Hostería Del Viejo Molino

“Have returned several times”

I have been coming back to the Hosteria del Viejo Molino after my first experience there many years ago. The hotel is clean, the rooms are cozy and comfortable, and the food is great and served in a charming, wooden dining room with views of the outside garden. Guests quickly feel at home in the we… more

I have been coming back to the Hosteria del Viejo Molino after my first experience there many years ago. The hotel is clean, the rooms are cozy and comfortable, and the food is great and served in a charming, wooden dining room with views of the outside garden. Guests quickly feel at home in the well-decorated and charming dependencies and are extremely well looked after by the attentive staff. Besides the impeccable service, the key point to this hotel is its owners, Gustavo and Maria Eugenia, a couple that I believe perhaps invented the word: Hospitality. They cut no corners in making their guests feel at home, and attend to every need that may arise, something you don't see in any other hotels, anywhere. From driving their guests to the ski slopes, to skiing with the beginners, to guiding them around town and preparing impromptu fondue and raclette parties, to driving guests to and from the airport and suggesting the best and correct buys in town they make a stay at El Viejo Molino unforgettable. I usually go winters to enjoy Bariloche's wonderful skiing but I have also been in the summer when the views are unsurpassable. Gustavo even took us fishing in a memorable afternoon, going through the trouble of putting his boat on the water just for us. Nowadays I cannot think of going to Bariloche and staying anywhere else. The staff at El Viejo Molino has truly become a major part of the Bariloche experience. It is a place that truly feels like home away from home.

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“European charm, extraordinary service”

If you are driving along the road that connects the city of Bariloche with the boat tour docks at Puerto Pa?uelo or the elegant Llao Llao hotel, you can't miss the structure of the old white windmill on the right (see photos). In fact, the windmill is still used to host private raclette (melted ch… more

If you are driving along the road that connects the city of Bariloche with the boat tour docks at Puerto Pa?uelo or the elegant Llao Llao hotel, you can't miss the structure of the old white windmill on the right (see photos). In fact, the windmill is still used to host private raclette (melted cheese and vegetables) dinners for up to 9 guests. Next to it stands the Hosteria, built some decades ago but still charming for its Old World style. The whitewashed walls, the wooden beam ceilings, the dark wooden furniture, the thick walls (no noise from other rooms) give the rooms a flavor that modern hotels lack. Sure, the rooms are on the smallish side, the bathrooms have plain white tiles and the windows were designed to keep the heat inside in winter, rather than to let the landscape in (leaning out through our window we could see the Nahuel Huapi lake some 300 yards away). But all the basics are there: King-size bed, plenty of closet space, 20" TV screen, coat hangers at the entrance to the room, good heating, writing desk and chair, thick towels, bathroom amenities. Breakfast was served in the Swiss-style dining room, by Maria, who after the first morning learnt what my husband and I took for breakfast and served it without asking. The fare is toast made from French bread slices, scones and croissants, accompanied by all the butter and home made jam you can eat, plus ham and cheese and plenty of freshly squeezed orange juice. We also decided to have dinner there once. In the morning we checked the menu, chose what we wanted for dinner and told Maria what time we wanted to eat. At the established time, Maria called us to the dining room where we were served without any delays. The system works well. I have left for the end what really sets this hotel apart from others: the care given to guests which makes them feel part of the family. The owner, Gustavo, was attentive to all our needs and ready to volunteer not only information but also help. On one of the four days we stayed there, we went outside to wait for the bus to go to the Catedral ski centre (buses to Llao Llao, Catedral and Bariloche city centre stop at the door of the hotel). He got on his minivan and drove us there so that we wouldn't waste time waiting for the bus. We thanked him for the favour, although it certainly was not necessary. Therefore, it did not surprise us when, on checking out, Gustavo loaded our luggage on the minivan and took us to catch our bus out of Bariloche. My husband and I stayed here in March, which is the low season when there are not many tourists around, although the weather is perfect and the days are still long (there is sunshine up to 7 in the evening). We paid $150 (50 US dollars) per night for a double room with breakfast included, so we consider it was excellent value for what we paid. I hear that prices go up during the high season (December to February, which is summer holidays, and July to September, which is the skiing season). However, Gustavo must have made a good impression not only on us: you can see all the skiing equipment left by the hotel's patrons. They return every year and so never bother to take their skis with them: Gustavo takes care of them until the following winter. If you are planning to ski, you are better off at this hotel, which is closer to the ski slopes than Bariloche itself. And there are two minivans to convey skiers to the slopes. All included in the price. The hotel boasts several different activity areas (reading room, two living rooms, bar, pool room) and a swimming pool (which is heated in winter ). My husband and I only used the reading room, where we found several shelves of books, in Spanish and in English. My husband started reading a book which he hadn't finished when it was time for us to leave, but Gustavo encouraged him to take it with him. We will be returning the book to an address in the city of Buenos Aires. There are many 4-star hotels in and around Bariloche, so you can take your pick if you feel like splurging. But if you are looking for that special extra that makes a hotel memorable, and you are cost-conscious, you can't go wrong by choosing the Old Windmill.

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“We wouldn't have chosen it”

As a young couple travelling to a foreign country we wouldn't have picked this hotel. The hotel came with our package and wasn't what we had expected. The people who run the hotel are very nice and helpful but it just wasn't for us. A family atmosphere this hotel is perfect for large families, loca… more

As a young couple travelling to a foreign country we wouldn't have picked this hotel. The hotel came with our package and wasn't what we had expected. The people who run the hotel are very nice and helpful but it just wasn't for us. A family atmosphere this hotel is perfect for large families, locals or older couples. The intimate attention made us feel awkward and the drives in the owner's personal car were not what we expected as 'private transfers'. Neither in town or on the slopes there is little to do around the hotel in the evening and so we would have preffered to be nearer to the restuarants and shops of the ski village or downtown Bariloche. The beds were also very hard and we weren't allowed to eat in our rooms which was rather dissapointing.

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