tea cups. Guests are asked to remove their boots to keep the space clean. There are 4 or 5 bedrooms and three shared bathrooms, each with a toilet, sink and shower. Towels were provided. The water is solar-heated with electric heating to supplement, and was piping hot. The kitchen area is well appointed with modern range and large fridge, Silvie fixed breakfast for us each morning and was very accommodating of our schedules, waking very early to allow us to get an early start each day. The breakfast was delicious, with fruit salad, fresh bread and local cheese. We made packed lunches for ourselves in the kitchen each day and ate dinner each night at the one restaurant in Cochamo, La Ollita (which we can recommend). There was no wi-fi in the hostel, but there was 3G cell phone reception. There was wi-fi at the La Ollita restaurant (password provided by the staff). We recommend stocking up on groceries in Puerto Varas because there are no decent grocery stores in Cochamo. There was a hot water urn for tea and coffee. The shared kitchen, dining and living area is open-plan with two comfortable couches, and spectacular views of the estuary and mountains and Calbuco volcano beyond through the floor-to-ceiling windows. Traveling from Puerto Varas via Ensanada, the road becomes a pothole-ridden dirt road after you cross the mouth of the Rio Petrohue, so allow more time for driving than you might expect (the Google Maps driving times were pretty accurate). The drive is beautiful, however, with great views of the estuary and mountains. The hostel is in an idyllic rural setting above the village of Cochamo, surrounded by pasture land and horses. Cochamo itself is a tiny place, not yet discovered by tourism, with no gas station and only one restaurant at this time of year. This is an "off-the-beaten-path" place to come for the hiking and scenic beauty. We recommend the hike to La Junta (long and arduous through dense forest, but with spectacular views at the end) and the ferry ride across Lago Tagua Tagua to explore and hike the Rio Puelo valley beyond. Also, although more touristy, a visit to the Petrohue falls, La Cascadas falls and a ski lift up the Osorno volcano for spectacular views on...

I couldn't recommend this hostel enough! It's the best one we've stayed in so far in Chile. Every aspect of our stay in the Eco Hostal was superb. Silvie and Manuel were such lovely, warm and helpful hosts. From the moment they collected us from the bus and brought us to the hostel we knew we couldn't have found a better place to stay. The hostel is more like a ski lodge with the most comfortable beds and large windows which allow you to take in the breathtaking views of the sea, volcanos and surrounding mountains. Silvie and Manuel were always there to answer any questions we had and to help us in any way they could. They dropped us to the trailhead of La Junta and collected us again for 10,000 pesos which was so convenient and they gave us all the information we needed about the trail. Silvie made a delicious breakfast for us every morning with homemade bread, jams, cereal, yoghurt and fruit. Although the hostel is quite a steep walk uphill from the village there's a lovely view and Silvie and Manuel always offered us lifts down whenever they were going themselves. If you are looking to stay in a peaceful, home from home, with amazing hosts then book here now, you definitely...

We visited Cochamo in October, in more-than-average rainy days. Sylvie and Manuel were great hosts and gave us lots of useful information and ideas for trips in the area that were suitable for the weather. The hostal itself was superb, we couldn't believe we ||were staying in such a beautiful and clean place for a relatively low price. Everything is wooden, new and shiny, a lot of thought was given to deign and convenience, and the view from the large glass windows in the shared space is really stunning. Sylvie makes great bread and jams, and you really have everything you could think of, including a great kitchen to cook in. However, we were the only guests at that time, so we had all the shared facilities to ourselves, which virtually turned the hostal to a private lodge. I suppose that when it's full it is less intimate, but still great. Couldn't...