Search results for

Our writer travels to the ends of the Earth—again and again—for the seafood-based dish called curanto.

This road trip tops lists for a reason: The fairy-tale scenery comes with adrenaline-spiking nature adventures, authentic South American culture, and world-class hospitality.

The first luxury lodge to come to Chile’s second biggest island, Tierra Chiloé opened in 2012 and became a member of the Tierra hotel group in 2014. Designed by Chilean architect Patricio Browne, the hotel looks like a boat on stilts and was inspired by the homes of local fishermen, which take the same form and are known as palafitos. The exterior is made from picturesque larch wood shingles—a building technique that’s very typical on Chiloé and is seen on the famous UNESCO World Heritage churches that dot the islands.

Inside, guests find more wood. The hotel’s wood walls and ceilings are made from indigenous species . The decorations are locally inspired with plenty of handicrafts such as wicker baskets, handwoven rugs, and wooden carvings. The focal point is the meadow and Reloncaví Sound below, where the hotel’s boat is harbored. Large windows line the building on both floors and provide excellent views. Guests can relax in a small spa, a winetasting room, or a book-filled upstairs studio upstairs. The living room with fireplace makes a perfect spot for an end-of-day pisco sour.

Along the coast of Chiloe, the second largest island in South America, artisan fishermen cultivate the Chilean black-lipped oyster, a tiny little bivalve that tastes of the fresh sea (similar to a Kunamoto in the Pacific Northwest). Often, many of the fishermen still freedive to collect these “manjares”, delicacies, and keep them in nets in their shells in the shallow ocean water until they are ready to be served on the half shell. Where to savor them? Almost anywhere in Chiloe but places like the Ancud market or speciality oyster “picadas”, joints, like Ostras Caulin where you can have them on the half shell, fried, poached and served cold or as a cream. Personally? They are best raw and skip the lemon, por favor.