2007 Roadtrip From Quilmes to Cafayate, Argentina

From Quilmes to our next stop, Cafayate, was a short 60 km/37 m. We knew there was a Starwood Luxury Collection hotel in Cafayate. As unlikely a place as it may seem for a Starwood, the area gets lots of upscale tourists on the Argentinean wine tasting trail. Luckily our budget for 2007 reflects the great year our mutual fund investments had in 2006. Even so, we decided not to make a reservation at Patios de Cafayate because we thought we might be able to negotiate a good price on the spot (Patios de Cafayate Hotel & Spa, RN 40 y RP 68 (on 68), Cafayate, 4427 Salta, tel (54 3868) 421-747 (tollfree 0800 888 3589), web: luxurycollection.com/cafayate).
Fortunately, Charles Kramer, the general manager, was at reception when we arrived. He upgraded us to a suite at the price of a standard room, provided us with a bottle of the wine from the Bodega El Esteco (formerly known as La Rosa) on the property, and gave us a special price. We ended up paying AP$525 per day/US $170 for a room with a rack rate of US$378 or so. Now that’s the kind of deal we love.
The hotel is a renovated estancia or estate and has a Spanish style, with Italianate flourishes. The family winery of Michel Torino was established there and part of the hotel grounds. The views from our room were of the vineyards and the mountains beyond. Our suite was comfortable, with plenty of storage.

Our suite at Patios de Cafayate

The Wine Spa part of the hotel didn’t interest us—not even the Jacuzzi. We had a 2 person Jacuzzi in our suite that we luxuriated in each afternoon. The first night we ate at the hotel and it was disappointing. The Don David Malbec from our Bodega El Esteco (AP$35/US $11.36) was delicious.