Sorry but I cannot seem to locate the tread with the recs for 3 hotels/ inns the Salta area- I will arrive in July and I think Gaucho had a reply and recs. Appreciate your help again.

Hi Naxos, I also dont remember that thread.

For Salta, I would recommend three locations, which are all different in all ways (including budget wise):

Sheraton has a luxury collection property, a spa resort which is called Patios de Cafayate.

For a home type experience, check out Hotel El Lagar, which is in Salta City itself. Once a family home... its a very unique experience.

Also in the city, you have the Sheraton Salta.

Out in wine country, try to see if you can stay at Bodega & Estancia Colome. A very nice high-end wine lodge that is run by a winery of the Hess Collection (Donald Hess Wines).

Much appreciated Gaucho- sometimes in thte process of collecting so much information I actually lose some!!!

My pleasure.... please post your experiences once you return from you trip!! ^

I will post when I return. Now I have to count the days until I leave.

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.

opushomes Thanks for your detailed report and response.. I detect some disappointment about your trip to Salta.
From your experiences, for me, the take home points are: language will likely be a barrier and that services during the off-season may be limited even at "luxury" properties even if the rates are pretty high. I am not expecting the train to be running- so that is a good thing and I may choose to stay at more inexpensive places to help manage my expectations.
And thanks for the airport fare information!!

Short answer, "Yup" except that we were not disappointed going to Salta. The long answer should you choose to read it is below.

No, I would not say that we were disappointed in Salta, but one needs to understand why it would appear so. This was our first trip to South America. The only purpose in going to Salta was to ride the train and perhaps visit some wineries. We had limited time in Argentina, 2 weeks, and chose three destinations, BA, Mendoza and Salta. We decided against Iguazu or Bariloche because of the desire to do Las Nubes. In retrospect we should have spent more time in Buenos Aires (and will next trip). It is a great city and really worth exploring. We also wasted a day going to Colonia. I enjoyed it but my wife was a mosquito magnet and miserable. We will visit Iguazu next trip

Mendoza was wonderful. One day we took a private wine tour with lunch that was booked through The Vines. A remise with driver for the entire day was the equivalent of renting a car for the day. "Time sort of certain" reservations are required. The vineyards are quite hard to find without local knowledge and the pours are quite large. We stayed at the Hotel Argentino for 1/3 the cost of the Park Hyatt. The hotels are not equivalent, but Argentino is certainly acceptable We met some wonderful people both visitors and Argentinians during our stay. In fact most Argentinians are hospitable and seem to enjoy life.

Salta has limited craft shopping. It is far from most of the wineries since most of them are in the area around Cafayate. Having done multiple trips thru the desert in the U.S., the road to Cafayate was to us similar to what we have seen in the U.S. and in parts of Turkey.

The Sheraton Salta personnel were helpful and some of them were among the best I have encountered. Monica at the front desk could work at many international hotels with full competence.

Yes, Cafayate was disappointing. We expected a "great hotels of the world" experience and got a lackluster result reminiscent of an off season hotel in the Camaraque. Actually the small hotel in the South of France was much better because we paid only 30 Euros including breakfast. If The Patios had not been less advertised at the Sheraton Salta and had charged less perhaps our expectations would have been less. Yes, disappointing, but not a total disaster. After all, we would not have bought 5 Jujuy masks to bring back if we had not seen them at the Sheraton Salta and seen them displayed.

I included the language issue as a gentle "heads up" so you would be aware of the minor issues. Please keep in mind that my Spanish is terrible, but I normally can make myself understood and understand. Fact, I normally understand Spanish pretty well, not the case at all in Argentina or Chile. The accent is different, the words are different, the pronunciation is different and it is usually presented in rapid fire

Two examples:

Sheraton Salta has a very eager bellman. We pulled up to the hotel. He came out and greated us. I asked where to park the car. He grabbed the keys and said "Jo park la Auto, No worry". This turned into a minor dispute at check-out over valet parking. The car remained in the garage for two days since it is easier to take a remise than to attempt to navigate the one-way maze that is Salta. Traffic's not bad, but it is impossible to find one 's way thruough the streets. We never in numerous remise trips took the same route back to the hotel.

At the Patios we stayed only one night and at breakfast they offer eggs cooked to order. We ordered omelets. I asked if they had "Papas". The young server looked very confused. Obviously Argentinians do not have home fries with their omelets except at all the other Sheraton properties that we stayed in Argentina. The omelet came with French Fries stacked vertically. Perhaps the verticality qualifies the Patios as "Luxury Collection".

I normally can understand and be understood in Spanish. As compared to Mexico, In Argentina and Chile the words are different, they are pronounced differently, the accent is different and are spoken in rapid fire.

This makes it difficult to communicate, but often leads to some amusing stories. Like the time in Mont Mort (Champagne Region) France when I ordered "Tete de Veau" and received a whole boiled calves head thinking it was a veal medallion.

opushomes Thanks for elaborating - it was helpful and I am glad you took the time to expain. I fear that my Spanish will be a problem-- I was in Bolivia and find that the accent and words were easier to understand than in Mexico- but even if I can make myself understood- listening to a response from a native speaker at full tilt is nearly impossible. I hope the words I remember for slow down will work.

I was getting the impression from other posts that the road to Cafayate sounded similar to the soutwest US which we have visited several times- but have enjoyed.

We only have 2 weeks as well and have never been to Argentina and since we are going in July ( last minute good airfare) and do not want to ski, we chose the Salta region with the hopes that the weather would be best- thinking that it may not be the most unique landscape but we hope to return to Argentina some winter or fall and travel south to Patagonia and Tiera del Fuego and Bariloche.

I think we will stay at lesser hotels-- to avoid disappointment I have found that the managment of expectations is crucial to a good time! and thanks for the insect tip about Colonia-

If you can recommend anything else- I'd appreciate it.

I would suggest you browse the forums on Argentina over at Trip Advisor, they have lots of useful information. Also, you an ask questions, most folks over there are very happy to assist you.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum...Argentina.html

Thanks Gaucho-- I have been browsing and asking over there as well- and you are right- there is a lot of helpful information.

Hi
Good idea to go to that area as weather will be better than in south. Have you thought about taking a tour, can ease some of the stresses of planning. Lots of operators have tours in the Salta area. With two weeks you can take a wider tour too, perhaps including Cordoba, and Buenos Aires or Iguaau falls. Here are a few operators, you can get some ideas by taking a look at itineraries.

Argentina Discover have a seven day Classic Northwest Argentina tour. Latour, an experienced and more upscale operator, also have short tours in the Northwest. They also have a package in Iguassu which you might be able to combine with a Northwest package and then to Buenos Aires. Kontiki Tours specialize in Latin American Travel. They have a seven day Buenos Aires and Iguassu tour.

Hope this helps

I was clearing out old e-mail and came across one pointing to this thread. So, Naxos, could you please bring us up to date on your Salta adventures?

Opushomes- sorry I am so late- I was actually thinking just today that I had not posted a trip report. We had a little over 2 weeks and spent 6 nights in Buenos Aires at the Bobo Hotel in Palermo Viejo- 3 nights at the beginning and 3 at the end.
We flew to Salta on LAN - flight was on time and efficient. We took a cab to the hotel. Hotel Papyrus in Salta- small boutique hotel up on a hill overlooking the city not too far from the Sheraton. We were given a beautiful room on the top floor with a lovely patio and view of the city. Salta looks a lot like southern California- the inland empire specifically. The hotel has a beautiful dining room with large windows and breakfast was plentiful but uneven from one day to the next. Service was spotty but good natured and the biggest surprise for me was that dinner was very good and beautifully served. ( and a good respite from the parillas we had been frequenting) We had not planned to dine there but there was a chalkboard menu posted and another guest recommended the food. We were not disappointed and the setting was lovely.

Frankly, the city of Salta was a bit disappointing- the Cathedrals and the Cabildo were worth a visit as well as the Salta Museum on the square with the new exhibits of indigenous life in the area as well as the newly displayed child mummies.

We used taxis at night to get around and walked during the day- the one way streets and lack of driving rules in the city was a bit scary as we were passenger in the cabs.

We had Hertz deliver a car to our hotel for our trip to Colome. After reading many accounts of the trip we decided to drive from Salta- Cachi -Colome. It was a long day. We rented a small Chevy and were shocked about an hour from town when we discovered we had to ford a small stream that was flowing over the road. We were told that this was the dry season! There was no way for us to detemine how deep the water was- after a few more drivers in low riding cars stopped- a big truck came through and the water did not look too high against his tires- so we drove on.

The road is mostly packed gravel and it was pretty empty- the weather was clear the the lack of oncoming traffic made the lack of guard rails seem less ominous. Nevertheless the the gravel made the going slow and it is a long drive to Cachi- which as a very small town- we had lunch but is was still a long way to Colome and the road was much worse. Although we left Salta at 8 am we did not arrive at Colome until about4 or 5 pm- stopping for lunch and photos.

Colome, a winery owned by Hess as well as a small hotel was lovely. Defintiely in the middle of nowhwere- About a dozen rooms around a courtyard with views of the mountains and vineyards. We toured the winery, hiked- did not swim because it ws too cold but spent time skywatching- the night sky was truly magnificent- clear desert air- at 7000 ft and no lights. The sky was worth the trip! The food was very good and again service a bit slow but we had no place to go. The hotel was half full the first night and then only 2 couples the next night.

On the 3rd day we drove to Cafayate- and stayed at the Hotle Killa- run by a delightful woman-Marta- the room was small but built with native woods and stone- the breakfast was basic but fine. The day we were to leave there was a power outage in the town and when we went to pay our bill we discovered that she did not take credit cards- but all the ATM.s had no power- she offered to have aus send her the money when we we returned home- but we paid in dollars.
We toured some wineries but the power outage interfered with our plans .
We drove back to Salta and the scenery and red rock canyons were beautiful but not that different than we had seen in Utah or Arizona.

After another overnight on Salta we planned to drive to Purmamarca- we took the "scenic" road which I would not recommend- It was winding and only wide enough for one car around blind curves- we were lucky because we stopped to look take a photo and an Argentine couple stopped as well and asked where we were going- they were going to Purmamarca as well and offered to have us follow- Purmamarca is a tiny town that is undergoing an influs of tourists becuse it has a remarkable hillside of 7 colors- Crowded in the morning with busloads of tourists, it is a quiet town of indigenous people at night. We stayed at El Manantial del Silencio- just outside of town-- We had a nice room- and breakfast was good- but there ere lots of families with lots and lots of kids- running wild in teh dining room- it was holiday time oin Argentina- somehow the Silencio did not catch on.
We drove to the Salinas Grandes- other worldy salt flats and drove to Tilcara and Maimara and back to Salta after 3 days on the fast and straight road- It took one third of the time.

I am glad you warned me abut the language- I was not so shocked at first when I did not understand- but everyone was really patient with me and after a while I did fine. We had a good trip- the wineries, the scenery, the food and Buenos Aires all were good- Buenos Aires is definitley worth a return- and next to Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. And we left with 2 cases of wine expertly chosen by Gaucho. I am glad we went to Salta- and cranked down the expectations. We ahd a good trip but I would hesitate to recommend a trip to Salta if it was a first time trip to South America or to a less travelled person.

Great report Naxos !!!!

Just to update the Patios de Cafayate situation... I sent up a couple of clients just last week to this property, and the situation seems to be similar to the initial reports on this thread. While the Hotel is nice, making it a Luxury Collection is an overstatement, and the staffing situation re. English has not improved... ie. its still impossible to find someone that speaks English.

I wonder what the situation is with this hotel.... maybe I will cross post something on the Starwood Forum and the SPG guy that watches over things may care to comment.