When travelling to Chile, there is no way around it; visiting the Torres del Paine national park is a must. And it’s here that you’ll find the RIO Serrano Hotel & Spa which serves as the perfect starting point to explore this majestic and utterly beautiful area. What’s even better is that they have everything under one roof, so you don’t need to worry about a thing.
The welcome
Upon arrival in Puerto Natales we were warmly greeted by one of the hotel guides that would drive us to the RIO Serrano while instantly giving us a first glimpse of the region. You can also drive to the hotel yourself but as we were only staying for a short amount of time in Chile, we opted to use the comfortable transfers from the hotel as it would allow us to maximise our time and experience there.
After a scenic 90 min drive through beautiful scenery, we arrived at the RIO Serrano hotel & spa where the check-in formalities were quickly sorted and within minutes we were enjoying the views from our superior room.
The room
From the moment we walked into our superior room I noticed the giant window filled the room with light while simultaneously drawing the attention to the Paine massif in the distance and the Serrano river which runs along the edge of the estate.
There’s plenty of space and the large wardrobe makes it easy to store all your belongings without cluttering the rest of the room. I loved the use of soft natural tones (which is done throughout the whole property), wood and local elements. This room would look dull in Las Vegas but ticks all the right boxes here in Patagonia and the beds were among the best I slept in recently.
The bathroom
The bathroom is spacious and there is a ton of counter space to place any of your personal belonging. It’s something that I often miss in other hotels but here they’ve done it absolutely right.
There’s a large bathtub with a shower on top, but I would have preferred they get rid of the shower curtain as I’m not of fan of those. Of course, that’s just a detail and also a personal preference so nothing to worry about. As there is a huge spa facility in the hotel, there are some very comfortable slippers and gowns provided which you can wear either in your room or when you go for a treatment.
The Alpaka toiletries were a very nice touch and being a brand that focuses on sustainability while using 100% natural and bio-based materials it fits perfectly into the whole vibe of the RIO Serrano hotel.
The facilities
Exploring the area often involves being very active so to top up those lost calories you certainly want to enjoy some of the wonderful food that’s being served here. The main restaurant Kaienk situated on the first floor will certainly not let you down. The king crab, guanaco and tuna dishes were my personal favourites but all the guests in general were raving about the gastronomy and there are options for any food preference you might have. It’s also here that you’ll enjoy the breakfast.
Irrelevant of which meal you’ll have, the views remain as stunning as ever with sunrise and sunset illuminating the scenery outside in soft candy cotton colours.
There’s also the bar on the ground floor where you can get some yummy food during lunch and throughout the day. It has a beautiful terrace which offers the same stunning views over the massif while enjoying some sunshine on your face. Don’t forget to taste some of the delicious cocktails, especially the ones where they use local ingredients to create masterpieces only to be found in this area. The Calafate sour which had the perfect balance between the sweetness of the Calafate berries and the sourness of the limes was the perfect example of how you can incorporate local delicacies into a bar menu.
The name gives it away and I already mentioned it before, but there is indeed a wonderful spa which truly differentiates this hotel from all the other ones in the neighbourhood. The spa comprises treatment rooms, saunas, a huge indoor swimming pool with whirlpool, a gym,….all in all everything you need to get your body in shape or relaxed (the choice is sometimes hard, I know). I enjoyed a deep tissue massage which re-energised my sore muscles in the most enjoyable way possible.
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RIO Serrano knows that the views all around the hotel are priceless so they made sure to take as much advantage of it as possible, and who can blame them. All along the pool there are massive windows which give you the feeling like you are swimming in between the mountains. Truly stunning.
So far you might think this is the perfect place for adults thanks to the comfortable rooms, delicious food and drinks and a spa facility where you can spend the whole day and still feel like you didn’t have time enough. But don’t be fooled, the RIO Serrano welcomes the younger guests with open arms. Even the smaller ones and they’ll be pleasantly surprised when they notice there is even a kids club. Does that mean you have to give up on the spa? Not at all as there are even treatments where the kids get to be pampered together with their parents which in my books is a win-win situation.
Across the reception area you can also find The Massif which is the excursions desk where they offer all kinds of options to explore the Torres del Paine National Park. Some excursions require a good physical health but there are equally options for those who are less mobile and still want to enjoy everything the park has to offer. I contacted them upfront and arranged everything before arriving in the hotel which made the overall experience seamless.
Location
When it comes to locations there are few options better than right on the border of the Torres del Paine National Park and next to the Serrano river. There’s an easy access to the airport of Puerto Natales or if you are coming (or going) from Argentina it’s about a 2 hour drive to the border.
If you are driving yourself be aware that the last part of the road towards the park (coming from the south) is unpaved. There is ample parking space too so no need to worry about that.
Thanks to it’s central location in the massif, all the rooms have amazing views, no matter which direction they look at.
Other nice touches
There are many nice touches, going from the super friendly staff to the superb facilities but it’s the locally inspired details that make the difference. The perfect example was the hot Patagonian infused tea that was waiting in our room when we came back from a long, exhausting but equally amazing excursion. It felt like liquid comfort!
Cost
Prices for a room start from around 235 USD on a B&B basis. The hotel also offers a great all inclusive rate where all the food and even drinks (yes, this means also that amazing Calafate sour) are included. Those rates start around 535 USD per room.
The best bit
The RIO Serrano is a cocktail of many great things that come together in perfect harmony and that in itself is the best part. Having everything under one roof, being able to plan and organise your time in Patagonia the way you want is something that isn’t a given.
If I really have to point out 1 thing, it would be the insane views that you get from every window, irrelevant if you are in your room, having dinner or enjoying the spa facilities.
The final verdict
All in all you can’t go wrong when staying at the RIO Serrano. It is really the perfect place to decide for yourself how you like to spend your time in this beautiful region in Chile.
Disclosure: Our stay was sponsored by RIO Serrano.