For a big architectural statement, this one, at least from the outside, comes off awfully quiet. But then that’s exactly as it was intended to be. Remota, in Puerto Natales, an old fishing town in Patagonia, is the latest hotel project from the Chilean green architect Germàn del Sol — so the statement, such as it is, is about minimizing the footprint, minimizing the silhouette, maximizing the impact of the place rather than the building.
So rather than titanium or high-tech composites it’s a hotel made from wood, asphalt, slate, even the hillside’s original grass re-laid atop the low-slung buildings — a bit like a bunker, albeit a stylized one. Interiors, however, are less severe, and not at all bunker-like; plenty of rich unfinished wood, plenty of organic curves and imperfections. The views aren’t quite sublime — the building’s low profile sees to that — but the windows bathe the rooms in steep-angled Patagonian sunshine.
Anyway these landscapes are meant to be enjoyed from out of doors. All manner of guided excursions are available, from casual walkabouts to more rigorous tours, and at the end of the day you can sink back into what is as much a luxury hotel as it is an eco-lodge, complete with sauna, infinity pool, jacuzzi, massage, and a restaurant serving local channel and ocean fish, local farmers’ produce, and an assortment of Chilean wines.
author Daily Tablet Hotel, source www.tablethotels.com