Luxury Hotels Atlas / The Maison / Awasi
Awasi hotels
Private guides and vehicles let each room set its own pace through South American wilderness.
Awasi builds a lodge stay around your own interests, with a private guide, a private 4×4, and time to explore South America at your own pace. The name comes from the Quechua word wasi, meaning “house,” and that sense of a personal base runs through its small lodges in some of the continent’s most dramatic natural settings.
5 Awasi hotels in 3 countries on the Luxury Hotels Atlas, each placed on the six LHA Tiers.
- Privately held
- Worldwide: 5 operating lodges across Chile, Argentina, and Brazil as of 2025–2026, totalling roughly 80 keys across Patagonia (12 villas), Atacama (12 suites), Iguazú (14 villas), Santa Catarina (25 villas), and Mendoza (17 villas); a sixth property, Cavas Wine Lodge, is in the atlas under its legacy name during transition
- On the atlas: 1 Apex Luxury, 4 Grand Luxury
History
Awasi began in Atacama as the kind of lodge its founders wanted to visit themselves. The private-guide model became its lasting signature, relying on local knowledge and substantial training for each naturalist. Later lodges brought different South American landscapes into the collection while retaining the freedom to shape each day around the guest.
Timeline
- Mid-1990s–2000 — Chilean architect Francisco Rencoret and his wife, interior designer Paula Domínguez, begin visiting San Pedro de Atacama and become frustrated by the lack of quality accommodation in the region
- ~2002 — Rencoret and Domínguez begin planning an intimate lodge inspired by Tulor, a 3,000-year-old circular adobe settlement near San Pedro; they commit to using only local materials and traditional construction techniques
- 2007 — Awasi Atacama opens, the first lodge, built of stone, adobe, and wood with 8 original casitas in San Pedro de Atacama; the private guide + 4×4 model is piloted here and proves successful enough to become the brand's defining service signature.
- 2013 — Awasi Patagonia opens in November on a 14,826-acre private reserve adjoining Torres del Paine National Park; 12 villas designed by Chilean architect Felipe Assadi and Francisca Pulido, prefabricated in lenga wood and raised on stilts above moisture-saturated soil.
- 2017 — Awasi Puma Foundation established at Awasi Patagonia; Awasi expands its private reserve from 600 to 4,500 hectares by leasing and converting a sheep estancia, creating a biological corridor for pumas, guanacos, condors, and foxes outside Torres del Paine's formal boundaries.
- 2018 — Awasi Iguazú opens in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina, 14 villas on stilts in the Atlantic Rainforest buffer zone; construction designed to preserve centennial tree ferns and native vegetation; the lodge owns 145 hectares of virgin Atlantic Rainforest and collaborates with local Guaraní communities.
- 2022 — Awasi joins the Relais & Châteaux sustainability reporting framework; the three original lodges collectively protect 340 hectares of native woodland absorbing over 10,000 tonnes of CO2 per year, more than the combined emissions of all lodges plus guest flights, giving the collection carbon-neutral status.
- 2024 (late) — Awasi acquires Ponta dos Ganchos Exclusive Resort in Governador Celso Ramos, Brazil, a 25-villa peninsula resort on the Emerald Coast opened in 2001, and rebrands it Awasi Santa Catarina after approximately R$20 million in renovation and adaptation to the private-guide model.
- 2025 (March) — Nicolas Peluffo named CEO of Awasi Lodges; announces significant capital investment programme and technology upgrades with a vision of becoming "the most desirable collection of small luxury lodges in the world".
- 2025 (May) — Cavas Wine Lodge joins Awasi, a 17-villa Relais & Châteaux property on 35 acres in Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza, becoming the fifth Awasi lodge (now trading as Awasi Mendoza).
- 2025 (October) — MICHELIN Keys 2025 global selection announced in Paris: all five Awasi properties receive MICHELIN Keys, with Awasi Patagonia awarded the top Three Keys ("extraordinary stay") distinction; Awasi Atacama and Awasi Iguazú each receive Two Keys; Awasi Santa Catarina and Awasi Mendoza also recognized.
- 2026 — Condé Nast Traveler launches its Triple Crown award, recognising hotels that have appeared on all three of the publication's flagship lists (Hot List, Gold List, Readers' Choice); Awasi Patagonia and Awasi Mendoza are among the inaugural honourees.
The houses to know
- Awasi Patagonia, Torres del Paine, Chile — Twelve villas on stilts at the edge of Torres del Paine: the highest-rated small lodge in South America, with Three MICHELIN Keys and a 4,500-hectare private puma reserve behind the property.
- Awasi Iguazú, Iguazú, Argentina — 14 villas on stilts in the Atlantic Rainforest, with privileged access to the Devil's Throat and a 145-hectare private nature reserve.
- Awasi Santa Catarina, Governador Celso Ramos, Brazil — Twenty-five private villas occupy a forested peninsula on Brazil’s Emerald Coast.
- Awasi Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina — 17 villas among Malbec vines at the Andean foothills, the collection's wine-country entry point and newest Relais & Châteaux member.
- Awasi Atacama, San Pedro de Atacama, Chile — The founding lodge: 12 adobe suites at 2,500 m elevation in the world's driest non-polar desert, designed by the property's own architect-owner couple.
Newest openings
- Awasi Santa Catarina — Governador Celso Ramos, Brazil — opened under Awasi branding in late 2024 — A 25-villa property on its own forested peninsula on Brazil's Emerald Coast, roughly 50 km north of Florianópolis, acquired from its founding owners (originally Ponta dos Ganchos, opened 2001) and converted to the Awasi private-guide model; R$20 million was invested in upgrades including a new spa, expanded gym, and eco-sensitive villa enhancements including solar panels, green roofs, and reforested-wood construction; the lodge faces the Três Ilhas archipelago and Gancho de Fora Bay; Tripadvisor 2024 Travelers' Choice — Best of the Best.
- Awasi Mendoza — Luján de Cuyo, Mendoza Province, Argentina — opened under Awasi branding in 2025 — 17 villas on a 35-acre vineyard estate at the foothills of the Andes, formerly Cavas Wine Lodge (Relais & Châteaux since its founding, Three-time top-3 resort in South America in Travel + Leisure rankings); the Spanish Colonial-style property is located in the Agrelo district, 30 minutes south of Mendoza city; each villa has a private terrace, fireplace, and plunge pool; Wine Spectator Award of Excellence 2025; Two MICHELIN Keys; inaugural Condé Nast Traveler Triple Crown Award 2026.
Opening next
- No new Awasi openings have been announced beyond the current five-lodge portfolio as of June 2026. CEO Nicolas Peluffo's March 2025 statements focused on capital investment and service upgrades at existing properties rather than new openings, though the stated ambition — "the most desirable collection of small luxury lodges in the world" — implies continued geographic expansion. No confirmed pipeline properties.
Every Awasi hotel on the atlas
Argentina
- Awasi Iguazú — Iguazú · Grand Luxury
- Awasi Mendoza — Mendoza · Grand Luxury
Chile
- Awasi Patagonia — Torres del Paine · Apex Luxury
- Awasi Atacama — San Pedro de Atacama · Grand Luxury
Brazil
- Awasi Santa Catarina — Governador Celso Ramos · Grand Luxury
Open The Maison in the atlas for Awasi's full dossier, with prices and maps.