A Luxury Chile Wilderness Escape

From Abattoir to Luxury Hotel in Chile’s Wilderness
The remarkable transformation of Singular Patagonia

Once a massive sheep-processing factory, this luxury Chile hotel now puts guests within easy reach of the famed Torres del Paine wilderness.

– Excerpt from The Australian, Jan 17, 2025 – by Penny Hunter

Spanish explorer Juan Ladrillero was starting to feel desperate as he sailed into yet another of Chile’s fjords in 1557. He’d been searching fruitlessly for the entrance to the Strait of Magellan from the Pacific Ocean, the opposite approach from that taken by the famed Portuguese navigator. Chile’s southwest coast is a maze of waterways weaving through the land like cracks in crazed glass. Upon entering a narrow opening, Ladrillero must have been at the end of his tether for he named it Seno Ultima Esperanza – Last Hope Sound. Magellan’s passage would elude him until he enlisted the help of the seafaring ­indigenous people.

Access to Torres del Paine

The Spaniard’s name for this inhospitable place of bitter winters and blustery gales deep in Patagonia was suitably bleak, yet almost 400 years after his trials, the location would be the site of an infinitely more successful undertaking. It would also, eventually, give rise to an extraordinary hotel that doubles as a museum and enables access to one of the world’s most beautiful wilderness zones, Torres del Paine National Park.

The Singular Patagonia emerged in 2011 from the heritage-listed remnants of a huge abattoir and cold storage plant created as the modern miracle of refrigeration evolved. In its heyday, Frigorifico Bories was processing 3,000 sheep a day to be shipped frozen and under steam to Europe. The operation ran from 1916 to 1973, after which it fell into disrepair. It was declared a national monument in 1996 and two families, descendants of the Spanish and Scottish pioneers who first invested in the region in the 1800s, decided to turn it into something special. Their dedication, and the skills of Chilean architect Pedro Kovacic and interior designer Enrique Concha, now showcase its history.

Hotel Check-In

Guests arrive at what was once the cooling shed, where freshly butchered carcasses were hung for 24 hours before heading to the big freezer. If that sounds gruesome, there’s nothing unsavoury here. Rather, it resembles a large and airy farm shed with a slick, glass-clad reception area at one end. The wow factor is turned up immediately after check-in, when guests are led to a funicular car that glides down to the concierge desk, housed in what was once a boiler room.

From here, guests can wander among the antique workings of the plant. Connoisseurs of steam engines and industrial history will be in their element, surrounded by some big-hitters from the late 19th century: Babcock and Wilcox, the company that powered the Titanic; Britain’s giant Haslam Foundry; famed German engineers Orenstein & Koppel. For non-aficionados like me, it’s impressive simply to see all those pistons, cranks, pipes and wheels in situ, and to imagine the noise of the operation in full swing.

The Rooms

Anyone concerned about sleeping in a former slaughterhouse can rest assured the scene of those grisly activities is on an adjacent plot. The 57 guestrooms and suites instead stand where the cool rooms once were, right on the waterfront, where the footings of the warehouse are still visible.

The first thing to note about the accommodation is the view. My king room has a 6m long wall of glass looking straight out over the fjord to the snowcapped Andes. Decor is simple but comfortable, with an overstuffed armchair and king bed from which I watch geese and ducks waddle about on the grass. A desk stands in one corner while an antique-style writing desk acts as a bedside table. Bathrooms are spacious, clad in marble and black tiles with freestanding tub and rain shower. This is not a new hotel, so don’t expect USB points, but power adapters are helpfully provided.

Hotel Dining

The rooms are lovely but it’s at the other end of the property where the magic happens. The restaurant and bar are housed in the former tannery, a cavernous building with a fireplace that looks like it belongs in a castle. There’s a kind of steam-punk vibe to the space; rusty factory finds are displayed on shelves while industrial-style lamps dangle 10m from the ceiling. Exposed brick walls are juxtaposed with plush leather and damasque-upholstered sofas and armchairs.

READ THE FULL REVIEW OF LUXURY CHILE HOTEL, THE SINGULAR PATAGONIA, NOW AT THE AUSTRALIAN

See you out there.

Thomas

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