IF IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR THE QUEEN, IT'S GOOD ENOUGH FOR US
Waking up to grey clouds and cold temperatures was a bit of a shock to the system, but the sight of huge lakes and lush green forests rushing past the bus window was something else after so long in the dry north. The small of town of Pucon on the banks of Lago Villarica, and dangerously close to the volcano of the same name, was the location of the next of the hotels we were reviewing. Although the weather was a bit wet and grey, that didn't detract from the beautiful setting of the hotel with views across the lake and, on a clear day, to the volcano beyond (unfortunately we had to take their word for it as it was obscured by cloud). The volcano is one of the most active in Chile and last erupted in 1985 so the town has an early warning traffic light system to alert the inhabitants to an eruption. Luckily it was all quiet when we were there.
The hotel had great food, beautiful landscaped gardens, a freezing cold outdoor swimming pool - which Emma braved - and a wonderful outdoor Jacuzzi, but its main claim to fame was that the Queen stayed there in the late 1960s and we were able to have a look at where she stayed, all in the name of research of course. James Stewart and Neil Armstrong have also been guests.
Next morning before leaving Pucon we felt obliged to pay a visit to the magnificently named 'El Tit' supermarket where we stocked up on food for our journey to Puerto Montt, departure point for the next leg of our adventure, a 1500km ferry journey through Patagonia.