Hotel Gran Reserva

Hotel Class: 3 out of 5 stars 3 Stars - 2 Opinions

Mirador 106, Puerto Varas, Chile

50%

of people enjoy staying here

2.0 our of 5 stars 2 Opinions

Excellent: 0
Very Good: 0
Average: 1
Poor: 0
Terrible: 1

More about Puerto Varas

Photos

Approaching Volcan Osorno

Looking from the inside out

Puerto Varas

Hotel and Cabins del Lago

Forum Posts

Lake Crossing

by janetlee

I read from other VT members about lake crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche. It seems that it is worthwhile to take that trip. We will be going to the Lake District of Chile in next April. Will there be lake crossing? Will be boat/cruise service be closed during that time of the year?

Re: Lake Crossing

by Odinnthor

I responded inyour other forum. The boats can be taken either way, from Puerto Montt to Bariloce or vice versa.......

Re: Lake Crossing

by patagoniapaul

Hi: The crossing will be possible but the timing is dicey. It is a rather expensive trip and in rain you will see nothing. It rains quite frequently in autumn. If you want to do it I would seriously considder not booking in advance but to do the booking after you have arrived in Pto Varas and have had a good look ath the weather forcasts which we have found quite accurate.

Re: Lake Crossing

by Huentetu

The trip is done in one day in summer, but at other times of the year you have to overnight in Peulla. Shorter daylight hours. Clocks change in March, so I imagine the trip is a two day one in April. There are only two hotels, so you need to factor the cost into an already expensive trip.

Re: Lake Crossing

by janetlee

Thanks for your information!

Re: Lake Crossing

by spidermiss

Hi, I did the 1 day Lakes Crossing from Puerto Varas to Bariloche in November 2008 (Spring). As others said, the crossing is done in 2 days in the autumn/winter and staying overnight in Peulla. I think it's Hotel Peulla although I'm not sure. The weather was very mixed when I did the crossing (very windy and rainy on the last leg of the trip) and this is something you have to consider especially in winter time. What I saw was stunning but I felt the views could have been more so with nicer weather. However, I would recommend it for someone who hasn't done it before.

Re: Lake Crossing

by Huentetu

What you might do is take a day excursion from Puerto Varas to Peulla and back. I am not sure if these will be running in April but usually things run until Easter. Then take the bus from Puerto Varas to Bariloche. In April you can book either of these a day before and can see if the weather is good enough for the Peulla trip or the Cruce Andino trip.
There are two hotels at Peulla, the Hotel Peulla and the Natura. They cost about the same but the second one is nicer.

Travel Tips for Puerto Varas

STATUE OF BERNARDO O’HIGGINS

by DAO

There is a small statue of Bernardo O'Higgins (1778–1842) here on the lake. No other person had a bigger impact on the history of Chile than O'Higgins. His unusual name is due to the fact that he was the illegitimate son of an Irishman. His father, Ambrose Higgins, was born in Sligo Ireland and was a military commander for Spain. What is known as Chile was a frontier colony at the time and O’Higgins Sr. was a powerful man in territory disputed by the Spanish crown and the local Mapuche Indians.

Ambrose defeated the Mapuche and was made Viceroy of Peru. Unfortunately having an illegitimate son was an embarrassment and young Bernardo was sent to Europe. Its is here that he first heard theories of Enlightenment and began to think about the future liberation of his native Chile.

He returned to Chile a few years later as the beginnings of Independence had begun. He was pressed into military service and was named as the revolutionary leader in 1813. Setbacks on the battlefield sent him to Argentina until 1817. He returned to Chile with a new army and at the Battle of Chacabuco he defeated the Spanish. Independence was now real. O’Higgins was named Supreme Director of Chile after independence on Feb. 12, 1818.

He had lots of egalitarian ideas about political and land reform and helping the poor. This did not go down well with powerful land owners and he was forced into exile in Peru in 1823. He was granted permission to return in 1842, but died before boarding the ship to take him home. He is buried in the Cementerio General de Santiago in the capital – Santiago.