Hosteria Helsingfors

“Unique experience to remember forever!!”

Simply Amazing!!! If you are thinking of booking Hosteria Helsingfors, DO IT!!!!!!!! We had THE most incredible stay here. We are respectively from canada and Denmark and have travelled extensively and it’s one of the most incredibly beautiful, remote and magical place we had the privilege to expe… more

Simply Amazing!!! If you are thinking of booking Hosteria Helsingfors, DO IT!!!!!!!! We had THE most incredible stay here. We are respectively from canada and Denmark and have travelled extensively and it’s one of the most incredibly beautiful, remote and magical place we had the privilege to experience. The hotel is warm and cozy, very comfortable, with a great sitting area where we spent one afternoon sitting and snoozing by the fireplace. We had the most incredible walk with wonderful view point and horseback riding excursion led by Yaelle, a fabulous and knowledgeable guide. She was a joy to be with and very generous in sharing her knowledge about the surroundings, the horses, and the way of life in patagonia argentina. We will remember forever the horseback ride we had with some horses from the same herd as our horses just followed us on our ride, completely free. We saw foxes, condors, guanacos and many more wondeful birds. The food was some of the best we had in Argentina (thank you chef!) and Camillas service was impeccable and attentive. We also met Nico on our last day, who was so nice with sharing his stories about the place and Argentinian patagonia. He also was very generous in providing further advice on hikes we could do in chalten, as we were going there next. His recommendation was perfect, don’t hesitate to ask him! We had our own car and really enjoyed the road to the estancia, although it was not paved , but they take good care of it. As it had rained the night before our departure, Erik and Yaelle offered to accompany us for the first part of the road which was most generous and kind of them. Overall, one of the best memories of our trip that we will cherish forever! Thanks again so much to Nico, Yaelle, chef, camilla, Erik and all the wonderful staff at the estancia!! Pia&Joan Xxx

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“Unique and wonderful”

Not really in Calafate as the listing says - a few hours on rough roads to get there (but with lots of wildlife sightings and beautiful vistas). Very special place . Hiking is challenging but the guides are great at adapting to guests’ needs. Food is over the top great. We were there two nights whi… more

Not really in Calafate as the listing says - a few hours on rough roads to get there (but with lots of wildlife sightings and beautiful vistas). Very special place . Hiking is challenging but the guides are great at adapting to guests’ needs. Food is over the top great. We were there two nights which was the perfect amount.

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“A peaceful and beautiful place”

We stayed at Estancia Helsingfors in late February 2022. Our trip was deferred from early 2020 due to the pandemic border and facility closures. We are very, very happy to have finally done this trip. Helsingfors was one of the highlights of our trip to Patagonia. This is a peaceful and quiet p… more

We stayed at Estancia Helsingfors in late February 2022. Our trip was deferred from early 2020 due to the pandemic border and facility closures. We are very, very happy to have finally done this trip. Helsingfors was one of the highlights of our trip to Patagonia. This is a peaceful and quiet place, in a beautiful setting on Lago Viedma. The view across the lake to Fitzroy is spectacular, especially at sunrise and sunset. The hikes to Laguna Azul and west toward the head of the fjord are terrific. While we had some rain at the beginning of our stay (which is uncommon at this time of year) we were pretty lucky in that the normal windy conditions abated -- the lake was flat calm, with little icebergs from the Viedma glacier floating in front of us. The entire staff was gracious and accommodating. The food was superb -- I think Chef Nico would be welcomed at any restaurant in the Americas or Europe. Our room was well-appointed and very comfortable. Relaxing in front of the fireplace in the library with a nice glass of Malbec after our hikes was a great way to forget the craziness of the outside world. If you're looking for an escape from the hustle and bustle of the popular Patagonia hiking trails, you should really consider staying at Helfingfors for at least three or four nights. It was a great experience for us.

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“Relaxing stay in a beautiful setting”

Pros: Tasty gourmet-level dinners. All meals were included with lunch typically being a sandwich and salad bar of sorts, so you could pack food for the hikes. We especially enjoyed the outdoor lamb feast and wine when we arrived. Marcella and Pastor were our guides on the hikes. They were upbeat … more

Pros: Tasty gourmet-level dinners. All meals were included with lunch typically being a sandwich and salad bar of sorts, so you could pack food for the hikes. We especially enjoyed the outdoor lamb feast and wine when we arrived. Marcella and Pastor were our guides on the hikes. They were upbeat and fun to be with. Gorgeous setting, away from the crowds of Calafate and Chalten. Well maintained, peaceful grounds. Nice hiking trails – Includes the blue lagoon hike which was so diverse in weather for one hike. Great views. Guided hikes included. You have the option to ride a horse for most of the Blue Lagoon hike; the last part is too steep for horses. Nicely sized somewhat basic room. Good water pressure. Glad we had a separate building (see cons below). Cons: This is probably not a con for most, but if you’re tired or not inclined to hike &/or ride a horse, there’s not that much else to do but hang out in the lodge or in your room or wander the pretty property which can be fine for a day or so. There's no spa for a massage or other upscale lodge features you might see back in the States. We enjoyed all the hikes we did. Cost – I realize that they have to bring in everything from Calafate and be self-sustaining in terms of electricity, etc. (and that can’t be cheap) but $450 per day per person seemed excessive even given that. Noise – There were some noisy guests hanging out in the main lobby area until 1 am on night. This didn’t impact us since were in a stand-alone building, but impacted guests I spoke to thought that one of the noisy folks was the owner of the Lodge. No alcohol included (except for welcome lunch when we arrived) – This is not a big deal, but 1-2 drinks included would not have been asking much for $450/night. Decent Malbec at grocery stores in Calafate was less than $4 a bottle, so a “free” glass would cost ~ $1 per pour and would have made it feel like a better value. The only beer they had was Heineken, so I took a pass on that. We saw local beer at other places in Patagonia. We had brought our own wine from Calafate and had them pour it for us which worked out well. They wanted to be paid only in US $. Pesos should have been happily accepted. If you drive to the Lodge yourself, it was at the end of a 70-ish km bumpy gravel road. It was a bit brain rattling to be on the road for so long. You can have a ride arranged which might be a good idea. Overall – Very nice place, but paying US $900 a night (per couple) was excessive in my opinion. Given that all meals and activities were included, and we paid in US currency, I think something like $500-600 per couple would have been more reasonable. I'm basing that on US expectations since we paid in US currency.

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