Winter accommodation in Corralco
Hotel Corralco is located in the Malalcahuello National Reserve at the base of Volcano Lonquimay. The Corralco ski centre is also located there.
The hotel has 54 rooms which get booked out completely in winter, often by visiting ski teams from the northern hemisphere. The hotel offers many services such as gym, cinema, restaurant, child care service, sauna and spa and a shuttle service to the ski centre which is around 1000m away.
There are a lot of other accommodation options within 15km of the ski centre, outside of the Reserve. The most numerous type of accommodation are cabins but there are also boutique hotels and lodges. The accommodation types closest to the ski centre are located on a narrow road leading up to the Reserve, surrounded by forest but with limitations to services such as internet and electricity.
A little further away on the main highway, connectivity is better, although inhabitants suffer from time to time with blackouts due to the winter climate and infrastructure deficiencies.
The township of Malalcahuello is 12km (7.5 mi) from the National Reserve Malalcahuello in a sunny, rural valley surrounded by forested mountains. The main highway is maintained clear of snow to the border with Argentina. However, chains are required for all vehicles wishing to go to Corralco ski centre and can be hired locally.
Accommodation quality varies enormously. On the lower end of the spectrum you may find cabins where the water pipes freeze and where it is difficult to stay warm at night. Temperatures can drop to around minus 10 degrees celcius (50o F). It is recommended that you ask about the water and heating to ensure that you don´t have problems.
Many of the accommodation establishments are published on Booking.com and Airbnb websites. You may, however, find it more economical to book directly on the website of the establishment that you choose. The local tourism organisation website has quite a number of accommodation options https://www.malalcahuello.org/
If you are after good quality cabins with good connectivity and generator back-up in case of blackouts, you need go no further than here: www.chilewild.com/en
