“Even the butter…” –  This is how journalist Beck Bamberger opened her piece for Forbes, the leading US title, about her stay at Awasi Iguazu.

The Iguazú falls just 10 minutes away from Awasi’s property. MIGUEL CESAR

“Even the butter at Awasi’s Iguazu’s 14 villa resort was a delightful treasure,” writes Bamberger, “an enticing surprise that changed with every meal, every day it was served.”

“Detail down to the salt crystals sourced for each butter recipe is just the kind of extraordinary attention to detail that sets resorts like Awasi apart from so many other luxury properties across the globe.”

The warm lobby/living room at Awasi’s Iguazú property. MIGUEL CESAR

The Forbes journalist stayed at our Relais & Chateaux lodge, Awasi Iguazu, in Northern Argentina, experiencing first-hand what she described as “treasures, culinary lineup, and exceptional care of the environment, Awasi is must book for luxury travelers headed to South America.”

Matias de Cristobal, Director General of Awasi

“The visionary of Awasi” says the article, “is Argentinian Matías de Cristóbal, a former banker turned artisan curator who was approached by developers years ago because of his rich attention to detail in the artisan crafts he sourced from nearby villages.”

The place markers at Awasi Iguazu are wooden carvings of local fauna

“Those same artisan crafts decorate the interiors of Awasi properties,” continues Bamberger, “from woven baskets to elongated, elegant clay vases. Small little “treasures,” from carved alligators to smiling straw dolls made by local Guarani communities, appear every night in guests’ suites.”

“As Cristóbal explains, surprise and delight bring us back to childhood. This is the essence of Awasi, to bring about joy and wonder with every new found treasure.”

One of the lesser-known treasures of Iguazu: San Ignacio Mini – Jesuit Missionary Ruins

“Treasure is indeed abundant at Awasi,” says the article. “It’s plump scones already placed in your room for tea time every afternoon. It’s the robe folded on the edge of the tub filled with fresh, exotic bath salts. It’s the gorgeous wild toucan spotted high above the trees, a wonder itself as to how anything that small can fly with a beak the size of its entire body.”

Toco-toucan found around the Iguazu Falls

Privacy has always been at the heart of Awasi with each room being given its own 4WD vehicle and private guide. This was counted among the “treasures” mentioned in the Forbes article:

“It’s your guide at the front of the lobby with the car door swept suddenly open, greeting you like a friend who just arrived for the first time to the country. It’s the gracious server remembering you like sparkling water with some limes and a little ice but not too much. It’s the butter.”

Awasi Iguazu private guide, Carlos

Bamberger closes the article by mentioning how she “found a large guest book propped open in the lobby one evening after a day hiking around the falls. Dozens of pages are filled by guests with notes of appreciation, mini love letters, and even stunning drawings depicting the magic of Awasi. Guests from around the globe universally love the treasure Awasi holds. Beyond the butter, I now love it, too.”

Awasi Iguazu, a 14 villa lodge built on stilts for minimal impact on the surrounding forest.

Beck Bamberger has visited over 70 countries and stayed in countless properties. She makes a nod to the challenge of creating a lodge that does justice to places of exceptional natural beauty, such as Iguazu, Atacama and Patagonia where the three Awasi lodges are located.

“Awasi and the rare other resorts in its caliber are proof that accommodations can come close to matching some of the most magical places on Earth.”

Decking overlooking the River Iguazu at Awasi Iguazu

Decking overlooking the River Iguazu at Awasi Iguazu