Hosteria Pehoe — Hotel in Torres del Paine

We've just returned home (to the USA) after a two week trip to Patagonia. Whilst planning the trip I researched reviews on the places we planned to visit and the accommodations we wanted to book. Hosteria Pehoe had mixed reviews but we went ahead and booked four nights anyway. I understand travelers have different expectations and experiences, but after our second day at Hosteria Pehoe I actually found myself feeling angry at the negative reviews I had read. This hotel is an ABSOLUTE GEM!! It is seriously one of the best locations on this planet, the views are beyond breathtaking. The colour of the lake is far more brilliant than any photo and the mountains are so much closer than they appear in any image. Yes, the hotel itself is over 60 years old and could probably do with a little updating, HOWEVER, it is not only an iconic location in Patagonia, it's a national treasure! I believe the hotel only has 30 rooms and can accommodate around 100 people, which adds to it's charm and the sense of peace one experiences there. We stayed in room #36 which is a superior double (matrimonial superior as they called it) and has the best views on the island. Although the decor was a little dated, the room was attractive enough, with a comfortable queen bed, seating area in front of a bay window, small en suite bathroom, closet space and a safe. Yes, the water pressure was not fantastic, but you have to realize you are staying on an island, in the middle of the wilderness. If you require a marble bathroom with state of the art fittings, perhaps stay somewhere else. We found it to be perfectly adequate. There is no WiFi in the rooms, but the connection in the main building (reception, lounges, restaurant) was great and we did not spend much time in the room other than to sleep anyway. The main hotel building has a bar, restaurant and two lovely cozy lounge areas (views, views, views)! We got to meet some interesting people from all over the world who were hiking in the park or meeting their tour guide or just stopping in for a drink or meal. Breakfast is included in the nightly rate and consisted of a continental style buffet which we enjoyed. There is a three course lunch and dinner on offer at the restaurant each day, although one does not have to order all three courses. Some negative reviews complained about the restaurant prices, but failed to mention the quality of the beef, salmon or lamb! Nor did they mention the size of these generous portions. We found the food to be absolutely delicious and considering the hotel is on an island, in the middle of a national park, where everything has to transported in (and carried across the little bridge to the hotel), paying US$40 for a three course dinner (huge steak or salmon entree) is not expensive. To the left of the main hotel building is a groomed pathway that leads to the top of a hill with panoramic views in every direction. I could write an entire chapter about the staff at Hosteria Pehoe, as they were some of the nicest people we met on our trip. The service is so personalized due to it being a small establishment and the staff all living on site too. Apart from enjoying the information they were more than willing to share about the hotel, Torres Del Paine and Chile, we learned a lot about the culture and people. We felt like we were saying goodbye to old friends when we left (from housekeeping to management) we got to know everyone and they took such good care of us. Our four days at Hosteria Pehoe were absolutely lovely, memorable and we can only end with "you must...

We split our stay with 2 nights at Hosteria Pehoe and 3 nights at Hotel Grey. For us, this was ideal, and we loved both hotels for very different reasons. But, set your expectations realistically and understand the environment (isolated location) and the limited accommodation options available in a park that is basically in the middle of nowhere. ||Hosteria Pehoe has the best location and views in the Torres del Paine park. No other location has better views and closer access to the most commonly used trails. The setting with the lake and the views from the restaurant and the hotel's little island are stunning. ||FOOD|Overall, I thought the food was fine at Hosteria Pehoe- we had great lunches (awesome burgers and fries, great soups, and good menu of the day), breakfast was very basic, and the dinners were just ok. So, overall it was “fine”. Again, you are in the middle of nowhere, and if you are coming to Torres Del Paine for great food at a great price, then you will likely be disappointed by any of the eating establishments in the park. Though I will say that dinner was more of a disappointment for us for the value compared to the great lunches we had at Hosteria Pehoe.||ACCOMMODATIONS|Yes, the accommodations at Hosteria Pehoe are very basic - it is in the middle of nowhere - and the prices are not cheap because it is in the middle of nowhere- that's just the situation with any of the food and lodges in the park.||BUT, the prices at Hosteria Pehoe are much, much cheaper than the other lodges in the park like the nearby Explora (5x time price) and Hotel Grey (2.5x the price)- Granted both Explora and Hotel Grey are upscale, and they are priced accordingly. There is a reason the prices vary by hundreds (and in the case of Hotel Explora by thousands) per night.||So, you have three levels of accommodations in the park- basic with Hosteria Pehoe (good value in my opinion), upscale with Hotel Grey (good value in my opinion), and light luxury with Explora (which I don't think is worth the price). ||Everyone is going to ask for the view of the massif's peaks rom their room, and unfortunately that just isn't possible with all the rooms at Hosteria Pehoe. ||If you want a great view guaranteed, then you need to guarantee it by paying for it with the superior view room at Hotel Grey or a view room at Explora. In doing so, you will be paying $600 to $1200 per night versus Hosteria Pehoe fwhose best location room runs about $225.||Nothing in Torres Del Paine Park is cheap- it is in the middle of nowhere which forces higher prices across the board and less competition. That's just the reality.||However, if you want a basic place to sleep, decent food, a much less expensive price, stunning location, stunning views, and the best access to the national park, then Hosteria Pehoe is perfect as your base for a couple of nights to explore this section of the park. ||If you want an upscale stay but with much higher prices, then Hotel Grey and Explora will fit better. ||Even if you don't stay at Hosteria Pehoe- you should at least visit it just to walk across the foot-bridge to the island and to enjoy a hot lunch with a fantastic view over the...

If you want to stay in the centre of the park and do not want to camp, this is the best deal around. We stayed for three nights in January 2025 and we were quite worried given a good number of (very) negative reviews that we read. However, we have been very happy with every aspect of our stay. So, here some detailed info on our all experience.

The cost: Yes, it is expensive and there is no doubt that compared with hotels at a similar price in big Chilean towns the expectation can be different. This is why it does not get 5 stars. However, you are in Torres del Paine where everything is expensive. We also stayed at Rio Serrano, which is much more expensive and although much nicer we believe Pehoe provide a much better value.

The room: We stayed in a superior double room. We did not ask for a view, but we were lucky to get an half obstructed view of the Cuernos. While the building is quite old, the room was nice, relatively spacious and clean. The bathroom was basic, a bit tight, but overall clean. So, no complaints on this. Heating and hot water are only on between 6pm and 10am, but this was not a big problem. Rooms are cleaned daily and we were very happy with the service.

Food: The breakfast was good enough, i.e., standard buffet breakfast. Dinners were admittedly on the expensive side but, again, you pay for the location. However, the quality of the food has always been good.

Staff: We never had any issues with the staff and everyone has been incredible friendly and helpful. We had a problem with a flat tire and the staff at the reception was happy to assist us. Also, we had a problem with one of the windows in our room and as soon as we flagged it someone was sent to fix it within 10 minutes. Everyone has been very friendly.

Lastly, a note about the location. This is way above five stars and what make this place unique.

In summary, if you can afford it and are willing to accept that you are paying a bit more for a room that you would get cheaper in any city around the world, just do it. It provides a unique opportunity to sleep in the center of the park and have some amazing scenery really at your doorstep. I would definitely not hesitate one second to...