Hosteria Guanaca Lodge — Hotel in El Chaltén

TLDR: bed bugs and zero refund or effort to remedy the situation, do NOT stay here!

booked here for 3 nights as a solo woman traveling in Argentina for my first time. The room was fine enough, minimal & not super clean but I figured it was good enough for what I needed. I have had very bad luck in the past with pests so I inspected the mattress when I first got there and didn’t see any signs of bugs. After lying in the bed resting for a few hours I got up and noticed the tiniest red speck on my pillow and then I saw it move. I crushed it and there was blood all over the napkin and then I flipped it over and found another and the same thing happened. I realized they were bed bug nymphs after doing some research and I began to search for more signs. Eventually I found several adult ones, their exoskeletons, excrement, and several eggs in the night stand directly by the bed. At this point it was almost midnight and their reception closes at 9pm. I didn’t know what to do but I messaged them and heard no response. I decided I couldn’t sleep there so frantically packed up all my things and left. At one point I was standing on the side of a gravel road alone with all my luggage after midnight as I had nowhere to go since I couldn’t reach reception and it was so late when I discovered them and peak busy season with limited availability elsewhere. I found a place down the street thankfully but then got one hour of sleep and couldn’t stop itching in fear that they were on me or that some hitched a ride on my things and came with me. I’m still worried.

The next morning their reception was supposed to be open from 7am-9pm and I walked over to talk to someone and there was a sign saying they’d be gone until 1:45pm. I returned later that evening and spoke with the woman who checked me in and calmly told her what I found and what had happened. I showed her pictures (the same ones I’m posting here) and asked if she knew what bed bugs were to make sure there wasn’t a language barrier. She tried to tell me she was there that morning and I showed her the picture of the sign I took saying she was gone until 1:45 with the time stamp so she lied to me. Then she said she tried to find me because I had the key - but why would that be the case bc I paid for three nights so of course I had the key? No one ever responded to my messages I sent through Expedia and their phone number I tried to call several times just kept ringing and didn’t go to voicemail. They were unreachable and I told her this. She told me she couldn’t refund me or do anything and that I’d need to contact Expedia since that’s who I booked through - I told her I already did and I sat on hold today for 40 minutes while they also tried to contact her and couldn’t. Expedia told me they couldn’t refund me and to take it up with the property directly but the woman said she couldn’t do anything and to contact Expedia. After saying repeatedly that I did and they told me to contact her then she told me that she can’t do anything bc she’s not the owner and I’d need to contact the owner. I said I would if she would provide the contact information and she refused. I told her I would be writing a very bad review with the same photos I showed her because bed bugs should not be taken lightly and she literally shrugged her shoulders at me and said okay.

Do NOT stay here. The place is run down which is one thing but having bed bugs and refusing to do anything about it or refund customers who show photo evidence is absolutely unacceptable. So is refusing to give me the supposed owners contact information. I’ve already filed a formal complaint with Expedia and will be reaching out to my credit card company to see if there’s anything they can do but do NOT stay here unless you want bed bugs and terrible service. There was also clearly dirt on the other pillow case when I walked in, assuming they never cleaned the bedding from the last guest. I just hope this review can prevent someone else from ending up in a similar very stressful situation as me. I wish there was an option...

TLDR: bed bugs and zero refund or effort to remedy the situation, do NOT stay here! ||||booked this place for 3 nights as a solo woman traveling in Argentina for my first time. The room was fine enough, minimal and not super clean but I figured it was good enough for what I needed. I have had very bad luck in the past with pests so I inspected the mattress when I first got there and didn’t see any signs of bugs. After lying in the bed resting for a few hours I got up and noticed the tiniest red speck on my pillow and then I saw it move. I crushed it and there was blood all over the napkin and then I flipped it over and found another and the same thing happened. I realized they were bed bug nymphs after doing some research and I began to search for more signs. Eventually I found several adult ones, their exoskeletons, excrement, and several eggs in the night stand directly by the bed. At this point it was almost midnight and their reception closes at 9pm. I didn’t know what to do but I messaged them and heard no response. I decided I couldn’t sleep there so frantically packed up all my things and left. At one point I was standing on the side of a gravel road alone with all my luggage after midnight as I had nowhere to go since I couldn’t reach reception and it was so late when I discovered them and peak busy season with limited availability elsewhere. I found a place down the street thankfully but then got one hour of sleep and couldn’t stop itching in fear that they were on me or that some hitched a ride on my things and came with me. I’m still worried.||||The next morning their reception was supposed to be open from 7am-9pm and I walked over to talk to someone and there was a sign saying they’d be gone until 1:45pm. I returned later that evening and spoke with the woman who checked me in and calmly told her what I found and what had happened. I showed her pictures (the same ones I’m posting here) and asked if she knew what bed bugs were to make sure there wasn’t a language barrier. She tried to tell me she was there that morning and I showed her the picture of the sign I took saying she was gone until 1:45 with the time stamp so she lied to me. Then she said she tried to find me because I had the key - but why would that be the case bc I paid for three nights so of course I had the key? No one ever responded to my messages I sent through Expedia and their phone number I tried to call several times just kept ringing and didn’t go to voicemail. They were unreachable and I told her this. She told me she couldn’t refund me or do anything and that I’d need to contact Expedia since that’s who I booked through - I told her I already did and I sat on hold today for 40 minutes while they also tried to contact her and couldn’t. Expedia told me they couldn’t refund me and to take it up with the property directly but the woman said she couldn’t do anything and to contact Expedia. After saying repeatedly that I did and they told me to contact her then she told me that she can’t do anything bc she’s not the owner and I’d need to contact the owner. I said I would if she would provide the contact information and she refused. I told her I would be writing a very bad review with the same photos I showed her because bed bugs should not be taken lightly and she literally shrugged her shoulders at me and said okay. ||||Do NOT stay here. The place is run down which is one thing but having bed bugs and refusing to do anything about it or refund customers who show photo evidence is absolutely unacceptable. So is refusing to give me the supposed owners contact information. I’ve already filed a formal complaint with Expedia and will be reaching out to my credit card company to see if there’s anything they can do but do NOT stay here unless you want bed bugs and terrible service. There was also clearly dirt on the other pillow case when I walked in, assuming they never cleaned the bedding from the last guest. I just hope this review can prevent someone else from ending up in a similar very stressful...

If you're looking for a cozy room for a good night's sleep after days of hiking, this is a lovely hotel. ||THE LOCATION||It is close to the bus terminal (walked with luggage no problem) and about 15 minutes walk to the Laguna de los tres and Laguna Torres trail heads. It is on top of a delicious Argentinian restaurant called Techado Negro and you get a perk for dining there when you stay at La Guanaca. Because it is located one street over from the "main street," it is quieter. At night, we only heard the Patagonian wind. We did stay on New Year's Eve and could hear celebrations in the restaurant downstairs, but of the three nights we were there, that was the only time we heard the restaurant (and who can complain about celebrating the new year, really).||THE AMENITIES||Bed was surprisingly comfy and was a king size or close to it - I was worried it was a "double" or a "full" but it was quite spacious for two. There are towels and soap, but no shampoo/conditioner. The shower is a standup shower with a curtain and a very small lip, so the bathroom can get a little slippery after a shower. Housekeeping comes by every day to make your bed and clean up. Internet can be a bit slow but was good enough to post to instagram, ha. We were also next door to the communal kitchen - mini fridge, sink, and a small range (for Americans - very small range) but we only used the fridge to store sandwiches for the next day and ate out for dinner. ||Breakfast consisted of juice, tea, coffee, cereal, and bread and tea cakes with jam. Simple, but did the trick for keeping us full until lunch while out on our hikes. They did not pack lunches for hikes but there are so many bakeries in Chalten that you will have no problem getting empanadas and sandwiches to pack. ||Check in was easy and you pay at check out. We wanted to hike early the last day and they easily accommodated our request. The owners are really friendly and between my basic Spanish and their basic English, we had very nice conversations. ||One last note: bring warm pajamas or sweatshirts/sweatpants from hiking. There is a heater in the room, but on one of our nights there, the water stopped running - possibly in the town and not just the hotel - so the radiator also stopped working. Patagonia even in their summer is cold at night, so just in case, stay warm by bringing some long layers...