ibis Mendoza

You can enter the property by car through a secured gate. The hotel is outside Mendoza, but the restaurants and activities in the city are only a 5-10 minute drive away. A good hotel for the price.

The location worked well for vineyard tours, adventure outings, and getting by taxi either into the city or out to the countryside. Breakfast was standard, with medialunas, toast, eggs, cheese, ham, yogurt, juice, and coffee. The room was surprisingly quiet, but it was small, with odd creaky laminate flooring instead of the tile you usually see in Argentina. There was no mini fridge, and the thermostat didn’t change the temperature or fan speed. The mattress was decent, though there was only a duvet and no top sheet. It was too warm with the air-conditioning barely working, and after seeing the state of the towels and bathroom, we wondered if the duvet was washed regularly. There was no safe either. I’ve visited Mendoza many times, and this was the first time I felt I really needed one. The bathroom was filthy, with mold and other suspicious grime on the shower walls. The ceiling-mounted shower head in the small stall barely dribbled, and getting the water temperature right took fiddling to avoid freezing or scalding. The staff always seemed annoyed. We saw them tell another couple that the price of their confirmed reservation was different. This seems to be a recurring problem, so be aware. They apparently know about it, and should help fix it instead of arguing customers into the ground. We stood our ground and got them to correct it. Our check-in price was higher than what we’d booked through Despegar, and they initially tried to give us a different room type, even though the room we reserved suddenly became available. They also wouldn’t remove the VAT, although every other hotel we’ve stayed at has honored that. The elevator still wasn’t working. If you stay more than one night, check that your key card works before going upstairs when you return from an outing. They seemed to deactivate the cards every day or so. It happened to us, and we saw it happen to other guests at the front desk. We’ve stayed in three-star hotels in Mendoza regularly, more times than I can count, and all had been great until we made the mistake of choosing the Ibis. We were under pressure because we hadn’t booked far ahead of a holiday, and we hadn’t read the reviews. Read them. There’s a clear pattern.

The room was okay, but there was no working air-conditioning, refrigerator, door lock, or safe. The location was awful too. There’s a soccer field right next to the hotel, and from a room on that side, forget getting a good night’s sleep. It’s nearly 1 AM and people are still yelling outside.

The room was spotless, and the staff really stood out. Everyone was friendly and helpful, and they seemed to enjoy working there. My only complaint is that there weren’t any washcloths.