Our family of 6 (3 adults, 3 kids including 2 teenagers) and a wonderful 4 night stay at Puerto Valle. We had 3 rooms, and 2 of them were in a single bungalow. The rooms were modern and well appointed, and most importantly good air conditioning. They also had lovely open views of the river, which looked more like a large lake because of the dam. The staff kept our rooms clean and as long as you remember to keep the doors closed, not too many bugs. Although... somehow you would always find cute little frog visitors in the bathroom. But they are adorable, and not a nuisance at all. Everday we had 2 excursions, once in the am (around 9am) and then one in the late afternoon around 4:30/5pm. We did excursions on kayaks, flatboats, walking by foot, horseback, and driving out deeper into the park to watch wildlife. We saw capybaras, an amazing variety of birds, howler monkeys, and caymans. Even right on site at the hotel, we saw capybaras (one time right out side of our room!), parakeets, an onsite a rare albino cayman kept in captivity to keep him safe and alive. The grounds of the hotel were beautiful, with a wide open lawn that runs to the river. Every day after our morning excursion, we would have an amazing lunch at the hotel, then take a cool swim in their pool and relax pool side. The pool had lounge chairs and supplied with towels and chair coverings as well as suntan lotion. The meals were DELICIOUS! Everything is prepared on site and it shows. Oftentimes we would get bread right out of the oven (the cheesy bread is the best fresh out of the oven). And although Argentina is known for their meat, we enjoyed 4 days of delicious vegetables (right from their gardens which you can visit), plus amaziningly fresh local fish (pacu and surubi). My son who loves red meat, reiterated how good it was, but I loved all of the salads, vegetables, breads and fish. Since there was only one other family with us, it all felt so intimate. Plus the staff all got to know us well, and our preferences. Once my 7 year old son asked for jugo de manzana (apple juice) and they started giving it to him on most days - - which they fresh squeezed for us! They would always remember that I preferred my cafe con leche "con much leche". Both lunch and dinner was always finished with a delicious home made desert. On our last night there, the staff treated us with a wonderful barbecue dinner which was served in in a separate area from our regular dining room. Everything was delicious and so elegant. Most of the employees spoke little english, but that was never a problem for our family. The manager, and some of the employees spoke very good english.|Our daily tour guide, Santiago, was AMAZING! A man of few words, all of his words were helpful, informative and he had a wry sense of humor. His english was excellent as he worked in New Zealand for many years, and his knowledge of the local wildlife was excellent. If you are an english speaking tourist, be sure to request Santiago. ||One of my favorite types of vacations are when you are exploring during the day, getting outside and walking/hiking, but then came back to an elegant comfortable lodge and enjoy a civilized and elegant meal. And that is what Puerto Valle experience felt like. I felt like an explorer during the excursion times, but during downtimes at the hotel, I felt more like a pampered guest at a luxury hotel. ||My husband did a separate excursion to fish for Golden Dorado, which has been on his bucket list. I would say that although he did catch one fish, as a fisherman it was probably not the best set up trip. However, this was done outside of the hotel, and it's not on their normal list...
Read moreRead moreThis hotel has has an absolutely pathetic attitude towards customer service and empathy. I had paid and booked a stay at this property before COVID. However, due to COVID, all travel had essentially ground to a halt for 2 years, especially in Singapore where I lived, where borders were closed. It is 30 hours by flight from Singapore to Argentina, so it was not easy for me to take my family of 4 and plan another trip as there were many factors such as my kids' age, schools, exams, sports commitments, etc. ALL OTHER hotels and airlines in Argentina refunded my booking without any question in 2021 (after 1 year, when I made the case I couldnt travel again at short notice given my personal situation and distance between Singapore and Argentina). Hotel Puerto Valle always maintained that I had made a non refundable booking and hence refused a refund every time I requested over the last 3+ years. They extended the credit of US$750 till Dec 2023 and said it expires thereafter. I find this absolutely horrible customer service and ridiculous empathy for my situation. I had a lot of empathy during the worst of COVID and entertained the idea of traveling at a later date. However, when I realized after 3 years that it would be difficult to once again plan a trip 30 hours away by flight, given the increasing academic commitments for my kids (a trip to Argentina has to be atleast 3 weeks long given the flight times), I made a polite and reasonable request again for a refund as I could not travel during 2023 or 2024. The hotel has absolutely refused to budge, pointing to a heartless and greedy management with ZERO focus on the customer. Please do not trust this hotel with anything, nor spend a dime on them. Heartless, greedy and ruthless is the way they...
We visited in December 2022. The property had one other couple visiting when we were there. The first day we headed out to take a boat ride in the wetlands but the boat broke down. So we sat in the channel for over an hour waiting for someone to come help us. The boat was old and not what you expected for a fancy resort. There was no cover so we baked in the sun in 100 degree temperature. The staff told us the boat engine broke all the time and their repeated complaints about it were ignored. The room was big but had dead bugs on the floor. Not sure why since there was hardly anyone staying there. Also the bathroom was dirty. The grounds had 7 inch high grass on it. So to get to the pool you had to walk through it. After 2 days there they finally mowed the grass. The food was good and staff helpful in the dining room. We had to check out early and we’re told we would get our money back for that night. We followed up after we left on our refund and the office in Buenos Aires said no. They would not honor what the manager had said. That left a very bad impression for us. At almost $1,000.00 a night that was the icing on the cake. They advertise the property as 5 star. I would say not even close. There is not much to see in the Iberia wetlands so maybe 2 day is enough. My husband had some bad reaction to something in the air which kept him in the room after a brief time outside. The boat staff was nice and not their fault the equipment they had to use was not 5...
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