This has been a long-held 'bucket-list' goal. The idea of going by boat across the glacial lakes high up in the Andes mountains from Chile to Argentina. Well, I can tick it off now. We fly from Santiago to Puerto Montt and from there by bus to a beautiful little harbour town Puerto Varras where we spend a night in a Swiss-type log-and-stone hotel before boarding the catamaran the next day and start a series of boat trips across three lakes. From one lake to the next we connect by small jerky bus through rain forests over very narrow scary roads. We are constantly surrounded by snow-capped mountain peaks and massive rock formations
We arrive finally at one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever seen, the Llao Llao (pronounced Shao Shao) perched on a cliff overlooking a lake and when we check in the receptionist says we were originally booked into a regular studio room but they have up-graded us to a suite. There is something about an up-grade of any service, be it a hired car or a seat on a plane or anything else that can make one feel like some minor celebrity. Emma and I go whooping around the big luxurious suite like a pair of teenagers, not used to a thing. We open and close the big cupboards gasp at the views from the windows and big balcony with its towelling covered deck chair loungers and smell all the delightful bathroom toiletries. We collapse finally on the Frette bed linen and sink into the enjoyment
We arrive finally at one of the most beautiful hotels we have ever seen, the Llao Llao (pronounced Shao Shao) perched on a cliff overlooking a lake and when we check in the receptionist says we were originally booked into a regular studio room but they have up-graded us to a suite. There is something about an up-grade of any service, be it a hired car or a seat on a plane or anything else that can make one feel like some minor celebrity. Emma and I go whooping around the big luxurious suite like a pair of teenagers, not used to a thing. We open and close the big cupboards gasp at the views from the windows and big balcony with its towelling covered deck chair loungers and smell all the delightful bathroom toiletries. We collapse finally on the Frette bed linen and sink into the enjoyment
The hotel also reminds us of the Fairmont Hotel at Banf near lake Louise in Canada. But mostly it is a German or Swiss feel that comes from the big migration of people from Europe to Barliloche at the beginning of the 20th Century. They settled here presumably because the mountains and snow reminded them of home but with the benefits of freedom and space. The architecture is typical Swiss Alpine stone and log structures with pitched roofs and we are told immediately that Barilochi is famous for chocolate. Chocolate shops everywhere. Our normal carefully managed eating pattern gets dumped and we stuff ourselves.
Next stop Buenos Aires.
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