January 23, 2008

Latin America | Argentina | Patagonia

Sweet Suites at Llao Llao

By Christie Pashby

Patagonia’s legendary mountain lodge reinvents itself for its 70th birthday.

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Argentina’s most celebrated hotel just stepped into the 21st century. Over the new year, Lllao Llao Hotel & Resort added 43 new — and thoroughly modern — suites to its imperious hillside grounds, floating above Bariloche’s Lake Moreno, and flanked by the foothills of the Andes. Built in 1938 (then rebuilt the following year after it burnt to a cinder), the iconic mountain lodge is credited with first opening up Argentina to luxury tourism. But with a recent surge in Argentine tourism and rumors of a new nearby Hilton, Llao Llao (FYI: it’s pronounced zshao-zshao and is a kind of sweet native fruit), was long in need of an upgrade. The new suites should satisfy those visitors who demand bigger bathrooms and Jacuzzi tubs, not to mention private terraces with views of Patagonia’s alpine lakes and lush forests. And once you’ve drooled over the Andes you can actually get out there and horseback ride through Argentina’s largest, oldest and most popular national park. Or kayak the placid waters of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Or simply retire to the area’s top restaurant and settle back with a glass of Malbec.