Great house

Guest: Jorge (Vancouver, BC, Canada)
Date of Stay: 08/01/07 Review Submitted: 12/18/07

This was the perfect house for three guys (in our 50's) doing a week of skiing in Bariloche. It was 10 minutes to the mountain and 10 minutes to town and 15 minutes to the airport. We spent more time eating in as we enjoyed the house so much. We would put on a fire and open some good wine (that is very reasonably priced) and nibble on great cheeses and discuss our plans for the next day and relax. The views from the kitchen in the morning are outstanding and very distracting when you are cooking. The only thing that was missing was a shovel to dig out after a snow storm and we even had fun with that as we ended up borrowing one from next door. Tip....if it snows, move your car to the top of the driveway. I hope I have an opportunity to go back to this house again and to stay for more than a week. I have stayed in a lot of places and I felt at home as soon as I walked in the door. I highly recommend this property to anyone looking for a lakeside home away from the hustle and noise of the city.

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, girls getaway, age 55+, families with teenagers, romantic getaway, families with young children.

Fantástico!

Guest: tadcreative (Perth, WA, Australia)
Date of Stay: 05/03/11 Review Submitted: 05/31/11

My husband and I stayed in this magic part of the world with two other couples. The house was really comfortable for a larger group and the view was amazing. Fantastic location for mountain biking, hiking and horse riding through the mountains. Highly recommended!!

Recommended for:Adventure seekers.

Heaven on Earth

Guest: Chris (Sydney, NSW Australia)
Date of Stay: 03/15/11 Review Submitted: 05/24/11

My wife and I travelled to Bariloche with our three young children (8,6 and 2) to experience the magic of the Andes. We decided to rent a house in order to give ourselves lots of room to move around. The house we picked was amazing!! (We also think VRBO is fantastic!!) The house is located in a very quiet natural setting with wonderful views of the lake and an expansive yard. It also has a private beach (but was a bit cold to enjoy at this time of year). The location feels like a million miles away from everything yet realistically is only 15 minutes away from town and 10 minutes away from the ski resort. The house had all the mod cons we needed including a washing machine and dryer which came in handy with kids clothes. It has a great fire place in the lounge room from where we enjoyed wonderful views of the lake and the mountains. My wife also got addicted to the famous telenovelas (soap operas) on TV even though they were all in Spanish! The caretaker (Ernan) was even kind enough to bring us fire wood when we ran out and on our second last day he offered to cook us a traditional argentine BBQ ...which we accepted...to our great delight. The kids all had their own rooms and bathrooms and the house offered an office where I was able to set up the family laptop. Unfortunately the internet is slow but upon investigation all of Bariloche still predominately seems to use DSL. Waking up in the master bedroom with views straight onto the water was magical. The fact that we have a two year old made us appreciate the kids gates on the stairs and the level of security around the house made us feel very safe. The Andes by the way was better than any photo or description could capture and really is one of those things you need to experience firsthand to appreciate. The people of Argentina and Bariloche could not have been more welcoming and open....we would definitely travel to Argentina/Bariloche again and would also stay at this house.

Recommended for:Families with young children.

worn out

Guest: Robert (Lisbon, New Hampshire USA)
Date of Stay: 02/02/11 Review Submitted: 02/28/11

This house was my first VRBO experience and I was not impressed. The house is generally as advertised. The items I take exception with are as follows: The "large screen TV" is a standard television, not flat panel and is really not that large compared to TVs today. Takes multiple controls to make it function. The dining room does have large windows but as we were visiting during the summer we had to keep the blinds closed because it was to bright/sunny and hot The kitchen is well equiped but with old, worn out appliances and cheap tableware. The pots and pans are worn out and there is a shortage of mixing bowls. The toaster really needs to be replaced. Calling the yard a "forest" is an exageration. There are two kayaks as advertised but the green one leaks badly (i.e., don't take it out into deep water for very long). There was only one life jacket so both can't be used safely at the same time. The place does have a "beach" but it is shared with the people from next door. The pictures make the place seen quite isolated but it is close to two other houses on either side. The place is locked like a fortress. It takes three locks to get in the front door which is almost impossible to do before the alarm goes off. The oother door on the main level is gated with multiple locks so hopefully you won't have to get out of the place fast due to a fire since they all require keys from the inside in order to get out. Only one window has a screen (and it has holes) so you can't open the house up at night in the summer without letting in a swarm of insects. The Internet acted up for us the entire time. Some of the cabling needs to be replaced and you have to be patient to get a connection. It's DSL. The place is advertised with Off-street parking but you really need a four-wheel drive vehicle to get up and down the steep driveway without losing traction. The drive has obviously had problems in the past and their is severe erosion. The gate at the entry needs to be closed when coming and going and that requires someone to get out of the car on the hill. I would not call the BBQ and authentic outdoor parrilla. It's a grill top over a campfire spot on the ground. There is a system that pressurizes the water and it leaks in such a way that the noisy pump runs every 20 seconds for about 10 seconds or so even when the water is turned off. There is a switch to turn off the pump. The house is in a good location but I would not rent it again.

Owner response:Thank you for your feedback. Because of it we were able to address the issues raised. It is hard to sometimes manage certain things from far away even with a local agent there. As mentioned, given your experience, we are happy to host you at a reduced rate next time. We have many guests that return year after year. Please be aware that the following has been done: * Kitchen has been restocked and new toaster bought. Note, the tableware is not cheap. Perhaps you are used to more lavish items that are simply not availabe in Argentina. We get the best of what is available as we love being there and feeling that we are at home. * The kayaks - yes one seems to have been ruined by a previous guest. We will attempy to fix it if possible. It is unfortunate people cannot treat things with a little more respect. Two new kayaks were left there on our last visit less than 12 months ago. In terms of your other comments: * The house is on a block of over 2000 sq meters. It has many huge (Coihue) trees at the back. Some are 100 years old. To me this feels like my own little forest. The house next door is situated in a manner that cannot be seen from ours. To me this is as secluded as I would like it to be. * Your comment about the house being a fortress. We are a security conscious family as we have small children. When we sleep, we like to feel that our family is safe. Although there are very few issues in Bariloche, we have spent the money to ensure we are completely safe there. Ours guest benefit from this. * Internet : Yes the internet service in Bariloche is average, but it works most of the time. Unfortuantely, I always seem to get my work emails! This is not an issue with the house, it is an issue with the telecommunications company. Argentina is not United States when it comes to technology. With that said, it has better steaks and chocolate. * The best parking for the house, is at the top of the block. There is plenty of space there for multiple cars. I mentioned this in an email to you - which you never replied to. * The BBQ parilla was built by locals. We have had some amazing chorizo there (with the people that built it). It is as authentic as they come. * The water pump brings fresh water from the lake. When there is a drop in pressure is re-pressurizes the house. If you leave a tap on in the house (even dripping) it will activate the pump. We have had plumbers check this and they have confirmed that. I also mentioned this to you in an email.

Recommended for:

Guest: Mimosa (-)
Date of Stay: 08/22/10 Review Submitted: 12/09/10

Dear jhon, I forgot if I wrote you after we were back. If I don't, sorry. It was great! Your house is fantastic. Very confortabke and with a superbus view! I sent my friend picture every day from master's room window!!! Thanks If you need any travel advice in italy we're here!! Ciao Mimosa

Recommended for:

Guest: Estelita (-)
Date of Stay: 01/17/10 Review Submitted: 04/15/10

This place has fully met our expectations and I certainly would recommend it to anyone visiting Bariloche. This house is located 10 meters away from Lago Gutierrez, which is more picturesque than Lago Nauel Haupi. The house fits two families comfortable or 3 families well. We felt absolutely safe. The house was clean and very nicely maintained. This has been my 4th time in Bariloche and of all the places we have seen, this has been our best. My kids spend hours per day just fishing from the lake so it was basically open up the backyard door for an instant playdate with nature. Place is very close to Cerro Catedral and Cascada de los duendes You have to have a car to be in this location

Recommended for:

Guest: Jorge (-)
Date of Stay: 08/22/07 Review Submitted: 04/15/10

This was the perfect house for three guys (in our 50's) doing a week of skiing in Bariloche. It was 10 minutes to the mountain and 10 minutes to town and 15 minutes to the airport. We spent more time eating in as we enjoyed the house so much. We would put on a fire and open some good wine (that is very reasonably priced) and nibble on great cheeses and discuss our plans for the next day and relax. The views from the kitchen in the morning are outstanding and very distracting when you are cooking. The only thing that was missing was a shovel to dig out after a snow storm and we even had fun with that as we ended up borrowing one from next door. Tip....if it snows, move your car to the top of the driveway. I hope I have an opportunity to go back to this house again and to stay for more than a week. I have stayed in a lot of places and I felt at home as soon as I walked in the door. I highly recommend this property to anyone looking for a lakeside home away from the hustle and noise of the city.

Recommended for:

Absolutely Gorgeous Location!!!

Guest: Estelita (Sao Paulo)
Date of Stay: 01/07/10 Review Submitted: 02/04/10

This place has fully met our expectations and I certainly would recommend it to anyone visiting Bariloche. This house is located 10 meters away from Lago Gutierrez, which is more picturesque than Lago Nauel Haupi. The house fits two families comfortable or 3 families well. We felt absolutely safe. The house was clean and very nicely maintained. This has been my 4th time in Bariloche and of all the places we have seen, this has been our best. My kids spend hours per day just fishing from the lake so it was basically open up the backyard door for an instant playdate with nature. Place is very close to Cerro Catedral and Cascada de los duendes You have to have a car to be in this location

Recommended for:Sightseeing, adventure seekers, tourists without a car, girls getaway, pet owners, romantic getaway, families with young children.