Nothofagus Hotel & Spa

There are treehouse hotels, and then there is Nothofagus. Buried deep inside the Huilo-Huilo Biological Reserve — a privately owned, 100,000-hectare sanctuary in Chile’s Los Ríos region — this hotel does not merely perch among the trees. It is woven into them. The ancient Nothofagus (southern beech) trees that give the hotel its name are not backdrop; they are structural partners, their massive trunks rising through floors and ceilings of the rooms themselves.

Arriving feels like being absorbed by wilderness. The reserve takes in very few visitors relative to its size, and the hotel holds just a handful of rooms, so the dense Valdivian temperate rainforest — draped in moss, threaded with rivers, punctuated by the thunder of Huilo-Huilo waterfall — feels genuinely, entirely yours.

The Rooms

Each room is a study in considered architecture. Rough-hewn wood and volcanic stone provide the structure; floor-to-ceiling windows frame the forest in every direction. The design runs warm rather than austere — thick woolen blankets, handcrafted furniture, earthy tones that mirror the forest floor. At night, the illuminated canopy glows beyond the glass. In the morning, mist curls through the treetops while coffee is still brewing.

The Reserve

Outside the hotel is one of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the Southern Hemisphere. The reserve supports the pudú — the world’s smallest deer — alongside puma, Andean condor, and dozens of endemic bird species. Guided hikes reach viewpoints over the Mocho-Choshuenco volcano, hidden lagoons, and the Huilo-Huilo waterfall itself, which drops over a black volcanic arch with considerable force. Horseback riding, kayaking on Lago Pirihueico, and night walks tracking nocturnal mammals complete the activity options.

The Spa

The spa sits among the better ones in southern Chile. Thermal pools fed by natural volcanic hot springs are outdoors, open to the forest canopy. Soaking in them while rain moves through the trees above is the kind of thing that causes people to extend their stay by a day. Treatment rooms use massages and body wraps built around native botanical ingredients sourced from within the reserve.

Food and Drink

The restaurant draws on the surrounding land. Local trout, Patagonian lamb, and seasonal foraged ingredients anchor a menu that shifts with the rhythms of the reserve. The wine list runs toward Chilean varietals as it should. A Carménère at the end of a long trail day is the correct choice, every time.

Nothofagus is for serious nature travellers who want the forest to be real, not decorative. The birds outside are endemic species found nowhere else. The puma and pudú in the reserve are wild animals in a wild reserve, not park fixtures. This is 100,000 hectares of private wilderness, and the hotel sits at the heart of it. If what you want is ancient trees, a genuine spa, and a glass of wine at the end of a long day on the trails, this does that better than anywhere else in South America.