Hotel Lago del Desierto

On a clear day the view is spectacular. Shared space is updated, clean, and cozy. They have a wood burning traditional fireplace that makes the space welcoming. Staff are friendly and helpful. Rooms are clean but a little small.

Hotel needs maintenance. There were exposed nails in dangerous places in our room. Intermittent hot water flow and we couldn't have a hot shower one morning. Bathroom is ridiculously small.

Lovely breakfast, attentive staff, view of Fitz Roy from the window

We do not recommend this place. It has a lot of pros: The place is cute and extremely clean. The common rooms are really nice. The breakfast is good. The staff in the morning shift is extremely nice. Some minor nuisances to keep in mind is that the WiFi was very weak (but the staff gave us another option after we asked), and that there are curfew times after and before which you cannot exit the hotel unless you previously inform staff. But the worst part is that we had a very difficult experience with the heating system, the evening staff and the owner. On our first night the heating failed. What I mean with that is that while it could turn on, after a bit it would just turn off on its own. It is cold and windy in Patagonia and after having long hikes, you truly need warmth. I woke up in the middle of the night and got really cold. I fell sick and had to miss my hike the following day, which is sad since we had little time in el chalten. This happened again the second evening. Knowing this might be a problem, we called the staff to help. The heating turned on and off at least 4 times. What was even more frustrating is how the staff and the owner treated us. No appropriate solutions were given to us. No change of room, no electric heating to plug in, etc…we got one blanket more only because we asked. So we slept with sweaters, hats and scarves on. The evening staff said that “this had never happened” which we later discovered was a lie as we reread all reviews. The owner

Staff was friendly and the place is cute. The beds were comfy. It’s more like a bed and breakfast. We planned an early start for a day hike and needed to pack some lunch for the trails. There was no fridge in the room and they didn’t offer any place for guest storage. Luckily we rented a car and it was cold overnight, so we kept our lunch in the car outside.