Estancia/Lodge Outside Mendoza Near Mountains
Sep 7th, 2006, 10:55 AM
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Estancia/Lodge Outside Mendoza Near Mountains
Has anyone stayed at an estancia or mountain lodge near the Andes Mountains outside Mendoza or San Juan (Aconcagua, etc)? We will be flying into Mendoza and are thinking something near the mountains with either trekking or horseback riding to see part of the mountains would be great. Not really looking for a hostel, but a private room/bath.
Sep 8th, 2006, 07:16 AM
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Greetings kacollier:
Last winter [Jan 15 to Mar 15] we toured from Punta Arenas, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As part of that trip, we visited Mendoza and San Juan in Argentina.
The earlier stop was in Mendoza. This is a pleasant wine town with lots of good restaurants and places to see. Very busy in the wine harvest season. We were not there during that season.
We had a very poor experience with the local tour company. Baco tours fouled up our accommodations and for four nights we were in four different places, all very much substandard to what we had booked and paid for. We were supposed to be staying in La Escondida Bed & Breakfast. On arrival to town we were told that La Escondida had cancelled on us. After I got home, I e-mailed to them for an explanation. They never answered.
Our Baco Tour guide, Ricardo, was ill experienced and arrogant.
We had a day trip to the "Hight Mountains" run by Huentata. That was wonderful and I highly recommend Huentata and that day tour to anyone. I suggest you find them via google and see a description for yourself.
Between our poor Mendoza stays, we spent about 4 days in the mountains at a wonderful accommodation which is a vineyard/hotel. Postlas del Plata, Valle de Uco Lodge, phone 00 54 2622 490024. www.postalesdelplata.com They have two places, both not too far from Mendoza but no so close that you can go there daily. It would be well wroth while to see them on the web and make your own enquiries about your desired mountain walks from their accommodation.
I can not recommend them any higher. Our accommodation was superb, the service was very friendly and the staff could not do enough for us. They are well worth searching out. A note: We are seniors and the latin culture seems to hold a good measure of respect for older folks. However, I am sure that you would also be well treated. That appeared to be their attitude.
From Mendoza, we went to San Juan. There, the local tour company, Money Tur were excellent. find them at www.moneytur.com.ar phone (54-264) 4201010.
We spent about a week with a pesonal guide, Marcelo. He was very helpful, considerate and concerned for our well being. He would buy water and have ice to be sure that we were looked after in that regard. I like to take a lot of photos and he would stop any time for me to take pictures. He insisted on carrying our luggage every night into/out of our accommodation. We toured a circuit around the province. Some was a bit primative but all very interesting. Check their web site and ask questions.
Marcelo is very knowledgeable in this district and could answer most of our questions. He pointed out many sights that were not listed in the tour guide literature.
Marcelo spoke very good English although he would check once in a while in Spanish with my wife, who is fluent in Spanish. I belive that he is the only one in his office that speaks English.
All in all, Marcelo and the San Juan tour was among the best of our winter vacation days.
For the night of our arrival and that of our departure from San Juan, we were booked into the Vinas del Sol Hotel. This has a 3 star rating but I think it should be 4 if not 4 1/2 star rating. Also very reasonable.
Dinner is served late in Argentina and I only wanted something very light when we were leaving. The hotel dining room was not open for service but we were told that we could order a sandwich [all I wanted] in advance and it would be waiting for me in the dining room fridge. The popular [and just about only] sandwich you can get is jamo y keso [ham and cheese]. By this time I had had enough jamon y keso and wanted a sliced hard boiled egg with anchovie. When I requested this, I think the waiter thought I was off my rocker but there it was. I was very happy for the change and to eat more along the hour I am used to. The point being that the loco tourist request was cheerfully fulfilled by this hotel. Can life get better than egg and anchivie?
All of our Chile/Argentina trip was arranged by Argentina Escapes in Buenos Aires. Mercedes looked after us. Other than our discomfort with la Escondida, I was very satisfied with Aregentina Escapes and would certainly use Mercedes there again. I doubt that Argentina Escapes will be using Baco Tours, but ask about them and La Escondida to avoide disappointment.
Of course, my experience is a single event and from a very personal and slanted point of view so use your own judgement and do some research.
Have a great trip, we did.
Woodie
Last winter [Jan 15 to Mar 15] we toured from Punta Arenas, Chile to Buenos Aires, Argentina.
As part of that trip, we visited Mendoza and San Juan in Argentina.
The earlier stop was in Mendoza. This is a pleasant wine town with lots of good restaurants and places to see. Very busy in the wine harvest season. We were not there during that season.
We had a very poor experience with the local tour company. Baco tours fouled up our accommodations and for four nights we were in four different places, all very much substandard to what we had booked and paid for. We were supposed to be staying in La Escondida Bed & Breakfast. On arrival to town we were told that La Escondida had cancelled on us. After I got home, I e-mailed to them for an explanation. They never answered.
Our Baco Tour guide, Ricardo, was ill experienced and arrogant.
We had a day trip to the "Hight Mountains" run by Huentata. That was wonderful and I highly recommend Huentata and that day tour to anyone. I suggest you find them via google and see a description for yourself.
Between our poor Mendoza stays, we spent about 4 days in the mountains at a wonderful accommodation which is a vineyard/hotel. Postlas del Plata, Valle de Uco Lodge, phone 00 54 2622 490024. www.postalesdelplata.com They have two places, both not too far from Mendoza but no so close that you can go there daily. It would be well wroth while to see them on the web and make your own enquiries about your desired mountain walks from their accommodation.
I can not recommend them any higher. Our accommodation was superb, the service was very friendly and the staff could not do enough for us. They are well worth searching out. A note: We are seniors and the latin culture seems to hold a good measure of respect for older folks. However, I am sure that you would also be well treated. That appeared to be their attitude.
From Mendoza, we went to San Juan. There, the local tour company, Money Tur were excellent. find them at www.moneytur.com.ar phone (54-264) 4201010.
We spent about a week with a pesonal guide, Marcelo. He was very helpful, considerate and concerned for our well being. He would buy water and have ice to be sure that we were looked after in that regard. I like to take a lot of photos and he would stop any time for me to take pictures. He insisted on carrying our luggage every night into/out of our accommodation. We toured a circuit around the province. Some was a bit primative but all very interesting. Check their web site and ask questions.
Marcelo is very knowledgeable in this district and could answer most of our questions. He pointed out many sights that were not listed in the tour guide literature.
Marcelo spoke very good English although he would check once in a while in Spanish with my wife, who is fluent in Spanish. I belive that he is the only one in his office that speaks English.
All in all, Marcelo and the San Juan tour was among the best of our winter vacation days.
For the night of our arrival and that of our departure from San Juan, we were booked into the Vinas del Sol Hotel. This has a 3 star rating but I think it should be 4 if not 4 1/2 star rating. Also very reasonable.
Dinner is served late in Argentina and I only wanted something very light when we were leaving. The hotel dining room was not open for service but we were told that we could order a sandwich [all I wanted] in advance and it would be waiting for me in the dining room fridge. The popular [and just about only] sandwich you can get is jamo y keso [ham and cheese]. By this time I had had enough jamon y keso and wanted a sliced hard boiled egg with anchovie. When I requested this, I think the waiter thought I was off my rocker but there it was. I was very happy for the change and to eat more along the hour I am used to. The point being that the loco tourist request was cheerfully fulfilled by this hotel. Can life get better than egg and anchivie?
All of our Chile/Argentina trip was arranged by Argentina Escapes in Buenos Aires. Mercedes looked after us. Other than our discomfort with la Escondida, I was very satisfied with Aregentina Escapes and would certainly use Mercedes there again. I doubt that Argentina Escapes will be using Baco Tours, but ask about them and La Escondida to avoide disappointment.
Of course, my experience is a single event and from a very personal and slanted point of view so use your own judgement and do some research.
Have a great trip, we did.
Woodie
Sep 9th, 2006, 10:31 AM
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Hi Woodie,
Loved your post. We will be in Mendoza next month for five nights. I'll check out the High Mountains day trip. I have been hoping to get tips like yours. When we last went to Europe, the tips we got on the Europe board turned out to be the hilights of our trip.
Sometime, try hard boiled egg, chopped onion and sardine sandwich with mayo. Yum!
Loved your post. We will be in Mendoza next month for five nights. I'll check out the High Mountains day trip. I have been hoping to get tips like yours. When we last went to Europe, the tips we got on the Europe board turned out to be the hilights of our trip.
Sometime, try hard boiled egg, chopped onion and sardine sandwich with mayo. Yum!
Sep 12th, 2006, 05:58 AM
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Hi Woodie,
Your information has been very helpful. Can you better describe the High Mountain tour for me? Is this a bus tour? We were hoping to find an estancia that offered hiking or horse riding trips to view the Andes. Anyone have information on anything like that or is October to early to do this type of trip?
Your information has been very helpful. Can you better describe the High Mountain tour for me? Is this a bus tour? We were hoping to find an estancia that offered hiking or horse riding trips to view the Andes. Anyone have information on anything like that or is October to early to do this type of trip?
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