Eat Well & Rest Easy

Eat Well & Rest Easy

Meat and potatoes characterize the cuisine of this part of southern Chile. The omnipresent cazuela (a plate of rice and potatoes with beef or chicken) and pastel de choclo (a corn, meat, and vegetable casserole) are solid, hearty meals. Arguably the greatest gifts from the waves of German immigrants were their tasty küchen, rich fruit-filled pastries. (Raspberry is a special favorite here.) Sample them during the late-afternoon onces, the coffee breaks locals take to tide them over until dinner. The Germans also brought their beer-making prowess to the New World; Valdivia, in particular, is home base to the popular Kunstmann brand.

If you've traveled in Europe, you may feel at home in the Lake District, where most of the lodgings resemble old-world hotels. Many hostelries, even the newly built ones, are constructed in Bavarian-chalet style echoing the region's Germanic heritage. A handful of lodgings—Temuco's Hotel Continental, Pucón's Hotel Antumalal, and Puerto Octay's Hotel Centinela—are also historic landmarks that shouldn't be missed. The owners of many smaller places are couples in which one spouse is Chilean and the other is German, combining what one such pair calls "the best of both worlds: Chilean warmth and Germanic efficiency."

Central heating is a much-appreciated feature in most lodgings here in winter and on brisk summer evenings. Air-conditioning is unheard of, but then it's rarely necessary this far south. Rates usually include a Continental breakfast of coffee, cheese, bread, and jam. Although most of the places listed here stay open all year, call ahead to make sure the owners haven't decided to take a well-deserved vacation during the March-November off-season.