My wife (the best!) suprised me with a trip to Argentina for my birthday - she shocked me with a trip to Patagonia. We flew into the airport in El Calafate and were met by a gentleman who immediately took our luggage and led us to our transportation to Eolo. The trip from the airport takes you through the town of El Calafate. There are restaurants, bars, shops and many a young backpacker. The scenery was spectacular - mountains, glacial lakes, eagles, hawks and clean air! Our driver was very professional and informative. Its a 45 minute drive that felt more like a great tour.

We arrived at the gate of the resort - actually a resort placed inside a working ranch. The resort is situated on a hillside inside of a glacial valley. You travel for about 10 minutes on a dirt road to get to the resort itself - not that you will notice the road - you will be too busy watching in amazement at the scenery. We were met at front of the resort by the fantastic staff. We were taken inside and given a plate of crackers, meats and wine. The layout of the building was explained (as well as a tour) as well as all of the excursions and activities that were available. We were brought to our room and out jaws dropped when looked out the huge picture window with the most incredible view. The room was very clean and well furnished. The bathrooms were large and well appointed.

The staff, as well as the other guests were friendly, warm and very helpful. The staff makes this place - without a doubt. As for the food - well here it goes. The breakfasts were very good. Fresh juices, milks, cereals, breads, cakes and fruits. Eggs were made to order. We ordered a packed lunch for our day trip tp the glacier Petit Moreno (unbelievable experience),which was placed in an insulated backpack by the chef. It was actually pretty good. Sandwich, fruits, pastry, coffee, water, wine and utensils. Dinners were pretty good. The food was fresh and creative. Fish (Trout), steak, chicken and pasta. Very good wine list. Argentina has some great, high quality wines. Try the Malbecs - their signature national reds. The service was professional and attentive. My only complaint is that the menu was exactly the same for 3 of the 4 nights in which we stayed. The one night it did change was Holy Thursday (Thursday before Easter Sunday).

The resort is placed inside a working ranch which is about 7,500 acres. There are common areas inside the resort which are tastefully appointed and have great views. There are 2 computers for internet access free of charge. There is an indoor 20x40 heated indoor pool. The scenery of the mountains and the fresh air is incredible. Very relaxing and peaceful. We hiked all over the property. There are cows, horses, rabbits, hawks and eagles all over the property. We also took a great horseback ride through the hills of the property. We relaxed on the resort deck which overlooks a large glacial lake. One night we were lucky enough to have a crystal clear night AND a full moon. The place brings a sense of peace. It also brings a feeling of tremendous respect for nature. Bring your camera and tripod - you are going to need every roll of film or memory card that you can carry!

After a four-day trek in Chile's Torres del Paine national park, we thought that a stay in luxurious, secluded Eolo would be the perfect end to our brief Patagonian adventure. We were right--the place is absolutely, utterly secluded within a dry, windswept working ranch. The hotel itself is relatively new and decorated in a very tasteful, simple style. The service was attentive, polite, and essentially flawless. Our room had a beautiful view of Lago Argentino. In terms of atmosphere, Eolo was pitch-perfect for a romantic and peaceful getaway in Patagonia.

Our main caveat concerns the food, which strives towards haute complexity and presentation but doesn't reach it. We have high standards coming from New York, so we don't blame them for trying to offer food in keeping with the premium marketing of the place. But the dishes were hit-and-miss, often overly oily and complicated. A few though were quite delicious. For the three nights we stayed, we did enjoy being able to eat on the premises, but we were definitely also wishing for less pretentious, less heavy food.

We did two excursions: Big Ice (trekking on nearby Perito Moreno glacier) and horseback riding. Both were excellent and I would recommend them. Horseback riding in particular takes place on the same property and seemed the perfect activity for taking in the serene aura of the place. Unless you bring your own car you are locked into the excursions Eolo offers--and the prices they charge. Of course they will mark up the excursions which could be done more cheaply on your own, but overall I thought the prices were fair.

The bottom line is that if you are looking for seclusion, great service, an austere and beautiful environment in Patagonia, Eolo fits the bill perfectly. You probably wouldn't need to stay more than three nights or so, particularly if you are more adventurous and want to do more extensive trekking or explore other reaches of Patagonia. But overall we found Eolo very satisfying and would love to go back.

My husband and I visited the Eolo Lodge in February 2008. We had a great stay. We spent 3 nights there and had a wonderful time. The service was great, the staff was very nice and helpful, the food was good and the lodge was located perfectly for a relaxing vacation. The staff helped us with our tours of the glaciers and had several activities available at the lodge too. We didn't have any problems with getting to/from places and the quality of tours was perfect too. The quality of food varied. Breakfast was the typical buffet, and you could order eggs if you liked. It was light considering the other meals we ate, so that was good. We had lunch the first day at the lodge after our arrival and it was good-- very filling. The next two days we had the boxed lunches which were better than we had expected based on previous reviews. It included beverages of your choice, water, fruits, sandwiches, dessert and a quiche or something of that nature. Being vegetarian, I asked for extra veggies on my sandwich after the first day and it was good. They definitely gave more food than we ate. For dinner, we had a 4 course meal every night. The dinners were all of great quality. The only downside was that their menu didn't change the entire 3 nights we were there. Again, being a vegetarian, there was only 1 choice for me, so I ate the same thing for 2 nights and then the 3rd night I requested something different. Which the chef was happy to make a different dinner for me and it was probably one of the best meals I had while I was there. I didn't feel as bad about the menu not changing when I found out the same thing happened at the Los Notros Hotel from some guests we met while out on a tour. The staff was exceptionally helpful. From the time we arrived until the time we left, we didn't have any problems. The lodge is located in a beautiful setting, it was very peaceful and relaxing. The rooms were clean and very nice. We could not have asked for better service. It was definitely one of the best places we have stayed in terms of service and overall experience. One comment I would like to make about the rooms is that the walls to the halls are very thin. We were a few doors down from the dining area so, if we had decided to go to bed early before everyone finished dinner, it became difficult to fall asleep because of the foot traffic from people going back to their rooms after leaving the dining hall. Most guests were courteous and tried to keep it down while walking through the halls at late hours, but others were not . At any rate, overall, we thought this place was great. I would definitely recommend it to anyone and would definitely go back.

We stayed at Eolo for part of our honeymoon in February. By far, this is probably one of the best trips we've ever taken - largely due to Eolo. Their location, staff, service, food, etc. was exceptional. The amount of personal attention given to each guest makes the lodge feel like home - by the time we left we felt like we were saying goodbye to friends and did not want to leave! Alejandra, Valentin and Paula were some of the staff that made our trip extra-special - but we can't say enough about the staff as a whole, they are friendly, attentive and professional in every manner.

Some tips:

- Have an idea of what excursions you would like to do before you go, and let them know. Many of the more popular ones (Big Ice, etc.) fill up and have limited space. Once you are there the staff will talk to you at length and can answer questions about helping to book other side trips, hikes, etc.

-The lunches: I read some reviews prior to the trip about complaints regarding packed lunches for the excursions. So here's the deal: if you stay at the lodge of course you have the option of eating a wonderful sit-down, four-course meal, and the food is really good. While they can't offer the same option (for obvious reasons) on excursions- you get a backpack with a sandwich, quiche of the day, dessert, fruit, and a beverage, which we thought was just fine! If you don't like something they will do their best to accomodate you.

-The lodge: Plan on spending a day at the lodge. We spent an entire day relaxing, browsing through the books on the area, having a delicious afternoon coffee and pastries, and looking out at the beautiful views.

-If you can, book one of the corner suites- the views are amazing!