Travel Blog


Drive Over the Andes Mountains to Mendoza Argentina

November 21st, 2012 ernie Posted in Argentina 3 Comments »

Andes Mountains to Mendoza ArgentinaWorking in a country like Chile is an entirely enjoyable experience. When you work in a country, you have the evenings and weekends to visit many places. You would never see most of these places  if you were only there for a two week vacation. It is a great way to  also get to know the culture and really get to know the people. We spent 8 months working in Chile. We went on many trips around the country including one that took us over the mountains to Argentina via the Andes mountains. This post is about driving over the Andes Mountains to Mendoza Argentina. Our last post was about visiting the Hyatt hotel in Mendoza, Argentina. This post is about how we got there.

Andes Mountains to Mendoza Argentina

I should say at the outset that I like to take driving trips. This particular trip was one of the most interesting that I have taken in a long time. Imagine a two lane paved road with no guard rails along the road in a desert setting. You can see for miles and miles. You can look up the mountain and follow the road as it twists and turns up the side of the mountain. It rises  to its 11,000 foot pass that takes you from Chile to Argentina. Later we learn that there are 49 switchbacks and a tunnel to go through at the top of the mountain pass. But we are getting ahead of ourselves.

Fantastic Views

The scenery is breath taking with the mountains and the valleys and the fact that as you get higher, you can see the glaciers at the top of the mountains and the Pacific ocean in the distance. Chile is only 100 miles wide in some parts so when you get high enough on a clear day, there is no problem viewing these vistas.  Cars, vans and tractor trailers all use this 2 lane road.

It is a well maintained paved road. But it is only 2 lanes wide and that means a lot of risky passing on the uphill stretches.  Tractor trailers are literally crawling along as they climb the mountain and as a result faster vehicles are forced to pass on the straight stretches between the quarter mile switchbacks. It is a bit scary at times, but it is either that or you spend many hours just getting to the border at the top of the mountain.

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Pablo Travels to the Hyatt in Mendoza Argentina

April 21st, 2012 ernie Posted in Argentina 2 Comments »

Hyatt in Mendoza ArgentinaOne weekend myself and 3 friends decided to drive over the Andes from Santiago, Chile to Mendoza Argentina. This was an 8 hour drive with stupendous views and a trip that everyone should do at least once just for the experience. I will write about this experience in another post, because this one is devoted to the Hyatt in Mendoza Argentina! We have such fond memories of this hotel and Mendoza as well so I thought I would write about it on this blog. This blog is written by a guy named Pablo who has traveled the world. He is writing about some of the experiences that he has had while traveling.

This picture on the left is a picture of this stately hotel as you approach the main entrance from the street. It is a grand old hotel with two huge veranda’s out front that are set up for dining in the afternoon and dancing in the evening.  We arrived after an 8 hour drive that in some ways was quite grueling very thirsty and hot. What would be better than to sit on the veranda shown in the picture below. Knock back a couple of really cold Argentine beers and enjoy a couple of empanada’s ! That is exactly what we did throughout the remainder of the afternoon.

Hyatt in Mendoza Argentina

Hyatt in Mendoza ArgentinaThis Hyatt hotel lives up to the standard set by Hyatt around the world.  High quality rooms, fine dining and a historical presence. Located in an old Argentine city at the foothills of the Andes.  We took time to enjoy the Casino as well on the property. Although we did not win while playing the slots, we thoroughly enjoyed the ambiance of the casino. We sat at the bar and talked about how lucky we were to be living in Chile Also able to drive across the Andes the way we did.

The Hyatt also has fine dining and of course when you are in Argentina, you have to try one of their famous steaks. Argentina is known for their beef and the Hyatt hotel in Argentina certainly lived up to this reputation. Can you imagine digging into a 14 oz sirloin steak with a baked potato and salad and it only cost $8 US! What a deal this was and at a Hyatt too. I am sure that prices have gone up since we were there. But at the time it was truly a fantastic deal as well as an excellent meal.

Entertainment in the Evening

In the evening they had a band playing and many people came to dance and watch the dancers. The Argentine women lived up to their reputation for beauty and skilled dancers, We were truly mesmerized as they performed the tango and other dances to the music. Talk about being sexy!

Things to do in Mendoza

Although this post is about the Hyatt and how much we enjoyed staying there, we thought we should include some information about the city as well. Argentina is of course Spanish so it is a good idea to know a bit of Spanish if you plan to go there. At the time we spoke very little and had little problems navigating to the city and around the city.

Mendoza City Information

The city lies at the foothills of the Andes Mountains. Mendoza is renowned for its wine produce and wineries. It is one of the nine cities worldwide within the “Great Capitals of Wine” network. Mendoza’s ideal location, with easy access to the Andes mountain range and Aconcagua (the highest mountain in the Americas), makes it a sports’ haven for adventurers interested in skiing, mountaineering, hiking and rafting.

Attractions close to Mendoza

  • Cerro Aconcagua National Park
  • Uspallata Village
  • Las Lenas ski resort
  • General San Martin National Park
  • Puente del Inca – Natural Bridge over the Vacas River
  • Potrerillos
  • Wineries

If you have been to Mendoza, leave us your thoughts and comments. Our readers will value the additional information that you provide. If you leave a constructive helpful comment for our readers we will be happy to provide you with a link back to your own web site.

For another post about Argentina, click here.

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