Estancia La Oriental — Hotel in Buenos Aires

We spent six glorious days here at Estancia La Oriental during December. We had originally booked for four nights, but loved the estancia and the area so much that we decided to forego time in the city for two more days here. La Oriental is a 2,500 acre traditional estancia near Junin. The family of the current owners took ownership in the 1940's and it has been in the Torello family ever since. The estancia contains furniture, paintings, books and original fittings from that period. We had a large suite overlooking the long entrance drive fronted by two enormous palm trees. Historical photographs in the bedroom and along the hall show our suite as being the same as the original photos. The bathroom too is quite extraordinary with its original plumbing for bath and shower. There was always plenty of hot water but don't come here if you want an American style power shower and a modern bathroom. This is more special.||La Oriental is the most relaxing place we have ever stayed. There is patchy mobile phone coverage and internet only available on the veranda of the owners adjoining house (which the owners happily share). You may initially feel that this is a disadvantage but after a day here, it is easy to slip into the relaxing rhythm of the house and appreciate all that the estancia and the surrounding area offer, without the call of the modern world. The owner, Estela has made a conscious decision to preserve the estancia as it was and for us it was the perfect choice. ||The bird life there is extraordinary, the air filled with a cacophony of song. The landscape and other wildlife on the estate and lagoon make this a very special location.||Whilst all the above is good, the most important aspect contributing to the stay here is the staff. Never have we felt so welcomed or cared for in our travels. Estela is a gracious and helpful hostess. She explained the history of La Oriental to us and was always at hand should we need anything specific. The day to day running of the house was left to Marta who is the kindest most helpful guide we could have wished for. Nothing was too much trouble and Marta always seemed to appear at the right time with offers of home made lemonade or even a cervesa! Another Marta is stationed in the kitchen producing food of a very good standard. Her homemade jams and breakfast pastries deserve a mention. The highlight was of course the beef and we have many happy memories of dining outside with the other guests on long beautifully laid out tables. One day we had an asado prepared by Marta's husband, Oscar and by Miguel who looks after the horses. It was amazing and all the animal is eaten. ||Finally, the highlight for us was to ride the beautiful horses everyday and also to meet Miguel. We rode out into the pampas and over to the lagoon, inspected the beef cattle and saw some amazing sights. Miguel kept up a running commentary on crops, wildlife, the history of Argentina and also provided us with a daily recipe! Like Marta, he is wonderful human being and his care and attention for us contributed to a wonderful experience. I must also mention Marta's daughter who helped out at times and is another asset to La Oriental. Oscar too tacked up his pony and trap for me and took me on a whirlwind tour of the gardens. Rafael, the Don was also charming and a lot of fun. We...

My husband and I visited Estancia La Oriental in February and I'm not sure words can convey how much we loved it. We only stayed one night, but it was defintiely one of the highlights of our entire 4 month trip in South America. ||||We travelled to the Estancia by bus from BA to Junin (4 hours) and then jumped in a taxi to La oriental. The journey was very straightforward and we were at the Estancia by lunchtime. We later learned that Rafael, the very kind owner of the Estancia, had kindly but unexpectedly driven to the bus station in Junin to collect us, to ensure we got t the Estancia ok, but unfortunately we managed to miss him. This was the first example, however, of the wonderful hospitality we were to be shown over the next 2 days. ||||When we arrived at La Oriental we were immediately wowed by the beauty of the place. A long tree lined driveway led us to the white facade of the French Renaissance style building, which is surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, and were greeted by Marta, the lovely housekeeper who led us to our room. The owners have made a conscious decision to preserve the Estancia as it was when it was built in the late 1800's (so please don't expect all mod-cons but embrace the authenticity of the place) and the property contains furniture, paintings, books and original fittings from that period. Our room was a gorgeous mini suite which had one of the biggest beds we'd ever seen and was full of all original features. The bathroom too was quite extraordinary with its original fittings and plumbing. Our room was just off the main living area, which had equally been beautifully preserved and was peppered with original furniture, art and antiques, including huge tapestries, a 150 year old billiard table and an antique piano. We found the place truly impressive and loved the antique/rustic charm. ||||After we settled in we were called for lunch, an incredible traditional Asado (BBQ) of some of the juiciest cuts of beef we've ever had, where we were joined by Rafael who gave us the history of the Estancia which was absolutely fascinating. This was followed by horse-riding around the ranch, which was great fun. ||||In the evening, Marta laid-on a simple but wonderful candlelit dinner for us in the grounds under the stars. The property was so peaceful and, with the wonderful Marta attending to our every need and waiting on us hand and foot, it all felt very exclusive and we felt very spoilt. We really felt like we were getting the 5* treatment (although their prices are nowhere near 5* prices - the value for money in fact is incredible!). ||||The next day we decided we would like to spend the day around the pool and asked for a late check-out. Despite Marta having made plans to be away from the Estancia that day, she generously offered to rearrange them and her and Rafael moved things around to accomodate us. Overall, for the entirety of our stay the hospitality of our hosts was second to none. We cannot recommend this place highly enough and hope to return ourselves in the...

We stayed here for 5 days as part of a long-planned holiday to celebrate my 50th birthday and our 20th Wedding Anniversary. La Oriental is a beautiful old house that really does give you a taste of grandeur. Our room and bathroom were spacious and furnished with the original antiques. The food was delicious and plentiful – thank you Marta for looking after us so well. We loved our leisurely breakfasts outside under the veranda. Our days were spent happily walking around the estancia, hearing the wind rustle in the mulberry trees and watching the birds; however, the real highlight was our daily ride. Miguel (coping patiently with our lack of Spanish!) took us out each day on the beautiful horses, riding across flooded fields and around the estancia land to inspect the cattle. My husband was a novice rider but felt very safe. Our favourite ride was out to El Carpincho Lake where we took a canoe out for a short paddle. At night time fireflies darted about in the garden and when the sky was clear the stars were amazing! Sadly, it was very rainy for our stay and not warm enough to use the pool which I am sure would have been delightful. Thank you Estela for being so helpful with all my pre-booking questions and in making the travel arrangements to take the overnight bus on to Mendoza. And thank you very much to everyone for making our holiday so very special! We will...