Compiled By NAN Lifestyle Editor
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Fri. Nov. 20, 2015: Looking to travel to South America? How about checking in at the top all-inclusive resorts as voted by TripAdvisor’s readers?
1: Salinas do Maragogi All Inclusive Resort, Maragogi, Brazil: This 236-room family friendly resort is right smack on a pristine beach and also 3 mi (5 km) from Camacho Beach, Sao Bento Beach, and Burgalhau Beach and 6 miles from Barra Grande Beach and Japaratinga Beaches. There is also three restaurants on location and it is 2.6 km from Maragogi village, a municipality of the Brazilian state of Alagoas in the 125 km north of Maceió capital city. You can fly to Maceio then hop a shuttle to the resort.
2: Los Pinos Resort & Spa Termal, Termas de Rio Hondo, Argentina: This Resort & Spa Thermal is a family friendly all-inclusive in Argentina and is located 80 km from Tucuman Airport and 300 meters from the city center. There are 2 restaurants serving regional and international dishes. This resort’s spa includes a Turkish bath.
3: Iberostar Bahia, Praia do Forte, Brazil: This Iberostar property is an upscale family friendly all-inclusive just 4 miles from the city of Praia do Forte. It is 8 km from the 16th-century Castelo de Garcia d’Ávila and 10 km from the Reserva da Sapiranga. There are 6 eateries and 5 bars/lounges as well as the beach and kids’ club/playground on site. It is 35 miles from the closest airport.
4: Hillary Nature Resort & Spa, Machala, Ecuador: The Hillary Nature Resort & Spa is 15 km from the Santa Rosa airport, 35 km from the Bolivar port and 30 km from the Puyango Petrified Forest. It features a private Zoo which is sure to excite families with children. It is also located 35 km from Machala city centre, a city in south-west Ecuador that is a commercial center for the surrounding agriculture industries.
5: Iberostar Praia do Forte, Praia do Forte, Brazil: IBEROSTAR Praia Do Forte Hotel is a 5-star All Inclusive resort nestled on the Atlantic coastline of Praia do Forte in Brazil. This luxurious 536 room hotel is designed with both couples and families with children in mind. Traditional Brazilian delicacies are part of the offering here. The hotel is located across from a nature preserve for turtles, near the Atlantic Jungle and just 35 km from the Salvador de Bahia Airport, formerly called Dois de Julho International Airport and serving Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.
6: Patagonia Camp, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile: Don’t be fooled by the name. It is actually a luxurious camp by any standards with what looks like space pods for rooms. The Patagonia Camp is located on the shores of enormous Lake Toro and facing the Paine Massif, near the National Park Torres del Paine. Imagine all the wonderful things about camping – the views, close contact with nature, and that feeling of isolation – but with central heating in your tent and a private bathroom on the side as a “yurt.” Once inside, you’ll find your circular yurt is a very pleasing space. Tall, wide and airy; the walls are well insulated, lined with white fabric and wooden lattice work and decorated with local weavings. The furniture is all specially commissioned and handmade from local wood, such as polished, rustic headboards and beautiful bedside tables. Beds are very comfortable (all yurts can be either kingsize or twin), and are positioned so that you can enjoy that magnificent view as you lie back on the pillows. Each room has a small writing table by the wide windows, and a terrace with seats so you can sit in privacy outside. The Camp is only 15 km from the Park’s administration center and close to the main attractions that have made Torres del Paine world famous. The Camp can be reached from Punta Arenas via Puerto Natales or from Calafate in Argentina by crossing the border at Cerro Castillo. All major Chilean airlines have frequent daily flights from Santiago, capital of Chile, to Punta Arenas.
7: Explora Patagonia, Torres del Paine National Park, Chile: This all-inclusive 49-room resort is anchored like a white ship on the shores of Lake Pehoé, literally in the middle of Torres del Paine National Park. Over 50 different guided hikes and horseback rides offer travelers breathtaking views of glaciers, lakes and mountains. This is a place for those who like adventure and nature as it allows everyone to take full advantage of the silence, privacy, and spaciousness of the surrounding landscape. Getting here you must fly to Santiago de Chile’s International Airport and connect to the city of Punta Arenas, approximately 4 hours away. From Punta Arenas Airport, you will be driven to explora Patagonia by a member of the resort’s team, approximately 4 and half hours away with a stop to rest and have lunch.
8: Royal Decameron Isleno, San Andres, Colombia: This 220 room picturesque hotel with traditional Caribbean architecture is located about five miles from the airport and opposite the most beautiful beach in San Andres. It ensures an authentic experience in this paradisiac Colombian island – a favorite spot for tourists to enjoy the sun and the transparency of its multicolored waters. It is within a 15-minute walk of Paintball San Andres and Coton Cay while Spratt Bight and San Andres Hill are within 3 miles so you will be able to interact with the locals of this picturesque island, a centuries old mélange of English puritan immigrants, Dutch settlers, Spaniards, slaves, pirates and Arabs that arrived in 1953 when this island was declared a free port.
9: Explora Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile: Situated in San Pedro de Atacama, this Modern hacienda style hotel 50-room all inclusive luxury hotel is within a 15-minute walk of Plaza de San Pedro de Atacama, San Pedro Church, and R.P. Gustavo Le Paige Archaeological Museum. It features 4 outdoor pools, a restaurant, and an outdoor pool. San Pedro de Atacama and its surrounding area have a very dry and mild climate year round. The village gradually grew up around an oasis, and is situated on a high plateau, 2,443 meters (8,015 feet) above sea level, and located just 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Calama, a major city served by El Loa International Airport, or “Calama Airport” (CJC). After arriving in Santiago, Chile’s capital city (SCL), you need to take a 2-hour connecting flight to the city of Calama.
At Calama Airport (CJC), a member of the hotel team will pick you up and drive you to explora Atacama, approximately one-hour away.
10: Titilaka, Puno, Peru: This luxury boutique hotel on Lake Titicaca in Peru is enough to conjure up a dramatic, mysterious world. At an altitude of more than 3 800 meters in the Andes, on the border between Peru and Bolivia, this cradle of Inca civilization is still home to one of the oldest communities in South America. Titilaka Lodge is tucked away in this unique landscape, totally off the beaten track on its own private peninsula, in a refurbished building. The rooms each offer a splendid lake view and are decorated in a contemporary style with touches of local heritage, in symbiosis with the luxuriant natural setting.
Just outside the village, Titilaka offers a taste of the lake dwellers’ traditions and way of life. It is expensive, yes starting at over US$1,000 per night, but well worth the experience. Each night, staff leave you a poem with colourful details about the activities that await you the next day. The temperature dips quite low, so stock up on Alpaca sweaters. Inca Manco Cápac Airport, in Juliaca (half an hour by car from Puno), is just under two hours’ drive from the hotel. Several airlines, including Lan, Star Peru and Taca operate flights to and from Peruvian cities, including Lima (four times a day), Arequipa and Cusco (both twice a day).
