Las Balsas Gourmet Hotel & Spa — a member of Relais & Châteaux — is located south of Patagonia’s Villa La Angostura; which overlooks the picturesque Lake Nahuel Huapi.
This exclusive hotel features a private garden, a beach with an adjoining pier and a state-of-the-art spa facility.
Chef Lucas Dabrowski further enhances the experience with hands-down the best food we tasted in Patagonia.
It is absolutely the perfect place to spend a romantic respite.
Las Balsas Hotel & Spa, Villa La Angostura, Argentina
Las Balsas hotel is a little tricky to find at first — you must maneuver through Villa La Angostura’s dense woods and gravel roads. Once arrived, however, you are rewarded with a picture-perfect entrance highlighting the main lounge with its fireplace and cozy furnishings. There is also a small patio that is perfect for meals or drinks outside, provided it is nice and warm weather.
Then there’s the phenomenal views of Lake Nahuel Huapi…simply amazing.
The hotel offers three suites and twelve rooms. The small standard rooms feature exposed wood and high ceilings.
The view is great, though!
Next to the main building, there’s a chic stone, wood and glass building that features a spa, jacuzzi, sauna, gym, lounge and swimming pool.
The staff at Las Balsas is very curteous and helpful.
Concierge Ignacio Centroni is at your service to accommodate for all your wishes. He is a member of Les Clefs d’Or — the prestigious international association of hotel concierges. In fact, he happens to be one of only two Clef d’Or members in all of Patagonia!
Gourmet Restaurant Las Balsas by Chef Lucas Dabrowski
At Las Balsas, cuisine and wine are an integral part of the experience! Chef Lucas Dabrowski delighted us with an exquisite lunch.
Our waitress recommended the starter as something very special… and she was right! The warm corn soup was accompanied by grilled prawns and an unexpected red bell pepper (cold!) Magnificent contrast!
One of our mains was a marinated chicken breast with potato and cheese fondue, sun-dried tomatoes, black olives and a toasted almonds vinaigrette. Yummy!
The other was a traditional Patagonian dish; fresh trout with ginger vinaigrette accompanied by cucumbers, Kombu seaweed salad, barley risotto and a carrot and ginger purée.
Afterwards, we could not resist the equally tasty desserts. We decided on the pear compote with saffron, caramel-coated hazelnut, yogurt and crispy honey caramel.
Sommelier Paolo always recommends a carefully planned wine pairing with each course. Unfortunately, due to driving restrictions we had to skip that experience this time around.
Check out the hotel’s latest prices and availability here.
Many thanks to Juan Pablo and Ignacio (Las Balsas) and Núria (Relais & Châteaux) for making this wonderful stay possible!
Here are some more photos from our stay at Las Balsas:
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