Pictures see: http://travel.webshots.com/album/580710002vZWfhC

This hotel is located in the National Park in Argentina. I arrived on the Brazilian airport and was picked up with a car, arranged by the hotel. The driver did not speak English but he did speak German. So at least I could talk with him during the transfer.
During the ride to the hotel you will pass the Brazilian and Argentine border. After these formalities we proceeded to the Sheraton, after passing the entrance of the National Park. There is a ATM here.

I had a very friendly welcome here from Antiono, he runs the excellent tourcompany Ecologica in the hotel. His personal approach made me feel at home. He arranged my tours and the car to and from the airport.
Checkin was smooth and rather formal, I was happy to find myself in a renovated room with the amazing view of the Waterfalls.
The room was kind of standard/basic, though my first impression was I could sleep in a Sheraton Sweet Sleeper. I noticed two seats, a small table, a flatsquare tv on the wall, bright lamps ( no ecolamps thought), a minibar and a wooden desk along the wall. Everything was rather standard in this room. The paint on the wall was kind of brown and it did not make the room feel bright and clean.
The bathroom was tiny but with everything one needs. And many, many bathameneties!
But now I have to tell you the view from the room was so breathtaking! The room was on the highest,3th floor so what more can you wish for…..!

Since the 2é floor was being renovated I noticed the noise and went to the bar area with terrace. I enjoyed my capuchino with cake while enjoying this amazing view. I liked it so much and I felt so relaxed. Being here far from home, in the National Park with this view!
That evening I went for dinner in the restaurant Garganta del Diablo. I was kind of the first guest, since I was hungry.
I decided to take the buffet, since it looked so delicious. When I was sitting at my table, a waiter asked me if I was alone at this table. I said yes. He was just standing there, and asked me again, so…… nobody will sit here, seat opposite of me. I told him no, but did not feel very comfortable.

The salad bar offered a wide range of products. I liked the salad, its offers good quality and taste. I had a nice red Argentine wine so I enjoyed my meal sofar.
The maincourse is rather a different story. The meat, vegetables, rice etc. were just not tasteful. The buffet did not offer many vegetables, only one mixed one. These vegetables were dreadful to eat, just terrible.
The food just tasted the same, no inspiration at all. I did not get happy of eating this food. The dessert was no difference for me. When I looked to other guests, I did not see any happy faces, one sees when one is enjoying good food.
The next day I tried the a la carte menu and was hoping to get a better quality. In general I go for the a la carte so I was hopeful. The salad was ok but could use some more dressing. The maincourse was as tasteless as the buffet and I was supposing they must have taken it from the buffer since everything was served to me in no time! I ordered some veggies with all the meat I had, and some mashed potatoes. The veggies were the same I had as in the buffet and the mashed potatoes were also very tasteless. The waiters always try to improve the meal with fresh pepper, without any result ofcourse.
Service was very friendly in this restaurant. The waiters could not help this food was so tasteless and let me say just terrible.

However breakfast in this hotel is a feast. I was really looking forward to this breakfast buffet. They served delicious espresso con leche and the extensive buffet offered many different breads, croissants, muesli, hot dishes. Too much to mention and of a good quality. Very friendly service and they even served me fresh mango on request!
I do have an issue, besides the low fat yoghurt I could not find low fat products. And I could only find two selections of cold cut meat.
Matte is a very popular tea in Argentina. Many people carry it in thermosbottles with them. During breakfast the restaurant offers Matte on a separate table! It really great to taste it…. Once for me though!



A guide I met in the Hotel das Cataratas from the Oriental group, told me most guests will have their first evening dinner in the hotel and never come back. They will all go into town with a taxi for better food.
Another complaint of the guests were the very old rooms. The touroperators were sending these complains to the hotel but the hotel did not answer them. According to this guide the Sheraton did not have a respectable name in this area. Guests expected a luxury hotel, associated with the brandname Sheraton, but they experienced bad food and very old rooms. I did not like to hear it.

In the evening I had a nice bath and “hopped”into my Sheraton Sweet Sleeper….. Only to find out it was a very, very old bed. The matrass did not support my back, it was just such a lousy bed! Above all I smelled a strong filthy air in my room. I think it was the result of the large renovation under my room and above my room. Or, I thought rather naïf, it could be some anti-insect spray the hotel used, since the hotel was in the middle of the National Park. Well I turned on the Airco with the fan on the highest level and tried to adjust the temperature since the air was just too cold. Well, it was not possible to adjust it. The air outside was very dampy and cold so opening the door was not an option.
Finally I turned off the airco and tried to sleep with the filthy smelling air.
It was not easy to walk to the balcony, you have to slide two doors. The doors are very old and and rusty and its not easy to move them. I could not imagine the hotel did not replaced them while renovating the room.
I could not imagine this was a Sheraton room, so basic without any comfort and a very old bed.The wall had a terrible brown color. Not on par with Starwood standards at all. And when you look at the rates a guest has to pay for these rooms, the hotel should be ashamed of itself. When comparing it to Hotel das Cataratas which I visited, this Sheraton was a sort of dump! It is not easy to say for me, since I am a very loyal Starwood member, but it is true.
The pool and socalled Spa is more of a 3* hotel. I did hear the poolarea just had been renovated! So what kind of managers manage this hotel. It seems to me, they only want the big money of the guests, who will come anyway since they want to enjoy the view. But do not care about the Brandname Sheraton which attracts guests with a certain expectation of the Brand and of Starwood.
When I talked with guests, they told me the hotel was nothing, but the view was so great. So, as loyal SPG I do not like to hear this! These guest went away with negative associations of a Sheraton hotel.


Well, next morning I went to the reception. They told me they would clean the room even better than before to prevent the filty smell from the renovations. When I went to my room, I noticed the door of a suite open, I asked the cleaning lady if I could see it.
Wow, I liked it and I liked the bed the most. And, no filthy air! The housekeeping asked me if I would like to have this room! After talking to the reception I moved in!
My stay drastically changed for the better. This was a great accommodation, with a two balconies, a large bathroom, a separate livingarea with a leather couch and two chairs, a small modern desk and ofcourse a comfy bed.
In this room I did not need the airco, (too cold and not able to change the temp. anyway) since the air was clean here.
I enjoyed my stay in this suite and it made my stay much, much more nicer as it would have been in the very basic renovated room with filthy air.

The hotel does not offer a ATM. I did book several tours and transfers via the hotel with mr. Antonio of Ecologia tours. (ecologia srl <[email protected]>)
He has a very small desk on the groundfloor. In this area the hotel has plenty of space, so the small desk next to the shops does not look so reliable compared with the big offices of the other companies on the first floor. I would hope the hotel could offer him a decent desk and some decent space.
I was so happy and satisfied with his service and the guide Adrian. Mr. Antonio is generous and also considering the time used for my tours. He and the guide are very reliable, educated, courteous and friendly. I guess the hotel will use their service many times.
One negative issue, you cannot pay with a creditcard. Mr. Antonio explained to me why. So I had to get the money for him and for the guide. I asked the reception if they could pay out mr. Antonio and put this on my account. The young man refused, even after asking several times.
So I had to take a taxi to drive to the entrance of the National Park. However, the ATM was empty…. Next drive was to a small shopping mall in the park. The driver and me had to find out where the ATM was located. After a while we could find it. When I tried the ATM first did not want to pay out all the money, etc. Finally I managed to get my money.
All this trouble, time and efforts.. I do not think this is a adequate service to the guests of this Starwood hotel!

I did ask to speak with the manager of the reception. I had a talk with mr. Daniel Jager. After listening to my story regarding the money issue, he apologized and told me the reception could have made an exception and could have called him. But they did not.
Refering to my stay I told him in general the issues I have in this review. He told me:
The hotel did wait to replace the very old beds in the renovated rooms, after many complains of guests, the management decided to replace them.
The hotel did wait to replace the slidingdoors in the renovated rooms, but after the many complains of the guests the hotel will replace them now also in the renovated rooms.
The hotel will replace the aircondioning tubes in the future so the rooms will offer airco with adjustable temperature. Now it offers only low, medium or high blowing of the fan.
He told me the chef cook was a good cook, so he did not know what to do concerning the bad food. It would not be so easy to improve. Well, I do not agree referring to the good chef. Because he is wasting precious food and makes guests not happy in the restaurant.

I told him, I could not believe this management of the hotel. Guests pay very high rates for their stay and stay in a very old, worn out hotel with the brandname of Sheraton. I told him what the guide in the other hotel told me. Mr. Jager explained to me it will never be the intention to make this Sheraton as luxurious as the Hotel das Cataratas from the Oriental group. It will stay a standard hotel. The Sheraton group was only planning for a basic standard hotel!

I think it is not a wise decision if the hotel does not improve. The hotel just does not meet the standards of Starwood, i.m.o. and in the long term guest will stay away, or touroperators will not advise travelers to stay here but to make a choice for the Hotel das Cataratas. If you read the maney reviews of the hotel, it becomes very clear.
When I compare this hotel to other Sheraton hotels, this management should be ashamed of itself. I guess they only want to have the money of the guests who pay high rates but do not care for the standards of Starwood or for the Brandname Sheraton at all.

Resuming:
I did not have a nice stay in the socalled renovated basis room with a filthy air, a very old uncomfortable bed, very old (rusty) slidingdoors for the balcony, no ecolamps at all, a very small bathroom.
I enjoyed the view however very much.
I did enjoy my stay in the renovated suite very much and enjoyed my view. I liked the bed, the clean air, the spacious room and bathroom.
On the balcony and terrace of the bar, the old chairs do no give any support. I do not find them comfy.
The hotel should have ecolamps/energysavers. Thinking Green!
The food in the evening is terrible and a waste of food i.m.o. I did like the delicious Argentine wines.
The breakfast is a feast, but it does miss low fat products.
Service is very friendly in the hotel, everywhere.
The hotel should offer help to guest wich need money, f.i. for the tours since they do not offer a ATM.
The Spa and poolarea are too basic, more a 2/3* hotel category hotel. The pool is small while the hotel has a large area available.
The hotel offers basic public areas, i.m.o. this is not a very comfy Sheraton hotel and the hotel does not meet the standards of Starwood.

Would I go back……
Well only when the hotel improves in many areas. At the moment this hotel is for me not a Sheraton hotel and does not meet the standards of Starwood.
When the hotel does meet Starwood standards it would be great to stay here, use a wonderful pool and spa, and have nice dinners. The environment makes you relax and enjoy nature. So why not a comfortable Sheraton hotel?

Pictures see: http://travel.webshots.com/album/580710002vZWfhC