Vortice Chile Eco-Lodge

Great place, especially if you have kids.

The river sound is lovely, and for anyone who likes a rustic feel, this place has that. The bird trail was a lot of fun, especially the adventure of looking for birds carved from wood. The staff were lovely, attentive, and on top of things. Still, I can't give it five stars. We came because of the high rating, but the hot tubs cost extra and are shared rather than being in each cabin. We enjoyed the cold, rainy day, but they turned off the radiator heating during the day, and the combustion fireplaces weren't working, so we left instead of spending the day there. The signal was very bad and we couldn't connect.

Dinner was wonderful, with gourmet food, lovely presentation, and flavors that could rival top restaurants. We had come for the afternoon activities, which went beyond what we expected. Our guide, Diego, made the experience fantastic and kept checking that we were enjoying ourselves.

No wonder this place has received tourism awards. We had a great stay at Vórtice. The hotel grounds are spacious and impressive, and everything was either new or working properly. Internet was available throughout the property and the speed was good. The cabin was comfortable and the bed really was as spacious as advertised. Having both air conditioning and heating helped us deal with the different temperatures we encountered. At the restaurant, the chef and team served very well prepared meals with thoughtful presentation. The daily menu changes fairly often, so we could try different parts of Chilean cuisine. The tours were one of my favorite parts of the stay. José Luiz, the owner, led the two tours we took, and his professional guiding made them especially memorable. We set out from the hotel restaurant, and at each stop he shared engaging information about the geology, culture, and biodiversity of the Araucania region. Felipe, Gabriela, Jennifer, and the rest of the hotel team were always warm and friendly, which made our stay comfortable and relaxed. I hope to return sometime.