While you’re some way from civilization, the lodge is self-sufficient and has a restaurant "Meson del Bosque" - The Forest Table. All meals are taken here and you’ll get the opportunity to sample some really good Chilean cooking. When the weather is cold, try their Pastel de Papas – a mixture of mashed potatoes, onion, olives, egg and meat cooked in the oven. A recommendation for those with a sweet tooth is to try it with sugar but beware! Too large a portion will leave you unable to do anything except snooze. Lighter fare includes the Chilean staple of Cazuela – a meat or chicken soup with potatoes. Spice it up with “Merquen” - the Mapuche’s local red pepper. During the evening the restaurant provides a bar where you can enjoy the traditional Chilean Pisco Sour. Made of grape liqueur, mixed with lemon juice and sugar it is particularly refreshing. Take care however, Pisco Sour is easy to drink and a hangover this far from a pharmacy is particularly painful if you’ve forgotten to pack aspirin.

Rooms
Each of the 13 rooms has a private bathroom. There are also 11 cabins, accommodating between 4 and 6 people. Rooms are named with plants and animals found in the park, although a little detective work with a good dictionary is required to try and translate some of the more obscure. "Lahuen" is a medical plant used by the local Mapuches Indians and "Ranita de Darwin", a tiny frog close to extinction.

Weather
Generally sunny with moderate temperatures, but the summer (December, January and February), can be very hot. The rainy season begins in April and finishes in October. Ski lovers have best conditions in July and August while September to November and March to April are the best months for outdoor activities.

The Lodge is 35 miles (60km) from Panguipulli, the nearest town. The largest major city is Valdivia, around 80 miles (165km) from the resort. "Pichol" airport is there and you should plan for a transfer of about 2½ hours by car. The other airport is in Temuco, 85 miles (180km) away – around 3 hours from Huilo Huilo. Hire a car from the airport or arrange a transfer with the resort.

The Lodge is located between two small villages, Puerto Fuy and Neltume which grew up in the 1930’s to support the logging industry. You can find small restaurants, plus craft shops selling furniture and animal sculpture here. Neltume achieved fame in the 70’s and 80’s as the home of the revolutionary leader Commander Pepe. While reminders of the military campaigns still exist, the area is now more famous for fishing and hunting in summer and ski randonee on the volcano in winter. They have also constructed a 500m aerial ropeway up to 90m high in the forest canopy, allowing you to travel from tree to tree, over cliffs with traverses. The park also offers horse and mountain biking plus kayak trips on the Pirihueico Lake.