After a hot, dry, “meh” experience in Puerto Madryn, I was hoping Argentina would show me something beautiful that wasn't completely exhausting. Thank God we came to Bariloche.
After an interminably long bus ride, we wanted to leave the bus station as quickly as humanly possible, and jumped into the first cab we saw.
Driving through town, I was surprised how much Bariloche reminded me of Lucerne, Switzerland. There was the amazing lake, the pretty architecture, and in the main town there were ski/skate shops, designer boutiques, fondue restaurants, hotels, breweries, and chocolate stores on every corner.
When you visit Bariloche, you can either stay in the center, which is what all the kids do who go to Bariloche for their Senior trip, or you can stay in a hotel outside of town, 5-15 miles along the main drag. I just picked the best rated modestly priced hotel, since we were getting burned out on the hostels.
Altuen, the hotel we eventually booked 4 nights with, was 7.2 km outside of town, right off the main drag. Not only was it walking distance from some of the best restaurants in Bariloche, but there was a nearby beach, and a ton of small parillas, wine bars, hotels and B&Bs overlooking the water. The best part of all, is that the temperature couldn’t have been more than 75-80 degrees—the first temperate location of the trip!
Altuen's owners were an extremely friendly couple, who always wished us "Nice Time!" when we left for the day. Luis, the man of the house, made us little maps, and cooked us eggs every morning. I've never met someone who liked his job/house-guests more than Luis.
Paula, who must have been half Dan’s size, was absolutely adorable too. Hilariously, she insisted on carrying both Dan’s bags up the stairs herself, even though Dan physically tried to stop her. Once in the room, things just kept getting better. We had a little porch, some chairs for sitting outside, a big, decently comfortable bed, and an awesome view of the lake.
All-in-all, our arrival in Bariloche was definitely a welcome change, and a sign that the course of the trip was finally starting to go a little bit more our way.