El Castillo de Mandl — Hotel in Municipio de La Cumbre

Our time as the Castillo was a mixture of fluke bad lack and horrible customer service.||||My wife and I had booked three nights as the Castillo many months in advance because of the amazing reviews of the accommodations and the food in the attached restaurant. We booked specifically because of the available dining because we were not travelling with a car. We were very much looking forward to staying up at the Castillo for the entire three days, lounging by the pool and enjoying their highly reviewed lunches and dinners. We had no intention of ever going into town.||||When we arrived, we were informed by the owner's kids that the owners were called away to Buenos Aires on personal business and there would be limited service at the hotel—namely no lunch or dinner service. Being stuck half way up a mountain with no car, this became and huge problem. We believe the hotel really should have informed us (and all their upcoming guests) of their limited dining amenities, which are obviously a large part of their offerings. Had they have done so, my wife and I would have certainly canceled our reservation and stayed in the centre of town where we could walk to bars and restaurants.||||We had to take four taxis each day (lunch and dinner, there and back) which ended up costing us over $50USD total over the three days. The day we checked out, Guillermo, the owner, had returned (what luck). We asked him if it was possible to discount the bill slightly to account for all the taxi fares which their limited service had required us to incur. He refused. Neither Guillermo or his son Ignacio made any attempt to apologize or make up for the fact that as guests, we were extremely let down.||||It's not the cheapest hotel, not by a long shot. And when you're paying these kinds of prices for such highly reviewed hotels, you expect a bit more professionalism (simple notifications ahead of time regarding limited services) and professionalism (doing what they can to make sure the guest leaves happy, in this case, a paltry discount of $50).||||Disappointed....

This is a place worth a trip by itself. The hosts have thought of every detail to make it an unforgettable experience. We stayed at the suite El Príncipe, its name reflects the fact that an Austrian prince, friend of Herr Macl lived there for many years. The linen is Egyptian cotton and robes are provided, all in pure white. The bar has a biliards table and a huge fireplace. There are no TV's or radios in the rooms but there is a small TV here. Smoking is only allowed in the bar. A magnificent double-curved wooden staircase takes you to the top floor where there's a public terrace with magnificent views. The same alp lies to the swimming pool. We didn't sample the dinner menu as we had dinner with local friends elsewhere. ||Breakfast is served in the dining room and was wonderful with freshly backed scones and cakes and home made jams and croissants. Classical music played softly in the background. The main dining room has an enormous wooden circular table sitting 18 people comfortably, 20 at a push. ||A grand piano sits in the lounge that has a picture window with stunning views of the valley below. ||I'd love to see intimate chamber concerts in this venue, it would be a wonderful addition to this...

We booked via Trip Advisor and the reviews and were very pleased. This was just the right place for us in La Cumbre. While the Castillo is a 100 year old classic stone building, it is run more like a family inn with 4 star hotel amenities. The building is a star. The main staircase should be in listed in architectural guides. The rooms on the first and second floors have 12-13 foot ceiling with classic styles and furniture. Every where one turns there is classic and modern art, and the views of the mountains on 3 sides and a huge vista over La Cumbre to the West are just stunning. ||The service is top notch with a wonderful spread of options at breakfast, and the owner is a talented chef servicing interesting choices in first class fine dining style at dinner. We were in town to find some old family roots from 100 years ago, and Guillermo was knowledgeable and helpful with many books detailing people, art and activity in La Cumbre. ||Best of all was the friendly attention to detail and service. Castillo de Mandl may be in the top quartile in local pricing, but one get extraordinary value compared to similar opportunities in other parts...