Oceano Patagonia by Nordic

Amazing location, right at the beach and easily accessible No power or water on the second morning. Front desk wasn’t willing to switch on the generator, as they‘d need to check with their manager (who seemed to be overseas at that time) and they only brought the generator up and running after 3+ hours of constant complaining. No water, no toilets, no wifi, no chance to prepare breakfast. The team isn’t empowered to decide anything and lacks basic skills of complaint resolution, even with the solution being simple and obvious: No power = switch on generator

They really had some slick advertising. It's old, not well kept, "free breakfast" that you have to make yourself in your room, nasty shower, secure parking for one or two cars at best and way over priced. We've stayed in very nice hotels in Argentina but this was not one of them.

What a wonderful experience from the moment I walked in the door to the adventures of the region. The interior design blends exquisitely into the wilderness outside. One walks into the room and is lead outside onto the spacious balcony seamlessly to breath in its wild simple beauty. If you love the wild, you appreciate the thought that has gone into their efforts of sustainability. Repurposed materials in the building and furniture that allow one to ensure a guilt free indulgence of this very special place. This small village depends on tourism and it's fragile environment. As a visitor, I observed that the operators work with the environment. It is a sound principal of compatibility with nature, not exploitation. Prices of the excursions are very reasonable and the operators and staff are conscious of safety and respect to the animals and the environment. In addition, I don't speak Spanish and I found the staff of the hotel are attentive and helpful. Oh, and the food and wine! Ugh! Fabulous! The village has quaint cafes and lovely restaurants. Thank you for welcoming me to Puerto Piramides and beautiful memories. I am tempted to say once in a lifetime memories, but I will be back!

We stayed for 3-nights in early-Oct at the Oceano Patagonia in Puerto Piramides ($308 Can/night). The hotel is located on the beach, one building to the left of the statue of the whale's tail at the end of Avenida La Primera Bajada (the street with all of the whale watching companies). Our 2nd floor room was long and narrow, with the king bed and side tables on one side, a long counter with the kitchen (mini-refrigerator, sink, cabinet, drawers) and TV on the other. Two comfortable chairs and a coffee-table faced the full windows at the end of the room, as did a small kitchen table and 2 chairs. The deck was wide and deep, with a view of the beach, but without any deck furniture – it was still quite cold in the early spring weather, so this was not a big issue. There were no whales visible in the bay in front of the apartment; it required a 20 min boat ride to see them. The bathroom was cramped but with adequate vanity space; the shower had low flows, and it took almost 5-minutes for warm water to arrive (not a plus when the conservation of fresh water is a concern). The refrigerator was stocked with breakfast supplies – ham and cheese, eggs, butter, yogurt and, as a nice touch, fresh-baked bread was delivered each morning in a bag hung on the door handle. There was plenty of parking, 2 spaces in front of the hotel, a couple of cramped spaces in the basement, and the street was empty after the day-trippers left. Everything in town was an easy 2 block walk – convenience stores, several reasonable restaurants, bars – and there is a gas station in town. The staff were friendly and helpful with restaurant and tour operator recommendations. So given all of the positives, why only 3-stars? The website photos show a new, meticulously-maintained building with modern, stylishly decorated rooms. This misrepresents the current status of the hotel; it shows its age and poor maintenance, with worn floors and blackout curtains, pock-marked and stained walls, wardrobe closets that barely closed, damaged trim, plugs that needed to be wiggled to make the appliance work. While everything was comfortable and the location was great, I expected much more from a hotel at this price.

Océano Patagonia is a magical place! I started planning this trip to Peninsula Valdez 6 months ago and kept seeing pictures of Océano. Though my friend and I both have "shiny object syndrome" and checked out many places to stay, we kept coming back to the eco-consciousness of Océano. Their values matched our values: supporting local community, while minimizing travel footprint. We felt like Alice in Wonderland seeing/hearing mother whales with their calves, right from our hotel balcony! The team were warm and welcoming and we felt so at home at Océano. I'm already looking forward to staying there again next year!