The Perpetual Tourist

Our quest for the best place on Earth to spend the night started in the Netherlands, and now takes us to the Chilean rain forest. Nestled in the Huilo Huilo Reserve in Southern Chile, we find the Magic Mountain Hotel, a fairytale style building with 13 private rooms and an additional 11 cabins elsewhere on the grounds.

www.ayrhoteles.cl

This unique building even has its own waterfall cascading down one side. Each of the rooms looks out into the beautiful natural setting, with condors and eagles flying by and pumas and other native animals wandering the forest floor below.

A snowboarder enjoys the Choshuenco volcano

More than a two hour drive from the nearest airport (Pichol airport in Valdivia, Chile), the Magic Mountain Hotel seems a bit out of the way, perhaps in the middle of nowhere. But there’s plenty to do, even without a big city close by. There is an aerial walkway through the reserve as high as 90m up at some points. You can take in the scenery from the treetops, above cliffs and over valleys. Hunting and fishing are popular summer pastimes (remember that this is the Southern hemisphere, so summer is January-March), and expert skiers enjoy the challenging slopes of the nearby Choshuenco volcano. This is not a ski resort with lifts and trails, but the hotel provides transportation and snow cats for skiers. Other activities offered by the hotel include whitewater rafting and horseback riding.

www.allsouthernchile.com

After a long day of busy sightseeing, there’s no better place to relax than in the tree trunk hot tubs on the hotel deck with a glass of fine Chilean wine — and Magic Mountain has the finest!

Room rates at the Magic Mountain range from approximately $150-$250USD, and the hotel accepts Visa and Mastercard payments. For reservations or further information, call +56 63 1972681.

Also check out the newly constructed Baobab Hotel, located in the same area as Magic Mountain.

Baobab Hotel

This whole area is an architecture-lover’s dreamland, and a haven for any naturalist.