BEST OF FOUR: CHILE

Looking for superlatives to describe your next holiday? How about the driest place on earth or the most southern economy in the world? Tucked away at the bottom of the World, between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, Chile surprises us with its unexpected terrain, startling beauty, and dramatic contrasts. Famous for its exports of seafood, minerals, and more recently, wine, Chile remains largely undiscovered, unspoiled and very faraway – an intrepid travelers dream.

Hotel Explora in Patagonia: Located in the most remote and least explored part of South America, Patagonia offers the opportunity to visit an area least known to man - Torres del Paine National Park, a UNESCO World heritage site. A four-hour drive from Punta Arenas (a settlement on the Strait of Magellan and the southern-most economy in the world) brings you to the heart of the National Park and the secluded Hotel Explora. Surrounded by mysterious granite peaks and a serene lake, the Hotel Explora offers its guests the privilege of unique exploration chaperoned by your own private sherpa. Lakes and waterfalls, volcanoes and salt flats, glacier and fjords, boat tours, treks, horse rides through the Pampas with sightings of condors, foxes and guanacos fill a four-day stay with ample wonder and activity. Massages and puma viewings are available to the fortunate. A stay at Hotel Explora is priced at approximately $500 per night, per person and includes tours, guides, wine and meals. www.explora.com.

Ruta del Vino: Approximately a two-hour drive from Santiago towards San Fernando is Ruta del Vino – Chile’s Wine Road. There are several small vineyards with a quietude that accompanies a treasure waiting to be discovered. Wine aficionados have bestowed upon Casa Lapostolle, the 450-acre winery’s deep ruby Clos Apalta wine many International awards. Casa Lapostolle’s four casitas offer unexpected and exceptional luxury, unsurpassed views, and privacy coveted by celebrities. Founded by the Marnier-Lapostolle family in 1994, best known for their production of Grand Marnier in France, Casa Lapostolle sets the high bar for Chilean wines. Casitas are priced at $550 per night, double occupancy. For more information, visit www.lapostolle.com Atacama

Atacama: Deserts, the driest places on earth, are home to seemingly lifeless plains and create a unique geography. With hardly any cloud cover, Atacama is the best place on the earth to make astronomical observations. Jupiter, through the telescope, is easily visible on many days and the starry sky is magical. Due to the lack of rainfall, treks through Cactus Valley and Moon Valley, are rare experiences for those yet to travel to Mars or the Moon. A visit to the colonies of pink Chilean Flamingos in the salt marshes, and to the geysers at daybreak in the altiplanos completes a lifetime of unusual adventure, leaving one in awe. www.sanpedroatacama.com

Chilean Seafood: A vast coastline provides ample opportunities to exploit the high seas, and Chilean seafood is renowned for its freshness, quality and exotic variety. Octopus, scallops, abalones, mussels, salmon, swordfish, giant crab claws and mackerel are exported all over the world. While in Chile, the seafood is widely available and prepared inimitably for a fraction of the cost. Congrio Frito, Chupe de Locos, Empanada de Mariscos, Ceviches and Machas a la Parmesan, can shake even a staunch vegetarian’s beliefs. A manjar (Chilean dulce de leche) for dessert completes the meal and will necessitate a gym membership.

By Anjali Mansukhani