38 Best Hotels in Patagonia, Argentina

This lovely estancia is an hour and a half from El Calafate in a bucolic valley overlooking Lago Roca and backed by snowcapped mountain peaks; where sheep and horses graze, friendly gauchos give horse-racing and sheep-shearing demonstrations, and every evening a communal table is laid for a supper of spit-roasted locally reared lamb. It's possible to visit Nibepo Aike by booking a day trip at the office in downtown El Calafate, but the best way to experience this unique property is a two-night stay in comfortable rooms decorated with original antiques and ranching memorabilia. All-inclusive packages are available, as is breakfast only; options include visiting glaciers and horseback-riding trips where you'll ride along the shores of an emerald glacier lake.

A simple B&B off the main road, Nothofagus is named after the southern beech tree, and the lodge has a rough-hewn, woodsy feel with exposed beams and leaves stamped into the lampshades. Unlike in lodgings closer to the valley wall, the breakfast room offers unobstructed views of the Fitzroy spires on a clear morning. The rooms are comfortable and clean, if a bit bare.

These unique "eco residences" have an ideal location, steps away from the center of the tiny town yet tucked away on the oceanfront. Built just a few years ago, these are upscale, stylish suites with your own kitchenette and mesmerizing views of the sea (on the first and second floor, the ground floor view is blocked by trees). They are also eco-conscious, with a geo-thermal heating/cooling system and water efficient technologies. It's the best deal in town by a long shot. 

Gaiman's oldest teahouse has also been a bed-and-breakfast since 1997, and a stay here is rather like visiting with a favorite aunt: the rooms are simple but immaculate, have polished wooden floors and pastel bedspreads, and there's a comfy lounge area for relaxing in. Outside the redbrick building is Gaiman's oldest rose garden: the bushes arching over the entryway to the teahouse are more than 100 years old.

Surrounded by tall, leafy alamo trees, this enormous complex incorporates a country manor house, half a dozen convention rooms, a spa, and an indoor swimming pool, but for what it has in amenities Los Alamos lacks in service and attention. Prices halve in low season, which only adds to the sense that it's overpriced when you're most likely to visit El Calafate.

Wandering the nature trail alongside the Chubut River, picking fruit from the orchard, and helping at milking time are just some of the joys of staying on this working century-old farm where the family fills you with homemade treats and you'll rest nicely on the comfy beds. Lavender and lemon fill the air in the main house, and its rooms have antique furnishings and chintz upholstery, while the modern annex is more like a comfortable family home.

A traditional A-frame roof keeps the lid on a funky, modern lodge filled with contemporary artwork, exposed brick masonry, and a spacious lounge and dining room complete with a roaring fireplace and a library stacked with an intriguing mix of travel books. This place feels like the funky home of an eccentric relative—bright red doorways lead to quirky rooms that nonetheless have all the comforts you'd expect. Guests rave about the restaurant's seafood (especially the trout) and its extensive wine list.

The soaring ceilings, wooden rafters, and cobbled white walls of this cavernous home double as a teahouse and a B&B. The interior garden leads to a staircase that takes you to four lovely bedrooms with wood floors, heavy drapes, and dressers fashioned from antique sewing-machine tables. It was opened in 1974 by María Elena Sánchez Jones, who still directs the kitchen and runs the lodgings.