Introduction

The Hotel Antumalal is a nostalgic, boutique hotel, which is also a family business. The origins date back to 1938 when Guillermo and Catalina Pollack - Rindler, from Prague, emigrated to Chile to escape the War.

The History

It was then, in 1944, with the opening of a tea salon beside Lake Villarrica, when the seeds were sown for the Antumalal Hotel. Catalina Pollak, along with her mother Davita, set about creating delicious cakes and tarts based upon traditional recipes from their homeland that were sold at the tea salon. People came to visit this beautiful spot and enjoy their tea accompanied home-made cakes.

The name Antumalal originates from the Mapuche language and means “sun set”, of which, on a clear day, there is a beautiful one over the lake.

Financing

One day, as fate would have it, the then President of Chile, Gabriel Gonzalez Videla, came to have tea at the salon. Guillermo, not one to shy away from an opportunity, approached the president and asked if it would be possible to receive a loan from the state to build a hotel on this 5 -hectare spot, only 2km from Pucon village.

The president helped Guillermo through the Chilean State office called Corfo, the department that helps finance entrepreneurial projects. This, therefore, was when the Antumalal hotel project was initiated.

Design

The architect, Jorge Elton, in line with the 1940’s style of Bauhaus together with Frank Lloyd Wright, created the plans for the hotel. However, one thing that Guillermo insisted upon was that the building had to be strong, just in case a volcanic eruption resulted in rocks and stones falling down onto the roof. Therefore, in view of this possibility the hotel was built with an extra strong, reenforced roof.

Construction took five years to complete and the hotel, with landscaped gardens, was open for business in 1950.

VIP Guests

At this time, access to Pucon was not particularly easy. The road from Villarrica was rough and unpaved. Pucon was not particularly developed and the people who frequented the area for “down time” were often fishermen. However, over time, more and more people discovered both the charm and beauty of the Pucon location as well as the, at that time, best hotel in the area - the Antumalal. It is not surprising that many celebrities of the day, especially in the 60’s came to stay at the hotel. On the wall, to the right of the entrance lobby, there are wonderful pictures of a past era of high-profile guests such as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, Neil Armstong, James Stewart, Barry Goldwater and Isabel Allende.

In 2010 a modern spa was added to the property, embedded, skilfully into the hill side, comprising of a sauna and a half indoor / outdoor pool with the indoor part enjoying a wide, open, log fireplace.

The hotel is small, offering 12 guest rooms from which there is either a lovely view to the flower-rich gardens and / or to the lake, plus 3 suites, 3 independent chalets and 1 small, independent house. Total capacity is for 55 guests.

Today the property is still managed by a Pollack, Rony Pollack to be precise – Guillermo’s daughter.

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

The most significant claim to fame for this hotel is that back in 1968, when Queen Elizabeth II was touring South America, Her Majesty came and stayed at Antumalal along with her husband Prince Phillip.

They were not alone, accompanied by an entourage of staff and advisors, the Queen also acted as an arbitrator between Chile and Argentina over a border dispute, and a meeting about this issue was held here at Antumalal. To this day there is a wonderful black and white picture on the wall of the entrance lobby of Her Majesty standing beside Prince Phillip on the terrace looking down to the lake. It has been said that the Queen has mentioned to more than one Chilean Ambassador to the UK that she has very fond memories of her stay at Antumalal.

There is one cabin named “the Royal Suite” and this is where the Queen stayed. We are not sure if they have changed the sheets since!