Magic Mountain Lodge is a storybook hotel in a unique Patagonian forest habitat.

Did you look for elves at the end of the rainbow when you were a child? Well, this is the place where they lived. Located in Huilo Huilo Biological Reserve, southern Chile (which is a UNESCO-recognized biosphere), Magic Mountain Lodge takes you back to your favorite childhood tales. This amazing hotel, with its lush, vegetation-covered facade and a waterfall at the top, which sends a constant stream down the rounded, green exterior, is as magical as they come.

The haphazard arrangement of the poetic arched windows just adds to its fantastical air, as does the rope bridge (those without a head for heights can enter at ground level, for half the fun).

Inside, as you’d expect, all is warm and natural: rustic wood furniture, rough-hewn beams – the hotel was built by traditional artisans who used locally-sourced materials and was voted “Most Sustainable Tourism Destination in Chile.” The 13 guest rooms are simple and cozy rather than overdone.

Must-Try Corporal Indulgences:

We like the outdoor hot tubs made out of huge tree trunks, perched on a deck overlooking the forest, best enjoyed while sipping a glass of Chilean red.

If you prefer indoor soaks, the spa has some unusual hydrotherapy baths: try milk and honey, or St John’s Wort and papaya.

More active guests are spoiled when it comes to choice: hike through the forest, climb a volcano, trek over a glacier, hang off a zip-line, go horseback-riding, hop on a mountain bike, or strap on your snow-shoes; there’s even a snow park for skiers and snowboarders.

Rooms start at $262/night plus tax, wood-sprites and fairies included.

Places & Spaces is a travel guide that will inspire you to carve out a vacation on your calendar. All of the gorgeous locations and accommodations in our guide share our concern for the environment. From tent glamping to lavish built environments, fair warning, you’ll feel compelled to pack your suitcase.

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