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andBeyond Vira Vira — Pucon


Pucon, Lake District, Chile

The only andBeyond hotel in Latin America surprises with seamless service and food that really does go above and beyond.

Vira Vira Hotel

Delayed by peak summer travel season traffic, I arrived at andBeyond Vira Vira hours late with a grumbling stomach and a sinking feeling that lunch service must be long over. "There's always a table for you," Gregory Franc, the hotel's polished and personable general manager assured me with a tilt of the head toward a window seat. As I admired the view of the hotel's large and lush grounds through a wall of windows, waiters brought the first of many meals that became highlights of my stay.

andBeyond Vira Vira Hotel dessert art

Lunch and dinner start with warm homemade bread and homemade butter flavored with herbs or flowers and adorned with a small posy of flowers and herbs picked on the property. Wild salmon tartare with a citrus sauce was mild and fresh. Locally-caught merluza (also known as hake) with a fennel flower sauce was simple and satisfying—and I don't generally like merluza. Tender Black Angus beef was cooked perfectly to order with a rich jus that was poured tableside (a touch that would repeat with many dishes). For dessert, raspberry sorbet with 56% chocolate was a refreshing work of art.

Already looking forward to the next meal, it was time to check in. The hotel has 18 rooms including 6 suites located above the main lodge and restaurant. All suites are bright and cheery, but the GM's favorite is #106 and I agree that this sundrenched corner room with a large furnished private patio and views over a pond that attracts many species of birds, is a winner. The real stunners at Vira Vira, however, are the 12 split-level villas. Each 800- square-foot villa, located on the banks of the Liucura River, is identical in layout and decor. Light wood, earth tones, and plenty of textures create a cozy atmosphere. Villa guests also enjoy an indoor bathtub and an outdoor tub on a private riverfront patio, a minibar stocked with wine, beer, and champagne (all included), and a pod coffee maker. The sunken living room has floor-to-ceiling windows and the whole villa is warmed with radiant floor heating. There are no TVs in any of the rooms at Vira Vira.

andBeyond Vira Vira Hotel food

Charmed by the whimsical sheep-shaped footstools in your villa? The hotel's small (and almost hidden) gift shop sells them along with other hand-picked locally made items including jewelry and textiles. The hotel also offers an autonomous two-story Hacienda House which has five bedrooms (four of them ensuite), a full kitchen, a dining room, and living rooms plus a private hot tub and a glassed-in green house which is sometimes used for romantic dinners.

andBeyond Vira Vira Hotel room

Speaking of dinners, Uruguayan executive chef Damián Fernández Dupouy brings all of his training and experience in kitchens in Buenos Aires and London to bear on dishes like an appetizer of fresh (not canned or preserved) white asparagus that was crunchy and herby adorned with blanched broccoli and pistachios which were an unexpected element that made the dish. Another cold vegetable appetizer featuring perfectly al dente bright green peas and lima beans in a vaguely sweet dressing topped with raspberries was somehow good for you and indulgent at the same time. A main dish of mild and tender venison had hints of chocolate and coffee all brought together with a juniper berry sauce poured tableside. Dessert of strawberries "Frasier" came as a half dome of dense whipped cream (just slightly sweetened) with diced fruit and fresh herbs on top.

Yes, flavors and ingredients (many from the hotel's organic garden) are front and center, but Vira Vira's chef is also very much concerned with presentation. Without exception, dishes were bright and textured and lovingly adorned. One evening I asked for just a few morsels of their house made parmesan (more about that below) and the bites came on a lovely small plate garnished with fennel flowers. Many of the most extraordinary serving vessels used at Vira Vira are made by a local ceramicist who's been making ceramics for the hotel for years. I was not the only guest impressed by the presentation of each plate. A fellow guest admitted that she never takes pictures of her food...as she was taking pictures of her food. The daily breakfast buffet is also beautifully presented with cured meats, bacon, more house made cheese, fruit, nuts, juices, and excellent fresh croissants plus eggs to order and good coffee.

andBeyond Vira Vira Hotel food

Created by a retired Swiss couple to fulfill lifelong dreams of having a hotel, Vira (named for a local flower) opened in 2014 on 33 acres. The andBeyond group took over management of the hotel in 2018 and really didn't change much, even keeping many staff members. The company did bring along its sustainability and conservation focus (andBeyond's motto is "Care of the land. Care of the wildlife. Care of the people.") and guests can see this ethos at work in details like locally-made bathroom amenities in refillable glass containers that reduce plastic waste, refillable metal water bottles for each guest to use during excursions, and glass bottles of still and sparkling water, purified onsite from a 200 foot well, supplied in rooms. Behind the scenes, gray water is treated then re-used to irrigate the sprawling grounds and large organic garden and there are plans to add solar panels.

Volcano near Vira Vira Hotel

Another calling card of the hotel is its location in the Lake District of Chile near the town of Pucon—an area rich in volcanoes, lakes, mountains, and national parks. Guests of andBeyond Vira Vira benefit from a range of activities and a stable of knowledgeable guides—some of whom have been at the property since it opened. My guide, the gregarious and enthusiastic Patricio, is one such long-termer (he's also an accomplished photographer who shot the images published in the Pucon coffee table book that's placed in each room).

Most guests are offered a gentle trip down the Liucura River on arrival day. The roughly 2-hour/4-mile float in an inflatable zodiac is a relaxing way to get your bearings while your guide rows and navigates. On clear days you'll even get a glimpse of the Villarrica Volcano which most recently erupted in 2015. This excursion ends at a riverside picnic table loaded with beers, sodas, and water before a 5-minute van ride back to the hotel.

I spent the next day hiking to Cerro Espejo with Patricio where the trail brought us up through slopes covered in the fascinating debris of past volcanic eruptions. At the top, we seemed close enough to touch the steaming, fuming Villarrica Volcano. On a nearby rocky outcrop we enjoyed our packed lunch of sandwiches on homemade rolls, fruit and nuts, elegant homemade cookies and hot coffee and tea before descending. Just in case the picnic wasn't enough, when I returned to my villa after the hike I found homemade chocolate truffles and a bottle of Chilean red wine waiting for me.

andBeyond Vira Vira Hotel villa lounge

Slightly more adrenalin-filled was the white-water rafting excursion (wetsuit, helmet, and booties are provided) which included legit rapids and an (optional) jump into the river. From mid-November to mid-March there's also a helicopter and pilot on the grounds of the hotel offering scenic flights, heli-skiing, and heli-biking activities (all at an additional cost).

Pro tip: make a reservation (required) for one of the two outdoor riverside hot tubs to soak away the day's activity and/or book a massage in the hotel spa which will be expanded to offer a gym and a wellness program including forest bathing, Reiki, and yoga in 2023.

An adventure of a different kind is the hotel's cheese tour, best done when Anita, the cheese master, is around. Anita (dressed all in white including white rubber boots) greeted me in the pristine white-tiled cheese making facility and proceeded to tell me about the process for making the delicious parmesan, gruyere, blue, and camembert cheeses served in the hotel restaurant. She's also responsible for producing yogurt and butter for the hotel which explains why she goes through just shy of 200 gallons of milk from a local dairy farm every week just to keep hungry guests like me satisfied.

Web Address: www.andbeyond.com
Total Number of Rooms: 18
Published rates: $795 to $1,415 per person per night all-inclusive including all meals, all non-premium beverages, most excursions, and transfers. Closed from mid-May to July 1.

Review by Karen Catchpole, photos by Eric Mohl.