Pucón, Chile
Wilderness lodge meets luxury hotel, circa 1950
“The wise man built his house upon a rock,” said Rony Pollak, quoting a Bible story as she sat down to dinner with me and four other journalists. The house she was referring to is actually a hotel, and that wise man was her father.
Hotel Antumalal was conceived by Guillermo Pollak and his wife, Catalina, who emigrated from Prague to South America in 1938. They settled just outside of Pucón, a city in Chile’s La Araucanía Region, and enlisted Chilean architect Jorge Elton to design Antumalal on a rocky hillside overlooking Lake Villarrica. The plan was to build a grand hotel that would bring visitors from around the world to their corner of Chile.
Mission accomplished. The hotel was completed in 1950, quickly attracted foreign fishermen in search of lodging, and stands today as a celebrated example of the Bauhaus architectural style. It adheres to two main principals: that design should be functional in addition to beautiful, and buildings should exist in harmony with nature.
Rony, who now owns and operates Antumalal, gave us a personal guided tour of her hotel’s 14 acres. We set out through the lush, wooded grounds to encounter terraced gardens, waterfalls, a greenhouse and a private beach, and learned that the hotel generates its own electricity from natural streams on the property. Throughout the grounds a respect for nature is clear. In one instance, a roof contains a square hole, cut large enough so that the existing tree could grow through it.
Inside, the scenery is equally impressive. The guestrooms – of which there are 22 – boast wood paneling, fireplaces, and large windows offering panoramic views of the expansive lake. That theme continues in the main sitting room, where floor-to-ceiling glass frames the water and mountains and beckons the sunlight during the day. In fact, Antumalal means “corral of the sun” in the ancient language of the Mapuche, the indigenous group in South Central Chile.
The hotel’s décor consists of tree-slab tables, iron furniture, cow skin rugs, fireplaces and colorful throw pillows, which combined lend a vintage, après-ski ambience (the Villarrica-Pucon ski resort, atop the Mt. Villarrica volcano, is nearby). One particular highlight is the dimly lit bar featuring sunken leather chairs crafted from salmon skin, an oversized hand-carved chess set and another fireplace to curl up in front of.
Beyond the main building, Hotel Antumalal features two private cottages, or chalets, within its park: The two-bedroom Royal Chalet, where Queen Elizabeth once stayed and the three-bedroom Forrest Chalet. These tucked away accommodations offer large living areas and private terraces (the Royal Chalet even has a waterfall).
We also took advantage of on-site amenities like the heated indoor-outdoor pool, which is divided by a glass wall, multiple Jacuzzis, and a sauna with windows to the outdoors. And after a massage at Spa Antumaco, just off of the pool, I was so relaxed someone had to wake me.
Feast Your Eyes
At Hotel Antumalal, the food is a main attraction—and it doesn’t hurt that it’s served in a stunning venue. Restaurant Parque Antumalal comprises indoor and outdoor seating separated by the hotel’s signature bay windows, just to ensure you have a spectacular view while sleeping, lounging and eating. Diners shouldn’t let that distract them, however, from the main attraction on their plates.
The farm-to-table restaurant sources produce both locally and from the grounds of the hotel itself. Much of the fish is caught in the lake below and tea is made with fresh herbs from the property’s greenhouse. When we arrived for dinner, Rony mentioned she was trying out a new chef. He ensured that our three-day stay at Antumalal was an indulgent one, serving entrees like fettuccine with deer ragout, perfectly cooked salmon in an orange sauce and typical Chilean dishes like rib-eye steak with fried eggs, grilled sea bass and Conger eel. All the while, the cabernet sauvignon and carmenere flowed freely.
A short cab ride into downtown Pucón led to more restaurants, bars and specialty shops selling items like copper jewelry, cakes and jams, empanadas, and native spices. It also provided a crystal clear view of the volcano, Mt. Villarrica. Several tour companies along the main street, named O’Higgins, offer equipment and transfers to the volcano’s ski resort, as well as biking and whitewater rafting excursions along the Rio Trancura from September to May.
Nearby, Termas Huife is home to the area’s hot springs, a hotel, a spa and more and offers three outdoor geothermal swimming pools. They provided some much-needed therapy after a long day of horseback riding through the Andes Mountains with Chilean cowboy Rodolfo Coombs, who heads up the Huepilmalal Equestrian Center.
All of these activities only add to the allure of charming Pucón and its renowned, 60-year-old hotel. It turns out the rock Antumalal was built upon, a challenging piece of land at the time, is now one of the most desirable places to stay in Southern Chile – just as the wise Guillermo Pollack had planned.
Getting there: From Santiago, it’s a one hour flight to the city of Temuco. From there, Pucón is about an hour and a half drive. Hotel transfers and rental cars are available and in summer direct flights from Santiago to Pucón are available.
Hotel Antumalal
Casilla 84, Camino Pucon
Villarrica km 2, Pucon
Chile
(56) (45) 44 1011