FAQ

A stay at the hotel is generously all-inclusive of all dining including breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, open bar with appetizers, house wines and spirits (a cellarmasters list is available at an additional cost), one full-day or two half-day excursions daily with other guests, one half-hour massage per paying adult, use of the Spa area, heated indoor and outdoor pools, sauna and steam room and return transfers from Castro (MHC) or Puerto Montt (PMC) Airports.

Airfares are not included.

Two half day excursions or one full day excursion daily, in small groups with other guests are included in the Full Experience pricing. Refugia Chiloé offers walks, hikes, ebiking, kayaking, stand-up paddle, and horse-riding and these can range from the athletic to the gentle and observational (i.e. birdwatching). Other excursions are cultural including visits to see the UNESCO World Heritage churches of Chiloé, to see local towns and meet local people, farmers, knitters, boat-builders. The Williche boat is an excursion in itself and also operates as our transport to other islands for visits.

Many factors influence the availability of excursions, including guest fitness, weather conditions and seasonality.

A selection of our Guided Excursions:

Kayak Rilán – Half Day
Ebike Riding – Half Day
Shellfishing at low tide – Half Day
Stand-up Paddle Board – Half Day
Nature Bathing – Half Day
Epukuden Park – Half Day
Horseback Riding – Full Day
Ahuenco Park – Full Day
Tepuhueico Park – Full Day
Tricolor Chiloé – Full Day
Duhatao-Chepu – Full Day
Historic Castro – Full Day
Quinchao Island – Full Day
Chelin & Quehui Islands – Full Day

See all excursions

Full Experience Guests enjoy a Refugia Chiloe stay with everything included, only spa services, laundry, the most expensive wines, and privately arranged activities are extra. We recommend Full Experience for all our international guests.

Dine & Stay is a program that does not include airport transfers or excursions, but does include all the meals and house wines. Dine & Stay is designed for guests who do not need the excursions such as company or family meetings, or Chileans who may arrive in cars with their own activity plans while staying at Refugia.

Bed & Breakfast is another price program which does not include lunch, dinner, excursions, open bar or airport transfers. It’s a good program for those who need a wonderful place to stay near Castro, the capital of Chiloé.

We are happy to take note of your interests, but our norm is for one of our head guides to meet with you on your arrival day. They will look with you at the giant, hand-painted wall map, discuss the landmarks and areas of the island that might be of interest, and find out your physical activity level and personal interests to build a bespoke itinerary just for you. Touring may also be arranged on a private basis for an additional charge, subject to availability.

Many factors influence the availability of excursions, including guest fitness, weather conditions and seasonality.

Yes, complimentary wifi access is available throughout the hotel (limited bandwidth due to remote location).

For guests choosing the Full Experience package, airport transfers from Castro (MHC) or Puerto Montt (PMC) airports are included, and no minimum stay is required. Airport transfers are extra for the Dine & Stay and Bed & Breakfast guests and we are happy to arrange them.
We can also organize airport transfers by hydroplane from Castro (MHC), or from Lago Llanquihue in Puerto Varas for those arriving or departing Puerto Montt (PMC).

Check-in time is 3pm and check-out time is 11am. Where possible, flexibility with early check-in and late check-out will be provided, but this will depend on room availability. The facilities of the main hotel are available to guests whilst at the property even if not yet checked in or already checked out.

The hotel has a no-smoking policy in all indoor spaces including rooms, suites, and shared common areas. Smoking is allowed in designated outdoor areas. Please ask our staff for guidance to these areas.

Refugia Chiloé welcomes families with children of all ages. Children under 18 years must be checked-in and accompanied by an adult.

A 30% deposit is required within 7 days of booking. The balance is required to be paid in full 30 days prior to arrival. All international credit cards are processed via Paypal. Settlement is also accepted by international bank transfer; please advise Refugia Hotels once you’ve paid so that we can ensure receipt of your payment.

Refugia Chiloé is situated in a remote destination and has only 24 rooms, therefore, we have a strict cancellation policy and strongly recommend guests have a travel insurance policy covering medical care and cancellation due to any reason.

Cancellations within 60 days prior to arrival will incur a cancellation fee of 30% of the booking total. Cancellations within 30 days prior to arrival will incur a fee of 100% of the booking total.

Refugia Chiloé is located on Chiloé Island, in Chile. The most convenient airport is Castro (MHC), only a two hour flight from Santiago and 30-40 minutes from the hotel.
LATAM, Jetsmart and SKY operate regular flights from Santiago to Castro on Chiloé. Castro (MHC) transfers are included in our Full Experience program with no minimum stay required.

The next most convenient airport is Puerto Montt (PMC), also a two hour flight from Santiago, and a good airport for connecting flights to Punta Arenas or Puerto Natales. Road transfer time from Puerto Montt to Refugia Chiloe is 4.5 hours and includes a ferry passage. Puerto Montt (PMC) transfers are included in the Full Experience package and no minimum stay is required.

Transfers can also be arranged, at an additional cost, for those guests choosing our B&B or Dine&Stay Programs.  We can also organize transfers by hydroplane from either of the two airports at an extra charge.

For guests with rental cars on the Dine&Stay or Bed&Breakfast programs  (many Chileans choose this option), we have onsite and nearby parking available for your convenience.

The easygoing atmosphere at Refugia Chiloé encourages comfortable casual attire for inside the hotel and spa. To plan clothing for excursions, keep in mind that one of the characteristics of southern Chile and Patagonia is the ever-changing weather: you may experience rain, wind and sun within the same day. So bring hiking pants, layered shirts (short and long sleeves), fleece jacket, water resistant wind jacket, comfortable water-resistant hiking shoes (if new, make sure they fit well), running shoes, and a pair of comfy slip-ons for the hotel. Don’t forget a hat, gloves, fanny pack or day pack, bathing suit and sunscreen. If you have binoculars, bring them. Leave your hair-dryer at home.

Chiloé Island boasts a temperate oceanic climate with mild year-round temperatures and while there may be rain showers they may be quick. It’s thanks to these showers that the Island is so green and lovely and the habitat so vibrant. Summers are generally warm and relatively dry while the shoulder seasons may provide days for outdoor excursions and days for cultural tours and enjoying the spa. The shoulder seasons are also a great time to witness the bird migration. Did you know that the Hudsonian Godwit leaves for the northern hemisphere from the bay outside the hotel and migrates further than any other migratory birds!

Refugia Chiloé welcomes guests from beginning October to end of April with a winter closure from May 1st to September 30th each year.
High Season dates are Dec 15, 2025 to Feb 15, 2026
Low Season dates are Oct 3, 2025 to Dec 14, 2025 and Feb 16 to May 3, 2026

Chiloé’s extraordinary range of both native and non-native plant and animal species left even Charles Darwin astounded during his visit in 1834. In addition to dense moist forests, Chiloé boasts a dozen wetlands, including the nearby Pullao Wetland, considered sites of ‘hemispheric importance’ by the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network because they provide critical habitat for protected migratory birds like the Hudsonian Godwit and the Whimbrel. Join our guides for a Pullao Wetland visit to see cormorants, ducks, gulls, Godwits and Whimbrels in their natural southern hemisphere habitat. Many guests get lucky and see the elusive Pudú (the world’s smallest deer), Chiloé foxes (Darwin called them “rare and endemic”) and the native güiña cats sporting spots and bushy tails. Go out on the Williche and look for dolphins, black-necked swans and whales, maybe even a Magallenic penguin. Chiloé is biodiverse, making it a wildlife enthusiast’s paradise.

The official currency of Chile is the Chilean Peso (CLP).

You can check current exchange rates  here.

Chiloé Island follows the same time zone as Chilean Standard Time (GMT-4), which is the  time zone for Santiago and continental Chile.

Spanish is the official language of Chile, however most staff at Refugia Chiloé speak both English and Spanish. Some staff speak Portuguese, and some guides are also fluent in German and French.

Mains voltage in Chile is 220V 50Hz. There are two plug types in Chile, types C and L.

Plug type C is the plug which has two round pins and type L is the plug which has three round pins. The guest rooms at Refugia Chiloe can accommodate either type of plug

As the hotel thrives on a convivial atmosphere, in-suite dining isn’t offered. Of course we are flexible if there is a special need.

Yes, we are happy to provide meals for special dietary requirements, but please notify us at the time of your reservation. This way, given our remote location, we can ensure we have the supplies we will need to cook for you before your arrival.  We aim to make our special-diet meals delicious and also locally inspired. Should notice not be provided in advance, our chefs will endeavour to prepare suitable meals with the ingredients available.

Refugia Chiloé will prepare kosher or other religious meals but we require advance notice as we may need to bring materials from Santiago, and we may need to work with you, the guest, to do some advanced planning.  We are happy to do this, and enjoy working with guests or on our own to meet these special needs.  The first step is to let our Reservations professional know of your needs.

The restaurant is open as follows:
Breakfast  7am – 10am
Lunch       1pm – 2:30pm
Dinner      7pm – 10pm

Refugia Chiloé is an intimate hotel with a focus on personal service ensuring an exceptional experience for our guests. As such, hotel facilities such as the Spa are only for in-house guests.  We will accept reservations from outside for dining when we have space.  Reservations advised.

To contact our reservation team, please call +56 9 3267 5925
or toll free from the USA and Canada 1 800 788 0813  or send an email to reservations@refugiachiloe.com

Yes, laundry service is available.

There is no gym at Refugia Chiloé – just nature’s gym! For active travellers we recommend exploring the enchanted Chilote Forest in Tepuhueico Park or for a more challenging hike, head to Ahuenco Park and cross the sunken forest via boat and trek through native woods with Pacific Ocean views.

The swimming pools are found at our Spa. The Refugia Spa will please you with its decor of wood and stone and all its features such as a heated indoor pool with hydro-massage, outdoor infinity pool, sauna, steam room and lounge area. The spa provides a warm cocoon from the elements, and opens out to the outdoor pool and deck with uninterrupted views of the wildlife-rich Pullao wetlands.
Spa treatments and therapies use all-natural ingredients. Take your pick from an extensive list of facials, massages, body wraps, scrubs and alternative therapies, designed to open up your ‘prana’, or ‘life force’, promoting positive thoughts and wellbeing. (Spa services such as massages, facials and therapies and treatments are extras and will be added to your bill.)

Yes, our grounds are tracked for walks.  You might do a circuit with a stop at the horse stable, the vegetable gardens, and the shore of the Pullao Bay.  Walk  along the waterfront and past the giant Nalca plants, over to the Williche boat dock and up and over the meadow.  It is a lovely property and walking on it with intentional mindfulness or with friends and family is truly a pleasure.  Our nature-bathing excursion takes you on a version of this walk as a guided mindfulness experience.

Many hikes are included in our excursion list and will give an amazing glimpse of Valdivian Rainforest and coastal views as well as the opportunity to spot wildlife.

Hikes that are not included in the hotel’s excursion offering can be arranged at an additional cost on a guided or self-guided basis.

Language guides can be arranged to accompany guests on scheduled shared touring. This is also an option on private tours. Advance bookings are recommended and additional costs apply.

Though transfers from the local airport are part of our Full Experience program, self-driving to Refugia Chiloé is possible, and we do have onsite and nearby parking available for your convenience.

We welcome guests who need accessible facilities, and the hotel is generally easy to navigate. Several rooms are designed for people with disabilities, and although some activities are restricted there are plenty of alternative options. Please note that we don’t have any vehicles in our regular fleet that are adapted for accessibility but we have strong people who can help guests in need get into and out of the vehicles, or we may be able to obtain a special vehicle if we know of the need in advance. At Refugia Chiloe, flexibility is one of our characteristics, so if you or one of your group has special needs in this area please talk to us, we would like to figure out how to make it work.