Explora Torres del Paine Patagonia

Explora TDP management responded poorly to an outbreak of highly contagious stomach flu (Norovirus?) which spread to numerous guests and staff during our 5 day stay a month ago. Little was communicated or investigated, and contact among guests and staff, and food service, appeared unchanged, furthering the spread in my opinion. The person apparently in charge from December 15 to 17 ignored us during my wife's illness, and attempted to shake our hands at departure -- a very inappropriate virus risk gesture. Our five day stay was interrupted for two days and given the cost of accommodation I was very disappointed with management's handling of the outbreak, and my written feedback to Explora was ignored.

Stayed 3 nights as part of tour. As expected, location can’t be beat. Access is direct and with a full staff of knowledgeable guides and drivers, if the objective is to explore and hike the area, unlikely there’s a better alternative. However, food is mediocre to average in the only restaurant. There’s no lighter options on the menu as dinner tends to be 3 course with heavier entrees. There is hamburger and pizza on menu except both were out one day. Next day, we were told there’re only 10 hamburgers available so best order early for dinner. The hotel isn’t kept pace with other on location resorts such as Meliá at Iguazu Falls, or Longitude 351 at Ayer’s Rock (albeit pricing is within the same ranges) - and lacks some perhaps take for granted items - understand conservation perhaps require items be requested on demand, but ran out of toothbrush at reception, no razer, no water kettle or coffee maker in room. Evidently the hotel is over 30 years old and due for renovation this May, which may explain why the room radiator heater has a knocking sound when in use. The restaurant staff is very friendly and aim to please, but when busy, seems they are short staffed and there could be a longer wait for services. WiFi is ok.

Location is fantastic (easy access to MANY hikes), hotel and rooms are first-class and the guides were amazing (friendly, well-organized). We loved everything about Explora Torres del Paine - except if you are vegetarian and/or gluten-free. The serving staff never seemed to know about our dietary restrictions and we had to explain every time. There were not many gluten-free options, and vegetarian meals were too rich and not enough protein.

We had an absolutely incredible stay! Could not recommend this place enough. It has a hefty price tag, but they make it so worth the money. We are avid hikers and are very well travelled but can say this was one of the most incredible stays and experiences we’ve had. Totally exceeded our expectations. Major highlights: SCENERY - the scenery throughout the park is incredible. The view from the hotel alone is insanely beautiful, but everywhere you go with Explora is so picturesque. HIKING - The W hikes are wonderful, but the Explora team also has knowledge of other hikes in the area that are absolutely stunning (we highly recommend Alto Del Toro - 8 mi, 200P ft elevation loop). The base of the towers hike did not disappoint. We couldn’t do the French valley or grey glacier due to wind, but were very happy with the hikes the Explora team recommended instead. PEOPLE - the Explora team is top notch. All of the guides are passionate and friendly. When hikes got precarious (60 mph wind on top of a cornice) they were composed and confident — great leadership in a crisis. Things to note: - the Explora has a boat they use to take you to the start of the French Valley or Grey Glacier (2 legs of the W trek). If it is too windy, the boat does not run. We were at Explora 5 full days and each day, the boat was cancelled. This was ok as there were other beautiful hikes, but if your #1 goal is to do all the iconic W hikes, you will need to make a backup plan. The backup would be pre-arranging a two-way ticket for one of the larger boats (they can navigate in the higher wind speeds) to the start point of the French Glacier or Grey Glacier (the base of the towers is accessible by car). In retrospect, we may have done this as a backup plan to ensure we could do those two hikes. TLDR; if these hikes are top priorities for you, talk to the hotel before your trip starts to get advice on how to organize those rides. - If the boat IS running, Explora can only take a limited number of passengers each day to those two hikes. We were not aware of this, so ended up very low down on a waitlist to access those hikes if the boat were to run (the boat ended up not running anyway due to high winds speed, but we would’ve been bummed if we missed our opportunity to do the French Valley hike). TLDR; if doing the grey glacier or French Valley hikes are top priorities for you, mention this your guide right when you get to the hotel and ask specifically to be added to the boat list each day. - Five days was a perfect amount of time for our group. We have some very experienced hikers (4000 feet of elevation and 13 miles was very doable) and other members of our family who prefer to do a maximum of 8-10 mi with 2000 ft max of elevation) and felt like there were great options for each person.

Our first impression was the view of the Torres del Paine from the hotel lounge and it is truly stunning. After that, we were not disappointed either: the location is great, very central and ideal to explore the national park - with a wide range of included excursions (hiking, horse-riding, etc.). Most importantly the service is excellent (and very friendly). This was our first time in an Explora lodge and we loved it, from A to Z. Great guides (dedicated, friendly, knowledgeable…), great staff, really good food, excellent hiking, good sized swimming pool and spa (and the joy of combining swimming in the ice cold river and relaxing in the hot tubs) … We had an awesome 5-night stay! Only thing was we had to be a bit insistent to register for the longest / hardest hikes, even after a couple of days of proving we are experienced hikers.