Puyuhaupi Lodge

Caramor - sailing around the world
Franco Ferrero / Kath Mcnulty
Thu 3 Nov 2016 02:22
44:24.87S 72:38.64W

Yesterday afternoon we arrived at Puyuhaupi Lodge. We sailed a lot more than we had expected given the forecast for no wind and were pleased with ourselves. As we tacked across the channel the last mile we were horrified to find a road running close to the water, with traffic, and a hydroelectric station.

Puyuhaupi Lodge 

At reception, we found out that the spa would be closed today so we dived in straight away. We intended to get our money’s worth of relaxation and make up for five months of baths we haven’t had (showers are just not the same), but there is only so much time one can spend in hot water without turning into a prune.

In the lounge, waiting for dinner, we made the acquaintance of some of the other foreign guests. One had brought his satellite phone and an other was complaining that wifi was only available from the desk near reception. A member of staff pointed out that the hotel’s motto is ‘disconnect’. The gringos (in Chile, this non-pejorative term is used for caucasians) talked about the isolation and how few cars they had passed on the way. They thought they had arrived in the wilderness, we thought we had reached ‘civilisation’!

This morning we booked in for a therapeutic massage and Jemima did a great job unknotting some of our muscles. Clad in bathrobes (don’t laugh!) we wandered along the path between giant rhubarb and huge ferns to the thermal pools. 

Height of fashion (note the sea-boots)

After swimming a few lengths in the 32˚ Celsius pool, we retired to the nature pool for a final cook at 39˚C.

Franco swimming in the large thermal spring (the fogginess is the heat evaporating!)

Kath in the nature pool

It’s the first time that we have taken Caramor to a hotel and I must say she behaved very well. She didn’t run away with the buoy, as other yachts have done here in the past. She did, however, spend the night kicking it around - Bump bump bump - very annoying. 

Our stay at the lodge has been a very pleasurable diversion. The staff were all very friendly and delighted to chat with us, the food was delicious and the hot springs hot and deep.

Chilean bumblebees are at least three times the size of the European one

In the woodland at dusk, this small bird allowed me to approach and didn’t mind the flash