Best Mountain Hotels
Cuernos del Paine in Patagonia

Destination

South America

Pedro Szekely · CC BY-SA 2.0

From Patagonian steppe to the high Andes, these are hotels at the edge of the map — remote, elemental and unforgettable.

9 hotels

Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado beside the Urubamba River, Sacred Valley, Peru

Sacred Valley · South America

Belmond Hotel Rio Sagrado

A riverside garden hideaway on the Urubamba, with 21 rooms, two villas, a riverfront spa and its own station for the train to Machu Picchu.

Suite doorway framing the mountain beyond the gardens at Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu, Peru

Machu Picchu · South America

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge

Belmond Sanctuary Lodge is the only hotel at the gates of Machu Picchu, the lost city of the Incas and one of the most famous sights on Earth. Most visitors arrive by bus from the valley below and leave by late afternoon; guests here simply walk out of the gardens and through the entrance, ready to see the citadel in the soft early light or the quiet of late afternoon. It is small, comfortable and, above all, uniquely placed.

Wide view of the lodge beside a river beneath the Andes at Explora El Chaltén, Patagonia, Argentina

El Chaltén, Patagonia · South America

Explora El Chaltén

A 20-room lodge on the Eléctrico River inside a private Patagonian reserve, with forest hot tubs and more than 30 guided explorations.

Island lodge and pedestrian bridge across Lake Pehoé beneath snowy mountains, Torres del Paine, Chile

Torres del Paine · South America

Hostería Pehoé

A simple hotel on its own little island, reached by footbridge, with one of the most famous views in Patagonia. The rooms are basic; the setting is unforgettable.

Timber-clad lodge exterior and garden at Hostería Senderos, El Chaltén, Argentina

El Chaltén · South America

Hostería Senderos

Hostería Senderos is a cosy boutique hotel in El Chaltén, the small mountain village at the foot of Fitz Roy that has become the trekking capital of Argentina. Inspired by old Patagonian farmhouses, with timber interiors, a log fire and a good restaurant, it offers a warm, comfortable and affordable base for the extraordinary hikes that start right from the village streets.

Hotel entrance with steep roofs and stone chimneys at Llao Llao Hotel & Resort, Bariloche, Argentina

Bariloche · South America

Llao Llao Hotel & Resort

Llao Llao Hotel & Resort is the most famous hotel in Argentine Patagonia, a grand timber-and-stone lodge on a hill between two glacial lakes, surrounded by forested mountains and snow-capped peaks. Designed by the architect Alejandro Bustillo and first opened in 1938, it has become a national icon, often compared to the great mountain hotels of the Alps and the Canadian Rockies, and it offers golf, a spa and some of the most beautiful views in South America.

Aerial view of Mashpi Lodge surrounded by misty forest, Ecuador

Mashpi, Pichincha · South America

Mashpi Lodge

A glass-walled lodge deep in Ecuador's Chocó cloud forest, with naturalist-led hikes, waterfalls and the Dragonfly canopy gondola.

Aerial hotel view beside the lake with mountains in the distance at Tierra Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Chile

Torres del Paine · South America

Tierra Patagonia

Tierra Patagonia is one of the most striking hotels in South America, a long, curving timber building that seems to grow out of the windswept steppe on the shore of Lake Sarmiento, facing the jagged granite towers of the Paine Massif. Designed to blend into the landscape and withstand the fierce Patagonian winds, it offers all-inclusive stays with expert guiding, a spa and floor-to-ceiling views of one of the world's great mountain ranges.

VIK infinity pool beside the glass-fronted hotel with mountains beyond

Millahue Valley · South America

VIK Chile

A hilltop hotel beneath a titanium-and-bronze roof, set in a 4,400-hectare vineyard reserve facing the Andes, with art, a Wine Spa and an infinity pool.