Sheraton Salta is guite a good property. It is fairly new, but does not have a club floor. They stated that they are considering reopening it since they are seeing lots of Golds and Platinums. Hotel is on a hill and views are out over the valley and city. It is attached to the Salta Casino which is no great shakes. The restaurant is basic and has a serious fault for non-smokers since the smoke from the bar wafts up into it. Open to below. We really liked the property. One neat feature is the hangings near the elevator. The Jujuy masks are a neat feature especially with the custom weavings that the hotel had done in BA. Note: the masks are seemingly not available in Salta, but are, at one store in Cafayate.

The Patios de Cafayate are approximately a three hour scenic drive thru areas reminiscent of Southern Utah. Scenic two lane road for much of the way. Luxury Collection is IMHO a gross over-statement for this property when it is off-season. And July is definitely off-season. It is a nice place with minimal staffing, lack of training, limited restaurant selections and not much in town to overcome this.

I'm not sure how to express this, but I will try. English is not a prevalent language in Argentina. Spanish is obviously the primary language and it is not what one hears in Norte America. The pronunciation and individual words are different. That said, with rudimentary Spanish or Spanglish one can communicate. This was more evident at the Patios than at other places we visited in Argentina. Perhaps, Gaucho can clarify what I am attempting to say.

We, as Gold, were upgraded to what was described as a Vineyard view. This was a view of the grassy back yard and pool. The room was large, but dark. The hotel reminded me of country properties in France, normally, those turned into hotels because the owners could no longer afford the taxes.

The promotional price booked the night before through the Sheraton Salta in May was $200 + 21% tax. Breakfast was included, but we upon arrival had to insist that it was since Salta specifically asked for me. Otherwise they would have happily charged us.

The restaurant is small with a limited menu, even more limited since most items were not available in the off season. Steak, of course, was available . Lamb definitely was not. Breakfast was served in the same area. We had to seek out service personnel in the kitchen both at dinner and breakfast as well as at the bar For dinner they reserved us a table looking out on the vineyard and pool. We were the only ones at dinner since there were only five rooms occupied. Dinner ran approximately $60 including a bottle of inexpensive wine from the vineyard.

There are 27 rooms, a spa, perhaps a couple of suites, a nice small garden, the pool (heated, I think), and a fair amount of public space. If you expect very personalized service, this is not the place for you.

We enjoyed the drive, but could not figure out how this was a "Luxury Collection" property except that it had a pool, unoccupied bar, cigar smoking room and prices to match.

Oh yes, if your primary reason for going is to ride the Tren de las Nubes, as was ours. It is not running and will not for at least another 1.5 years. The government and the company cannot agree upon terms. The alternatives are jeep tours along the route, an oxygen equipped bus, or a large 4wd truck that traces the route on the adjoining road.

In Salta, a car is unnecessary. Remises are readily available and are dirt cheap, although it is 25 pesos from the airport to the Sheraton.