FROM HELL RIGHT TO HEAVEN

At 2:30PM I finally arrived in Santiago. The nightmare was over. What a relief to see my driver waiting for me with a sign with my name in large letters. At that point I was so tired a could barely see straight let alone find a taxi to get to whatever meetings I had not already missed.
Luckily, the company that I use in Chile had gotten my emails from the night before and had re-arranged everything for me. My first appointment was at a great new modern hotel in the newest hip location in Santiago. The Noi is surrounded by great designer boutiques, art galleries and super restaurants. What a great way to start.

After seeing 5 more hotels, I was totally glad to check in to The Lastraria, a small cozy and again very new hotel in the midst of the city. Too bad I couldn't stay longer but at 5AM it was up and to the airport again for my flight to Patagonia.

On arrival in Punta Arenas, again the driver was there to take my bags and speed across the stepps to the new Singular....the hotel that brings part of Patagonian history to this exciting part of the world.

Declared a Chilean National Treasuer in 1999, the Frigorifico de Bories which began as a eat packing plant in the early 1900's. It became one of the most important businesses in the world, exporting canned and fozen meat to the starving people of Europe during the 1st World War. It also put Chile and it shipping industry sqarely on the map as an international leader in produce.

Patagonia covers both Chile and Argentina. There is not much here except wind, fabulous vistas and lots and lots of sheep and cattle. So famous was the Frigorico de Boires (meaning freesing plant in Puerto Bories where the plant was located) that herders from the Argenitne side of Patagonia would drive their animals across the Andes to bring them to the plant to sell and reaping the great fiacial prize that the plant was producing.

As the world progressed and life went on, the plant slowly closed its doors and in early 2006, a Chilean investors group purchaed the plant with plans to keep it as a national mounment and at the same time convert these old wonderful factory buildings into one of the most spectacular hotels in Ptagonia.

The Singular is just that.....Singular in its purpose and its modern beauty. The old factory has become the reception and restaurants of the hotel while a brand new building with spectacular views of the water contain huge rooms with lovely amenities.

I am totally in awe of this place and want to tell more....but right now, I just want to absorb the heavenly beauty of Patagonia from my window.

More on The Singular and the fun you can have here in my next blog.