Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Hostel Los Penitentes
HOSTEL $
( in Mendoza 0261-425-5511;
www.penitentes.com.ar
; dm AR$165-216)
A cozy converted cab-
in, owned by Mendoza's HI Campo Base, it accommodates 38 people in extremely close
quarters, and has a kitchen, wood-burning stove and three shared bathrooms. It's all good
fun with the right crowd. Lunch and dinners are available for AR$30 to AR$50 each.
Hotel & Hostería Ayelén
HOTEL $$$
( in Mendoza 0261-425-3443; s/d from AR$450/800)
A four-star resort hotel with comfort-
able accommodations in the main hotel and cheaper rooms in the
hostería
(lodging
house) alongside. The hotel is slowly getting fixed up by its new owners, so the decor in
some rooms leaves a bit to be desired. The restaurant is fantastic, though, and consist-
ently gets rave reviews.
Hostería Los Penitentes
HOTEL $$$
( in Mendoza 0261-524-4708;
www.hosteriapenitentes.com
;
d from AR$790)
This modest
hostería
with plain, comfortable rooms has a restaurant and bar and offers full board with
ski passes.
Refugio Aconcagua
HOTEL $$$
( in Mendoza 0261-424-1565;
www.refugioaconcagua.com.ar
; r with half-board per person
AR$490)
There's nothing fancy about the rooms at this place, but they're an OK size and
considering you're in the middle of the resort, with a private bathroom and two meals a
day, they're a good deal. The restaurant here serves up big, hearty set meals (AR$60 to
AR$150) and is open year-round.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Puente del Inca
0261 / ELEV 2270M
One of Argentina's most striking natural wonders, this stone bridge over the Río de las
Cuevas glows a dazzling orange from the sediment deposited by the warm sulfuric wa-
ters. The brick ruins of an old spa, built as part of a resort and later destroyed by flood,
sit beneath the bridge, slowly yielding their form to the sulfuric buildup from the thermal
water that trickles over, around and through it. Due to the unstable nature of the struc-
ture, the area has been closed off and you can't cross the bridge or enter the hot baths any
more, but you can still get some fairly wild photos.
