Exe Cataratas

Friendly staff and comfortable rooms are the high

Like most visitors, I traveled to Puerto Iguazú to visit the spectactular national park surrounding the falls. Hotel Exe Cataratas was a few miles from the park entrance but transportation was easily arranged -- they'll call you a cab or you can take the AR$50 (~US$3.50) Rio Uruguay buses, which pick up and drop off less than a block from the hotel. In contrast to the hotel staff I met in the federal capital, the staff at Hotel Cataratas were warm, friendly, and genuinely helpful. My room was clean and large and comfortable, and the pool was a much-appreciated bonus when I wandered home exhausted after each day of exploring the park's trails. The hotel is neither in town nor in the park, but in-between (about 3/4 mile outside of town on the main road which connects the two) and while better food options are available in town, has acceptable hot food service (both buffet and a la carte) for visitors who are too tired at the end of the day to go exploring for dinner. WiFi worked better than the hotels at which I stayed in Buenos Aires. And after boxes in other hotels that barely chilled their contents at all, I was overjoyed to have a real working mini-fridge in my room and a bar where the staff would give me ice in the evenings so I could enjoy a cold drink while I remembered the day's adventures.

Some of the facilities in the hotel are getting a bit run down -- it's an older property and it's in a harsh place -- but except for weak water pressure in my shower, my visit wasn't adversely affected by the aging of the property. Visitors expecting a shiny modern boutique hotel have other options to choose from -- but they're going to miss the friendly staff and comfortable rooms that made Hotel Exe Cataratas a winner in my book.