After eight months of hard work, which implied full renovation of its facilities, the Termas Chillán Hotel – former Gran Hotel Chillán – will open for business in the middle of the winter season, and since not everything is about skiing, this hotel offers varied options.
A high point is its new three-floor spa. Alunco Spa and Wellness is one of the largest and more complete spas in Chile, with 17 kinds of treatments, cosmetology services, hairdressers and water features. Alunco was especially designed to be a unique place, fully focused on delivering an exclusive and sophisticated 100% wellness experience.
Special emphasis was put on the hotel food offer, in the hands of the Chef Felipe Moraga, ex Hyatt’s Senso, who has designed a menu with mainly Mediterranean flavors. Most ingredients used have been selected from small local producers, and the wine selection comes from the Itata Valley, in a way to strengthen the local identity and to contribute to the development of the new Ñuble Region.
The heated swimming pools are also an attraction. During winter months, with the snow blanket around it, enjoying the heated swimming pool is a real privilege. The hotel has 2 swimming pools, 1 heated indoor/outdoor pool that allows enjoying it outside or under a roof, and the outdoors pool that only opens during summertime. All of them have hydro massage and water beds.
Outside the hotel, several activities allow to fully experience the mountain. During summertime, skis give way to bicycles and to challenging descents from the volcano, with experts and not-so-experts circuits.
Trekking activities also take place, such as introductory hikes that offer a natural and cultural informative framework of the nearby environment, its geography, flora and fauna. One of these hikes is Ruta de los Pangues, a low-intensity hike, which goes through native coigue forests, a volcanic-formation cave, and a cascade. Other similar routes for tourists include: De los Frailes, Mirador Las Trancas and Mirador el Regalo.
In an intermediate level we can mention the volcanic gas trekking. It is a climb to the spectacular natural volcanic gases that spring up from the mountain. The view is simply spectacular, because you can see the Valle de Las Trancas and Valle Hermoso. In this category we can also mention the trekking to the Garganta del Diablo canyon, a route that serves as first approach to the Chillán Volcano. Other attractive hikes include that to the Coihuería Cascade and the one leading to the Andean shelter in the Shangrila Valley.
A longer route is the one leading to Pudú Lake, it takes 7 hours, and is located on top of one of the tallest mountains of that area, therefore, the valley can be observed in full extension. It is also a nesting area for condors, woodpeckers, cachaña parrots, among others.
During summertime, the offer includes horseback rides, canopy, buggy rides, wall climbing, via ferrata, and many more.