Aldebaran Hotel and Spa

Stylish modern design and luxury in this intimate lakeside hotel with spa and superb restaurant, perched on the rocks 23km from Bariloche

At last: a hotel that’s not chalet style! After a picturesque 20 km drive from Swiss-themed Bariloche, skirting the fringes of Nahuel Huapi, you descend the vertiginous shore of wild Península San Pedro to find a sleek, modern, Spanish-influenced building with pale grey stone and wide archways, perched right on the rocks.

Traditional wood and stone are transformed here into a strikingly modern reworking of the classic mountain lodge. Alongside wide fireplaces, exposed beams, stone-clad nooks, you get vast white sofas to sink into, and specially commissioned paintings; and the magnificent view of mountains across the water is ever-present through huge windows. It's a romantic backdrop to 10 beautifully designed, minimalist yet warm and cosy bedrooms with gorgeous bathrooms and private decks where water licks the rocks just below you. The food is excellent; the luxurious setting matched by incredibly attentive service. Book a superb massage, then swim out from the spa to gaze up at a thousand stars. This is the way to do Bariloche.

Highs

• Probably the best setting of any hotel in the Bariloche area: the peninsula is still wild, and rooms have superb views of lake and mountain
• Close to Cerros Catedral and Otto for hiking, climbing and skiing
• Wonderful, young, bilingual staff: nothing is too much trouble
• Airport transfer and use of the spa are included
• Delicious food in the superb restaurant with its well chosen wine list: no need to go into Bariloche for dinner
• The spa, ingeniously built into the rock, offers excellent massages; there’s a lovely pool where you can swim from inside to outside

Lows

• Aldebaran is not in the centre of Bariloche, so you either need to hire a car, or take a taxi back to the hotel from town. However, taxis aren’t expensive, and after your first day or so, there’s far more to explore in the mountains close to the hotel than in the town
• It’s not cheap. There are many more economical places to stay, but few which offer this standard of design, food and service