November issue of Chile Short Takes

CHILE'S TOP SUMMER FESTIVALS
Carnavales Culturales de Valparaíso, December 27 – January 1 – Valparaíso´s annual end-of-year cultural festival, this government-sponsored carnival has live music, dance, literature, theatre and cinema. It ends on New Year’s Eve with a spectacular fireworks display at seven locations along the shore of Valparaíso Bay.

Semanas Musicales de Frutillar, January 27 – February 4 – A series of virtuoso performances ranging from chamber music and symphony to jazz and ballet are held in the enchanting Lake District retreat of Frutillar.
 
Encuentro Folklórico, February 3-10 – A delightful festival promoting traditional music, dance and cuisine of the verdant archipelago of Chiloé.
 
Fiesta de la Candelaria, February 2-4 – Held both in the tiny antiplano village of Parinacota in El Norte Grande and in the town of Chonchi in Chiloé, this three-day romp celebrates the Virgin of Candelaria, who is said to protect miners.
 
Carnaval de Putre, February 17-20 – Visitors can’t escape the fun of Carnaval held in Norte Grande’s pocket-size village of Putre. 
 
Festival Internacional de la Canción de Viña del Mar, February 21-26 – This International Song Festival is held each year in Viña del Mar and attracts some of the biggest names of the Latin music pop world, as well as the occasional English-language rock star.
 
For details on these and other events, visit www.chileanheritage.com
 
HOTELS AMIDST SOME OF THE MOST EXTREME LANDSCAPES ON THE PLANET
Rooms with a view are not hard to come by in Chile, which has some of the most extreme landscapes on the planet.  Here are details on two new luxury hotels and one legendary lodge that take full advantage of the scenery:
 
Awasi – Opened in November 2006, this luxurious new hotel offers visitors a relaxing retreat in the heart of San Pedro de Atacama in the midst of Atacama Desert, the driest desert in the world.  The hotel is built of stone, adobe and wood and offers five thatched-roof cottages with generous spaces, private patios and indoor and outdoor showers.  Awasi offers guests special outings to the Geysers del Tatio – the world’s highest geothermal fields – the Reserva Nacional los Flamencos and the stunning Valley de la Luna and Valle de la Muerte.  For details, visit www.awasi.cl
 
Remota – Striking for its inventive modernism, this dazzling new hotel opened quietly last year just outside of Puerto Natales in Patagonia.  The brainchild of famed Chilean architect German de Sol, the hotel combines rusticated industrial elements with museum-quality Chilean artifacts. The full-service resort offers a menu of unusual excursions ranging from hiking in Torres del Paine National Park, to visiting local farms, to sailing through the fjords.  For details, visit www.remota.cl
 
Lodge Terrantai – This legendary San Pedro de Atacama hotel is another architectural beauty with river-stone walls, tile floors and rustic furniture that pay homage to Andean ancestors while providing the creature comforts modern travelers expect.  For details, visit www.terrantai.com
 
FISHING SEASON TO OPEN IN CHILE IN NOVEMBER
For serious anglers, Chile is the Southern Hemisphere’s equivalent of Alaska , offering world-class trout fishing in crystal clear rivers and streams. Fishing season opens in November and runs through March. Numerous tour operators offer intriguing packages ranging from fly fishing in Patagonia to fishing for salmon, coho and rainbow trout in remote rivers in little inhabited Acayara. For details, visit:
 
·         Southern Chile Expeditions                              www.southernchilexp.com
·         Aquamotion                                                    www.aquamotion.cl
·         Protours                                                           www.protourschile.com
·         Latitud 90 Ltda.                                               www.latitud90.com
·         Patagonia Connection                                   www.patagonia-connection.com
·         Anglatin Ltd.                                                    www.anglatin.com
 
CHILE’S NATURAL HOT SPRINGS: A SPA UPDATE
Located along the Pacific “rim of fire,” Chile has more than 240 natural hot springs scattered across the country. Some remain rustic pools, but others have spawned luxurious spas. Here are a few of the best:
 
Termas Jahuel Hotel & Spa – Recently reopened after a three-year overhaul that added three beautiful new buildings that blend seamlessly with the original wooden lodge, this legendary resort clings to the side of the mountain in the tiny colonial town of San Felipe. The site was celebrated by Charles Darwin for its thermal waters and pure air. Today, there are indoor and outdoor thermal pools and a fabulous spa. For special packages, visit www.jahuel.cl
 
Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa – A five-hour boat ride from Puerto Chacabuco to the south, Puyuhuapi Lodge & Spa may well be one of the world’s most remote and profoundly secluded spas. But with indoor and outdoor hot-spring pools sprinkled throughout the property, private Jacuzzis, thalassotherapy treatments and spacious accommodations with decks that hang out over the lake and afford spectacular views of the fjord, this is one spa well worth the trip.  For details, visit www.patagonia-connection.com
 
Termas de Chillan – This five-star resort offers some of the best skiing in South America from June through October, but the state-of-the-art spa with nine thermal pools is open year-round.  For details, visit www.termaschillan.cl
 
Hotel Termas de Puyehue – Only a two-hour flight from Santiago in the Andes Mountains of the Lake District of Southern Chile in the majestic natural sanctuary of Puyehue National Park, this elegant stone resort boasts two large pools, a variety of mud and sulphur baths and full menu of treatments. For details, visit www.puyehue.cl
 

November 30, 2006   Posted in: Chile