Bariloche — DAVID YARBOROUGH

Argentine Patagonia around the town of San Carlos de Bariloche is breathtakingly beautiful. More so even than the Chilean side of the Andes where we stayed last year, IMO. The horizon of craggy, snow-covered peaks framing the seven lakes of the region provides a stunning setting that reminded us of Switzerland.

Last year I wrote a piece about a dining experience in St. Simon's, Georgia, that I had found nearly perfect. We eat at local restaurants there while spending a few luxurious nights each winter at the Lodge at Sea Island, perhaps my personal favorite of the many hotels we are lucky enough to enjoy. On our recent visit to Argentina we had a similar hotel experience I am eager to share. Like our dinner in Georgia, our stay was close to perfection and has bumped the Lodge back a position in my hotel standings.

This was at the Charming Luxury Lodge in the Patagonian town of Bariloche. We arrived after a long day of flying to find a complex of timber buildings clinging to the side of a cliff, with brilliantly colored roses and azaleas everywhere. We were welcomed warmly by the charming Alexandra--you will detect a theme here. She strolled with us a few steps to introduce us to lodgings. The entry opened into a compact kitchenette with a fridge, a microwave, a range, and a coffee maker. The room itself was large room with a dramatic views of Lake Nahuel Huapi and the many Andean peaks surrounding it. A private balcony with chairs provided an alfresco opportunity to soak in the view and peer at the long stretch of pebbled beach below, to which the hotel provides direct, private access. The bed was huge and hugely comfortable. There was a table and two nice upholstered chairs and plenty of storage. Opposite the bed was a fireplace. Even during the summer when we were there the nights got chilly.

The bathroom was a suite unto itself that included a separate toilet, a sauna, a steam shower with an aromatherapy feature, and a large jacuzzi tub with a view of the lake. The linens and toiletries were just what you would expect of a five-star hotel.

As impressed as we were by the accommodations and the view, it was the staff that really made us love this special place. They were all personable and eager to help. Most were multi-lingual. One small touch added at the Charming Luxury Lodge is that they place the flag of each guest’s home land outside of their cottage. During our stay we saw the flags not just of Argentina and the US, but of Brazil, Ireland, Canada, the UK, Germany and Iran. Every one of the staff members we interacted with seemed to genuinely love the place and their jobs there.

**Charming Luxury Lodge from Playa Bonita**

The restaurant at the Charming Luxury Lodge, The Stag, turned out to be not just the place we started each day with a bountiful breakfast, but our favorite spot in the area for dinner. We ate there twice, and each time everything we ordered was perfect. They also offered excellent wines at very reasonable prices.

The Charming Luxury Lodge has won many awards but remains a work in progress. Its visionary owner Alberto Holgado has plans for doubling the number of rooms and adding much-needed meeting spaces. There is plenty of land available at the site to do this without sacrificing its present intimacy. If you are lucky while there you may meet Alberto and see him feeding fresh fish to the beautiful northern crested caracara falcons that light in the trees surrounding the property.

Friends had shared high praise and strong recommendations for the famous Llao Llao Resortfor our visit to Bariloche. It had been on my bucket list for years. But in doing my research, I was struck by the level of enthusiasm I read in reviews for the Charming Luxury Lodge. My decision to book us there was based in large part on location—it is in Bariloche itself, though away from its busy center, while Llao Llao enjoys an isolated setting on a peninsula about thirty minutes further from the town. We would have a rental car, but we intended to sample the many excellent restaurants in the area, and I didn't relish the idea of a long drive back to our hotel following a late dinner.

Another factor for me was scale. The Llao Llao has more than 200 rooms, the Charming a tenth as many. It is boutique inn while the Llao Llao is a full-fledged resort, complete with a golf course and a stream of buses filled with tourists eager to snap their photos of the famed spot.

We visited the Llao Llao, walked around the grounds and enjoyed a very pleasant lunch. It is easy to see why it has deserved its reputation as a queen among hotels. The rates were nearly the same, but for us the Charming Luxury Lodge was a much better choice. It was nearly perfect!

The ski-country town of Bariloche exudes its own charms. Its Swiss-German origins are evident in the wood-beam and stone construction of the town hall and adjacent buildings. There are chocolate shops everywhere. There is even a Swiss village a few miles outside of town, but we found it an overly touristy collection of craft shops not worth the bumpy ride to get there. Much more worthwhile is Cerro Campanario, only a short and smooth drive west of town. Our suggestion to hike up the mountain—it is steep, but only takes 30-40 minutes. For your efforts, you will enjoy dramatic 360 degree views and a welcome coffee and snack at the summit restaurant. Taking the chair lift down, instead of up, yields a gorgeous view of the lakes and the Andes. Of course, if you’re feeling lazy, you can take the chairlift both ways.

Some helpful tips for planning your visit:

It’s easy to use Uber (and its competitors) in BA. The service is good, and the rates are very low. As in some other countries, there is a lot of hostility toward Uber drivers from taxi drivers. It’s a good idea to have one person sit in the front passenger seat; otherwise taxi drivers will sometimes make trouble for drivers of unmarked cars with all passengers in the back.

If it’s convenient to where you are and where you want to go, don’t hesitate to use the BA subway. We found it easy to navigate, clean, fast, safe and inexpensive.

The tipping custom here is a bit unusual. Most diners charge their meals on credit cards but leave a cash tip. Apparently, servers take a big tax hit if they must collect their gratuities from their employers. Some will explain that it is prohibited to add the tip to the credit card ticket. I’m not sure whether that’s true, but when you get your charge ticket to sign, there is no provision for adding one. The typical tip here is 10%.

The tipping custom in Uruguay is similar, but with a beneficial twist. All visitors should always use a credit card for restaurant charges there, since they will receive a refund of the tax included in the bill. The amount is 9% and it will be either reflected in a reduced debit to your account or a separate credit depending on which card is used.

My advice on getting there is to book your flights from and to the US that depart in the early morning and arrive in the evening. Most flights are overnight. Unless you are better at sleeping on planes than I am or can afford a bed in business class, you will not require a groggy day or so to adjust since there only an hour or two of time zone difference.