Hotel Portillo

NileGuide Expert tip:

Don't miss the restaurant, even if you won't be staying at the hotel.

Description:

• The signature yellow building that sits beside the high altitude lake called Laguna del Inca owes its history to the old train that used to ply the mountainside, bringing goods to Mendoza. In fact, the old train tunnel connects to the hotel basement, near an area that is used for indoor sports, such as basketball.
  
  And there are many things to do at the hotel, particularly in season. In addition to the internet room, there are daily movies shown, a restaurant that serves tasty Chilean specials and a self-service cafe.
  
  The hotel feels like an classic old lodge, with pictures of every ski team that has ever come and competed there framed on the walls, as well as historical pictures of adventurers that made their way to the hotel. The rooms are cozy, but not huge, with the idea being that guests socialize with one another in one of the many lounges, and guests come back year after year during the same week to meet up with one another. Most of the guests are Chilean, but English-speaking guests will also have no trouble finding other guests to talk to.
  
  During the off season, it is still possible to stay at the hotel and hike around the lake, or two other options exist for lodging, the Inca Lodge, a hostel-type accommodation, or the Octagon, which has rooms for up to four people in a quirkily-styled building with bunk beds and double beds, which are perfect for families.
  
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