Let me compare what I can get for lunch in Buenos Aires...
LA PECÓRA NERA
A restaurant in Recoleta.
Menu Mediodía- weekdays
Starter, main, dessert + glass of wine.
AR$ 475.
SOTTOVOCE
A restaurant by the river in Puerto Madero.
Menu Mediodía- daily, cash only.
Aperitif, starter, main, dessert + bottle of wine + liqueur.
AR$ 630.
...with what I can get for an equivalent price elsewhere.
MoVida
A pintxos bar on Hosier Lane in Melbourne.
Chorizo- grilled sausage with green mojo, chickpeas, & chilli peppers.
AUD 18.
Or a selection of 2 cheeses with soda bread and quince paste.
AUD 24.
Makes one think, doesn’t it?
An added bonus to an always wonderful meal at Puerto Madero’s Sottovoce is the invigorating walk to it along the riverside and back again to the Hilton.
A fiery sunset over Casa Rosada rounds off our South America season.
Labels: Argentina, Chile
It’s cold and wet and Stuart’s going on the hotel’s scheduled 3 o’clock walk. I’m opting to stay cocooned indoors, happily waving him off to do battle with the elements.
It rains all day and throughout the night, blotting out the scenery.
But in the morning, the sun shines brightly to reveal an unseasonal wintry scene on Cerro Lopez and Cerro Catedral in the majestic Andes mountains.
We’re told that snow is not expected to make an appearance here until June or July. Yet, here it is! Winter has descended on Patagonia in the middle of summer.
It’s a glorious day though and we’re sorry to leave. But we have a flight to catch and leave we must.
We start off early, enjoying a leisurely drive through the forests, lakes, and foothills of Rio Negro.
This is Llao Llao Hotel nestled in woodland, sandwiched between Lake Nahuel and Lake Moreno.
Stuart spots a fox at the edge of the road.
It moves quickly to a tree and sits there for a few minutes staring at me staring at it. Finally losing interest in me and my camera, it turns away and darts into the forest.
We’re about halfway to the airport when it starts to rain. Hailstones briefly appear.
It’s fair to say we timed our exit well.
Labels: Llao Llao
We left San Martin at 11 in the morning and drove straight to Llao Llao, not bothering to stop for lunch, eager to get to our much anticipated grand finale hotel in Patagonia. We got there after 4.
Checking in was a circus. Reception made a big show of showing us, on a map, the hotel facilities, the way to the beach, the various lifts, the bridge to the other buildings, the other buildings, etc.
It’s a very busy place; it felt more like a theme park than a hotel. It’s a historic place, we were told.
Happily, we were also told that we’ve been upgraded to a suite with lake views. That’s nice.
Well, it’s a poky attic room. With two tiny windows through which we can peer out on the lake. Okay, it’s a quaint little room in a historic building. Fine.
We’re tired and hungry so, resignedly, we set our bags down and go in search of somewhere nice to have a snack.
They’re setting up for high tea on the terrace. Yes, we’ll have tea and look at the nice view and try to ignore the crowds wandering about.
However, we’re told that they’re fully booked for high tea. We may need to book two, three days in advance. But yes, we can have à la carte tea inside, in the lobby lounge. Not so nice.
At this point, Stuart sends for the duty manager.
Meanwhile, we head for what looks like a bar at the far end of the corridor. Should be simple enough to get a seat there.
Do we have reservations? No. The waitress then leads us to a table but before we can take our seats, she’s told that table has just become unavailable.
I’m getting angrier and angrier. And hungrier. I start to feel not well. A little lightheaded and getting ready for a meltdown.
We decide we really don’t want to stay in this hotel. We’re leaving and moving to another hotel after our sandwiches and coffee.
The duty manager comes. Would we like to see the new room she has found for us?
Right. It’s a major suite. With a balcony. We decide to stay.
_____
Later, I ask Stuart why this seems to be happening to us a lot lately. Why do we always get terribly disappointed, decide to cancel and leave, only to then be given an overly generous upgrade we’d find hard to refuse?
Not that I’m complaining. I’m just wondering...
When did the hotel market become a souk where one is expected to haggle, walk away, and be called back for a better deal?
_____
At breakfast the next day, the sky has cleared. And so has my head.
On Moreno Lake. It’s another world. Away from the crowds.
We’re at lunch in the bar of the Moreno Wing. This is more like it. Lovely and quiet. I like it here.
Labels: Argentina, Patagonia
National Route 40 goes through Argentina along the Andes, south to north. On our way to San Martin de los Andes, rounding the Seven Lakes, vast stretches of tiny field flowers line our way.
Delicate lavender clings to roadsides and climbs up rocks and cliffs. The sturdier lupins colonize huge tracts of scrubby untended ground, covering them with bright cones in various shades of blue, pink, and purple. There are little white daisies and small yellow buttercups. There are lovely wild flowers whose names I wish I knew strewn across fields and hills.
We stop for lunch at a roadside grill.
We share a huge delicious juicy charcoal-grilled Argentine hamburger. Stuart bites in saying, If you can’t get good beef in this country, the world would be in a really bad way.
They’re playing soothing soft Andean music and there are beautiful horses next door.
It’s a leisurely drive through picturesque country featuring countless photogenic lookouts over brilliant blue lakes.
We arrive early afternoon at Loi Suites Chapelco, a golf club nestled at the foot of the Andes.
There’s a promise of big dark sky, the Milky Way, and a Quadrantids meteor shower tonight.
Mornings on Lake Nahuel Huapi. Waking up to this view outside our window:
We’re at Marinas Alto Manzano in Villa la Angostura. Across the road from it is a lovely restaurant, a dreamy spot for dinner by the lake. There’s jazz music and a wonderful organic Malbec.
Easily the best meal so far on this holiday: zucchini carpaccio with wrinkly black olives and tiny figs; braised beef cheeks with a velvety mash; grilled trout with the loveliest freshest baby vegetables and no sign of a potato anywhere near the fish.
A postscript:
I think it bears mentioning, if only for the sake of the wonderful staff, especially the excellent chef, that things fell apart towards the end of the evening when a big group turned up and sort of took over the place. Friends, according to our waiter; but more like owners we think. The kind that don’t much care about guests.
Labels: dark sky, Patagonia
New Year’s Eve at Palacio Duhau.
Now, that’s a tassel!And this is a room!
We watched the band rehearsing outside our window.
Later, as the palace grounds got all dressed up for the party, we got ourselves ready too.
The hotel’s party hostess, Fanny, whipped up a party hat for me, instructing Stuart to make a wish and kiss me before putting it on my head.
I think Stuart wore it better though!
The countdown :
And just like that, it was 2019! 😍
Labels: Buenos Aires, Palacio Duhau
