Few places have impacted me so profoundly as Chilean Patagonia.  Even after spending many years living in and out of Buenos Aires and visiting Argentine Patagonia, there is something truly unique about this wilderness, the Patagonian steppes around the Torres del Paine National Park.  

I went to write a story for House and Garden's Hotels By Design special just after Awasi had opened their lodge there in 2013.  Serious hats off to Awasi's director Matias de Cristobal for the sensitivity he showed in opening up this unique part of the world while preserving and showcasing what makes it so special.  I could tell you about the eco-sensitive design, architecture and remote natural beauty (and you can read about that in the PDF below ), but really, what i fell wildly, madly in love with were... the Gauchos.

This is one of the parts of South America where working Gauchos still dominate the landscape ( the only ones tough enough to weather the harsh winter conditions) Stay at Awasi and you can hang with them every day.  I was with the brilliant photographer Helen Cathcart for this story, and we spent a lot of the time drinking mate in their huts and galloping across plains with our new friends, wild and free, and soaking in wood-fired hot tubs as the sun set at 11pm! You can read more about them in a piece i later wrote for Aston Martin Magazine here

One of my most memorable trips and one I would recommend to all for that once-in-a-lifetime magic. 

Published 2015 and 2016