World’s most southerly hotel set to open in 2025

There is something enigmatic, perhaps the better word is magnetic, about the extreme reaches of the planet. Those far corners north and south where you feel — even if you’ve travelled there in perfect luxury — something of an adventurer. Where the end of a journey compels you to pull your collar about your throat, tighten your scarf a little more, and narrow your eyes as you gaze off into the distance.

I felt that in Alaska last year, where beyond the safety of the Inside Passage the Pacific Ocean beckoned, and I felt I could almost sense the lonely reaches of eastern Russia. Closer to home, and at much less expense, there’s similar drama at Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southern tip. Here the wind howls up from Antarctica, and the Indian Ocean whips against the jagged rocks that inspired Portuguese navigators to name it agulhas, the “needles”. An offshore of the Argentine port of Ushuaia I kept a keen eye out for orcas while gazing at a landscape little changed for millennia.

The enduring romance of the ends of the earth is woven into what will next year become the world’s most southerly hotel. Perched on a hillside above the city of Puerto Williams, in Chilean Patagonia, the new hotel is being developed by Silversea, which runs cruises and expeditions to Antarctica.

Guests will be able to fly directly from the Chilean capital of Santiago to Puerto Williams and use the hotel as a base for exploring the region before heading south. While most cruise companies sail across the infamous Drake Passage to reach Antarctica, the new hotel is envisaged as a base for the brand’s popular Antarctica Bridge experience, trading a few days of rough seas for a two-hour flight between Puerto Williams and King George Island on the edge of Antarctica.

Silversea’s new 150-key hotel overlooks the famous Beagle Channel; a waterway that threads its way through the wooded slopes and fractured islands of Tierra del Fuego at the southern tip of South America. Set in pristine old-growth temperate forests, the new hotel will offer some of the most luxurious accommodations in southern Patagonia.

“As we continue to push the boundaries on the ultimate vacation experience for our guests, this new hotel allows us to offer an unmatched Antarctic expedition that further enhances our diverse portfolio of world-class vacations across our brands,” said Jason Liberty, president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean Group, which owns the Silversea brand. “Partnering with our experienced teams in Chile, we are providing guests with a unique opportunity to explore one of the world’s most breathtaking and remote destinations that advances our promise to deliver a lifetime of vacations.”

Although many details are still under wraps, the hotel is due to open in late-2025 in time for the busy summer season and will offer expansive restaurant, bar and lounge facilities, no doubt with stellar sea views. A fitness centre and shop showcasing local creative arts is also planned.

Though most travellers will use the hotel as a base for the Silversea adventures to Antarctica, there’s plenty to draw travellers to the region. Puerto Williams is the only town on Navarino Island, and during the southern summer, you’ll have 23 hours of daylight to get out and explore.

Start with some history: the indigenous Yaghàn people called Navarino home for more than 6000 years, before Europeans ‘discovered’ the Beagle Channel and used it as a safer alternative to sailing around Cape Horn. At the well-kept little Museo Territorial Yagan Usi you can delve into the ethnographic collections that tap into the cultural history of the region.

“I don't want people to come all the way down here and not experience what this place is,” Silversea president Bert Hernandez told Travel+Leisure. “Puerto Williams has so much natural beauty — and also some Indigenous culture that is quite interesting — so we are really going to try to leverage that, make sure people are aware of it and understand it.”

Puerto Williams was established as a town in 1953, and in 2019 the Chilean government upgraded its status to a city, edging out Ushuaia — just 15km to the north — to the title of the southernmost city in the world. They are separated by the Beagle Channel and sailing excursions ranging from a few hours to a few days are the best way to see the area.

Back on dry land Navarino Island is also a paradise for outdoor adventurers, with hiking trails exploring the Cerro Bandera — Flag Mountain — and road trips to explore the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve. Birders should keep a keen eye out for everything from Flying Steamer ducks to Chilean Skuas.

All that adventure made you hungry? The new Silversea hotel will also offer a restaurant — as yet unnamed — but you can expect an upmarket take on traditional dishes alongside global standards. Until then, Worus is one of the most enjoyable places in town, with a casual menu of plates that tap into the region’s rich seafood. Try the palta sandwich with shrimp, or the traditional chupe de centolla; a creamy crab-rich Patagonian take on a chowder.

Silversea’s new hotel is a bold new venture in the deepest reaches of Patagonia, but when it welcomes its first guests it still won’t be the world’s most extreme. That honour goes to the Radisson Blu Polar Hotel on Svalbard, recognised as the world's northernmost hotel, lying just 1,333km from the North Pole. Time to add another destination to your list.