Hostería Meulen

We spent five days here over New Year’s and loved every minute of it. The place has old-fashioned charm and is run by a lovely family. In the evenings they tend the hotel bar and make a great pisco sour. It’s a short walk down to the lake, one of our favorite golden-hour strolls, with amazing bird watching. The hotel isn’t in the heart of town, so you’ll need to drive to the main street downtown, but that didn’t bother us. We went out on lots of hikes and excursions and always looked forward to coming back to what we nicknamed “the castle.” If there’s availability, book it.

The front desk staff were nice and could help arrange taxis and excursions. The place is nice, though a little away from the town center. Make sure to get up early if you want breakfast, since there isn’t much left around 9 a.m. The room had the basics, but no kettle, microwave, or other way to heat water or food. I didn’t see an elevator, and I’m not sure whether they help with luggage when your room is above the ground floor.

It was very quiet and a good spot for watching sunsets. The hotel has a lovely, almost rural setting, with fabulous views of Lago Argentino and easy access to the promenade for exercise or a walk to the playground with kids. We found the location hard to reach in our rental car, even with GPS, but we’d seen a reviewer’s photo of the distinctive green roof, which helped. The décor is a bit quirky and dated, though some people may find that charming. Breakfast was fine and the coffee was good.

The lake and mountain view was priceless, and even though the place is outside the downtown core, it’s still close enough. Our room was lovely and well prepared, and everything was very clean. We had a wonderful meal at the restaurant in a nice, quiet setting. The owners and team were great. We highly recommend it.