Hotel Lago del Desierto — Hotel in El Chaltén

Don’t stay here - they’re scammers and gaslighters, and the security is a joke.

The hotel wouldn’t let us pay online, so we paid in cash upon arrival. We counted our money twice and the receptionist counted it twice in front of us before putting it in the till. We left to go hiking for the day, and when we came back, the owner of the hotel informed us that their till was short and so we would have to pay more. When we replied that the money we paid had been counted 4 times before it went into the till, we were 100% certain we paid the correct amount and so was the receptionist, and that it was likely other till transactions had occurred during the 6+ hours we were away from the hotel, the owner threatened that he would fire the receptionist and blame it on us. This feels like a total scam and pretty gaslight-y as well, so uncomfortable and dishonest.

That unpleasant experience aside, the hotel requires that everyone leave their room key displayed on top of the reception desk when they leave the hotel. Each key has the room number clearly marked on it, so anyone could walk into the hotel, grab your room key, and have complete access to your room. When we voiced our concerns, the hotel staff made it clear they didn’t care. So I guess if someone is looking to steal stuff, this would be an ideal spot for them go.

There are tons of hotels in El Chaltén, and we didn’t hear of any other visitors having issues like this. Stay...

We travelled in high season and so there was little choice when we came to book a place in El Chaltern - we stayed for 3 nights.||||El Chalten appears more expensive than other areas in Chile & Argentina we've visited and compared to those, it wasn't particularly good value as the room was tiny and the cost more expensive.||||The room was a twin on the first floor with a view of the mountain. We had to push the 2 beds together to make enough room to put our luggage on the floor (2 large bags +2 hand-luggage). The beds were not particularly comfortable either.||Private bathroom with nice shower.||||Breakfast was the usual fayre for Chile but also included scrambled eggs.||||The staff were quite pleasant and the room was cleaned every day.||||5 mins walk from the bus station, shops, restuarants, tour offices all within easy walking distances.||||Overall ok, but disappointed with our room which was too tiny to have stayed longer...

Gabriel & Nicolas are both humble, lovely people who run the hotel. ||The rooms vary throughout the hotel. We stayed in two different rooms during our stay, they both have heaters which was nice. The first room we stayed in was a double upstairs, it was a tight fit with our our packs but comfortable and clean. With big windows which were really nice to allow fresh air in the day. |We moved into a twin room downstairs which had a lot more space in the room and the bathroom as well. My only comment is there is no window for ventilation. |The breakfast each morning is great (scrambled eggs on toast) can't ask for more. |The hotel is basic, clean, homey & friendly and has everything you need. |You're supposed to get outside & enjoy the walks in El Chalten anyways! |We had a great stay...