The Best Hotels and Resorts to Book in and Around San Luis, Argentina

On the edge of Villa de Merlo, this serene family-friendly hotel feels like it has one foot in the scenic countryside surroundings. Large leafy gardens provide plenty of space to unwind while soaking up the dramatic views of the neighboring Comechingones Mountains. You’ll find a huge swimming pool to splash in and a spa offering everything from a sauna and steam room to hydromassage tubs and volcanic-stone massage treatments.

This rustic retreat comprises handsome red-brick cabins dotted around sprawling grounds on the edge of the Piedras Blancas Nature Reserve. Each accommodation can sleep up to four guests and comes with a kitchen and a dining room. There’s a private barbecue for a traditional Argentinian asado, too. You’re also within easy walking distance of spectacular hiking trails, with a big free-form pool, perfect for cooling off after your trek.

This family-friendly San Luis resort sits among gardens on a quiet street in Villa de Merlo. Brick villas with space for up to five have dining areas, kitchens and balconies overlooking the mountains. There’s a large pool and a game area with swings and playhouses. But the real draws are the quirky collection of historic wooden pampa carts scattered in the garden, the star- and firefly-filled nights and the great-value trips to waterfalls, the mountains and a haunted mine.

Rooms in this Villa de Merlo resort are small and simple, ranging from doubles to quadruples and decorated in whitewash and dark wood. The hotel basks in a beautiful setting – expansive parkland gardens dotted with flowering trees, set against the rugged, contoured backdrop of the Comechingones range. Weekdays are tranquil, while families throng here on the weekend, not least for the modest spa and pool.

The big duplex villas in this ranch-style San Luis resort have plenty of room for large families. Bedrooms resplendent with whitewash and taupe tiles have polished granite-lined ensuites, hammock-slung balconies and dining-living areas with kitchens and sofas. However, it’s the setting and facilities that stand out above all. It has a suite of outdoor and indoor pools with whirlpool tubs, a big play area with swings and rope bridges, and hovering above it all – so close you could reach out and touch them – the Comechingones Mountains.

Inhabiting an art deco building in the heart of little Villa Mercedes, this San Luis resort feels like a modern city hotel. The setting is splendid, surrounded by farmland and vineyards. Doubles feel like rooms in an upmarket airport hotel – adorned with contemporary creams and grays, mahogany furnishings, unobtrusive art, and green-and-taupe velveteen cushions. Many guests are here for the on-site casino, with roulette tables, slot machines and live music. There’s also an outdoor pool, a spa with saunas and a gym. Best of all, the Argentinian-French restaurant stays open until late.

This glass-fronted hotel has a great setting in downtown Villa de Merlo, a five-minute stroll from dozens of restaurants and bars. Rooms are neat and modern – with a white-and-sky-blue color palette, thick pile carpets, large windows, and marble- and mirror-lined bathrooms. The best are at the rear, overlooking a leafy street lined with parkland. Facilities are good – there are indoor and outdoor pools, a spa, a gym and a decent restaurant, the Faustina, which serves regional meat-heavy dishes and presides over an excellent wine cellar.

Surrounded by woodlands, with the Comechingones Mountains towering overhead, the Altos de Sol feels like it’s in the heart of nature, yet it’s only a 10-minute drive from the restaurants in downtown Villa de Merlo. Staying here is a tranquil affair; floor-to-ceiling bedroom windows present uninterrupted daytime views of the wild hills. At night, they are amber-lit and lambent, offsetting the clear, starry sky. The outdoor pool perches over the forest, and there’s an indoor alternative, with a spa – come for the sauna when there’s snow on the hills.

Spread over a large lawn, the concrete units at Parque Los Nogales Apart Hotel are hard to beat for tranquility. You have nature on tap, as the hotel is in woodland surroundings in the foothills of the Comechingones, a few miles from downtown Villa de Merlo. Apartments have comfy neutral tones, unfussy motel furnishings, kitchenettes, outdoor barbecues and large, granite-clad ensuite bathrooms. When you’re hungry, good restaurants are a 15-minute drive away.

With pictures of Evita, Pope Francis and the owner’s family on the walls, Terrazas feels like a proud Argentinian home-turned-hotel. Service is warm, and a large home-cooked complimentary breakfast buffet is dished up on a sunny terrace. Also, there’s a garden with a pool and a sundeck with sweeping views of the Comechingones flanks. Rooms are simple and cozy, with oranges and yellows, chunky wooden beds, small tables and French doors opening onto balconies with forest and mountain views.