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Pudu Lodge, El Chalten

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

Pudu lodge is located in the northern sector of El Chalten village. This is useful for the northern trail heads. The lodge is simple in both appearance and construction. Rooms are reasonably spacious, but decoration of the rooms is at a minimal level, suggesting that this is more to the liking of those seeking a simple place for the night and not any luxury.

About

Pudu, which is the name of a small deer native to Patagonia, was created by a group of mountaineers who love the area and wanted to offer an accommodation base to like-minded people. Therefore, if you are more of a trekker and do not seek the homely luxuries of other hotels then this is the place for you.

The location of the lodge is excellent for the northern-start trails (northern sector of El Chalten, where the lodge is located).

There are 28 bedrooms, all reasonably spacious, with decent bathrooms, but interior decoration is almost minimalist. It offers good accommodation without the “frills”.

The communal dining hall offers guests an opportunity to meet and chat. There is also WiFi for those who wish to connect to the outside world.

Eolo Hotel, Patagonia, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

The design of the hotel is such that it is very spacious, both in the communal areas and in the 17 bedrooms. It is very much a Patagonia experience, built for the modern age.

The location of the hotel is about 30 minutes west from El Calafate on the way to the Los Glacieres National Park – home to the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Its own land encompasses 10,000 acres of Patagonia whereupon there are options to horse ride, mountain bike, walk and bird watch.

If you seek luxury comforts, great food and spectacular Patagonian landscape views then Eolo offers all of that.

Featured Hotel

Why is this a featured hotel? In our view the Eolo Hotel has a uniqueness that other properties do not have. It offers stunning, uninterrupted Patagonia landscape views and all the bedrooms are spacious and decorated to a high level. The hotel, in general, is a high-end boutique hotel set in a dramatic landscape.

Hotel Posada Los Alamos, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile
Approved By Experience Chile

Introduction

The hotel Posada Los Alamos is located in the centre of El Calafate offering quaint rooms and a very good spa.

About

Hotel Posada Los Alamos enjoys a traditional red-brick exterior. The rooms are moderate in size but offer a quaint style regarding interior decoration. Across the road to the main hotel is a particularly good indoor swimming pool and spa.

Hotel Kosten Aike, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

The Hotel Kosten Aike is located in the middle of El Calafate a short walk from the main drag where there are various restaurants and shops. It is a small hotel with a cosy “Alpine” feel about it.

Hotel Kosten Aike is a small, cosy hotel Alpine in style that offers “no fuss” accommodation in rooms with reasonable spacing and en-suite bathrooms. Well position for access to the El Calafate main drag where various restaurants and shops are located.

Design Suites Hotel, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

The Design Suites hotel is a modern style boutique hotel located in a remote sector of El Calafate. Views from one side of the hotel offer a close up look at Lake Argentina.

About

The Design Suites hotel is best described as a modern, “artistic”, boutique hotel. It offers 15 standard rooms, 37 junior suites; and 8 luxury suites, each (luxury suite) with its own balcony. In addition, there is a small indoor swimming pool and restaurant.

The hotel is located on remote land high on the banks of Lake Argentina and this enables the rooms on the lake side a fine view of the lake.

It is not close to the centre of El Calafate, therefore and desires to visit local restaurants will require a taxi ride.

Hotel Alto Calafate, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile
Approved By Experience Chile

Introduction

The Hotel Alto Calafate is located in a remote area in high ground (hence the name “Alto”) on the left side as you enter through the El Calafate official entrance. Due to its location, it enjoys nice views down to Lake Argentina.

The Hotel Alto Calafate is a modern, city-like hotel, in an isolated sector of El Calafate. It is located up on a hill on the left side when entering El Calafate. Because of its altitude it has long-distance views over El Calafate and the Lake Argentina.

The lounge, bar and restaurant area are reminiscent of a good mid-level city hotel.
Its bedrooms offer modest space and are decorated in a warm, comfortable style.

This is a decent hotel and perfectly good for excursions with transfers included, however, it is some distance away from the centre of El Calafate and therefore walking anywhere is not really an option and all transport will require a taxi ride.

Hotel Imago Spa, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

Hotel Imago is a modern boutique-style hotel. Rooms are reasonable spacious and offer a cosy, comfortable ambience. The hotel also offers a first-class spa facility with massages and other relaxing treatments.

Featured Hotel

Why a Featured Hotel? In our view Hotel Imago Spa offers a good level of accommodation in terms of room space as well as well-chosen interior decoration that creates an up-market, boutique sensation. It also has an excellent spa and wellness centre.

About

The name Imago has Greek origins referring to “image”. The philosophy of the hotel owners is to enable guests to achieve their “inner” and “outer” selves during their stay. The idea is that here, as a guest, you will be able to relax your mental and physical being and for this reason alone the recommended, minimum time here is three nights.

During this period you will not only have a great place to return to at the end of each day, but you will be able to destress, de-tox, lose weight or start a new fitness regime, if you so wish.

Hotel Los Ponchos, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile
Approved By Experience Chile

Introduction

Superior 3 Star Boutique Hotel.

Why is this a featured hotel? We view this hotel to offer a special ambience not often found in other hotels. Immediately upon entry into the hotel there is an aroma of a sweet scent and the warm glow of candles. The rooms are incredibly spacious and on two floors. There are kitted out with kitchenettes, which are ideal if you prefer to cook in at night. In our view this hotel is good quality and fits the “boutique” category perfectly.

This is a small, but modern high-end boutique hotel. The entrance is usually scented with candles and immediately upon arrival the guest gets a sense of comfort.

We like this hotel because of the style and ambiance it emanates. Rooms are also spacious and well thought out, even though they are designed as duplex rooms on two floors. If you want to self-cater then each room has its own kitchenette.

Xelena Hotel, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

The Xelena hotel is located in the western end of El Calafate close to Lake Argentina. The spa, which is the best feature of the hotel, is on the ground floor with a split indoor-outdoor pool from where there are views directly to the lake.

Xelena hotel has 70 spacious bedrooms furnished in a modern style. The lake-side rooms enjoy a good view down to Lake Argentina.

One of the surprises at this hotel is the split indoor-outdoor swimming pool on the ground floor from where there is a view to the lake.

Hotel Sierra Nevada, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

Hotel Sierra Nevada is a small 40-room hotel located in the western end of El Calafate. The owner’s focus is creating a natural environment with nice, flowered gardens on the outside and bright, spacious rooms on the inside.

Hotel Sierra Nevada is set 500 mts back and up from Lake Argentina amid flowered gardens. There is Wifi and free bike use for guests as well as a gym and communal lounge and restaurant.

The 40 bedrooms are decorated in a simple, but bright way with use of white-coloured walls. Spacious rooms with metallic-framed chairs.

Short walk to downtown El Calafate and options to bird watch from bedrooms and the garden.

Good views to lake from the upper floors. Simple furnishings, homely.
Good mid-level hotel.

Estancia Cristina, El Calafate

Introduction

The estancia Cristina was founded in 1914 by Joseph Percival Masters and his wife Jessie. It is located in a remote sector of the Los Glaciares National Park at the far end of the Cristina Channel and north-west coast of Lake Argentina. Today the estancia is open to day visitors as well as those who wish to experience real Patagonia and stay over for a few nights.

Apart from the historic significance, the estancia also offers a number of varied excursions and activities into the raw Patagonian territory.

Estancia Cristina comprises a few original buildings that have since been renovated. There is the main dining building, a small chapel, a museum and some spacious cabins for accommodation.

The only way to get here is by boat with a navigation firstly on Lake Argentina and then through the Cristina Channel.

The property occupies an exclusive and privileged location in Argentine Patagonia. Strategically built in a glacial valley that was created by the Upsala Glacier when it was much bigger than it is today, during its advancement from the Andes tens, if not thousands, of years ago.

As a result of the incredible forces of nature, the wilderness surrounding Estancia Cristina is one of the area’s most spectacular natural settings in Patagonia. The scenery from this location comprises picturesque views of snow-capped mountains, still holding numerous glaciers that are gradually moving forward down from their origins in the Southern Patagonian Ice Field, as well as hanging glaciers that are “clinging on” as long as they can, to large lakes and fast-running rivers.

Although there are day trips to Estancia Cristina, should you wish to totally relax and unwind then a few days here in a real colonial Patagonian ranch-style lodge is awaiting.

Hotel El Quijote, El Calafate

Inspected By Experience Chile

Introduction

Hotel El Quijote is a simple, nondescript hotel, offering reasonable accommodation in its newer sector. Its location makes it very handy to visit restaurants in El Calafate.

The Hotel El Quijote is located in the centre of El Calafate, only one block from the main Libertador high street, or main drag. It is a modest hotel with two parts. One sector is the older part, and the other sector is newer part. The older sector offers smaller-sized rooms, whereas the newer sector has rooms with more space. It is a rather simple, “ordinary” hotel, but practical.