Urbana Suites

Very pleasant play to stay. The staff are friendly and helpful. The price was included in the trip I took to Mendoza which was arranged by a tourist aegncy in Buenos Aires. The rates can be checked out at the website:
www.urbanasuites.com.ar

We spent 5 nights here. It is a hotel that bills itself as a "suite" hotel, and technically it is. The rooms are large, with a dining table, sofa, sink, and stove. But the room we had was rather dark, the furniture was very utilitarian with little or no flair. The sink area looked very dated. It certainly didn't look anything like the room pictured on the website. When I think of a suite, I think of more than just a large room, I think of something that feels a bit upscale. This does not. However the location is good, the room we had was quiet, the staff was exceptionally friendly, and the breakfast was slightly better than average. They have a covered parking area, but it is very tight and not large enough for the entire hotel. We were not disappointed enough in our room to change hotels, but I am not certain that there is not a better hotel out there for the price. However, if you want a large room for a low price, in a good locagtion this is your hotel.

Directions: Downtown, just one block from a busy shopping area and 5 blocks from the main square and the pedestrian shopping area.

Our room, which consisted of a bedroom/kitchen area with refrigerator, sink and stove as well as a separate bathroom was also modern and clean. The European custom is in use, with the floor above ground level being the 1st floor and the key had an attached plug that had to be fitted into a slot to turn on the electricity (a bit of a nuisance because it set the digital clock flashing every time we left the room!). You also have to surrender your key at the front desk when you exit the building - probably good for your own security! They served up the best breakfasts that we had on the whole two week trip! I would highly recommend this hotel.

Unique Quality: The wall-mounted Air Conditioning unit was located directly beside the bed, and it tended to blow cold air on our heads while we were sleeping. At least, it had a remote controller that we could use to switch it off if we happened to wake up! There were a lot of TV channels available, something that I don't normally watch while on trips. However, one night around midnight, as I was flipping through the channels just before drifting off to sleep, I happened across the 4th quarter of the American football Super Bowl final (since Argentina is at least 2 hours of Time Zones ahead of the USA). It was nice to watch the end of the game, even though I don't really follow professional sports any more.

The Urbana Suites is a modern but unobstrusive looking hotel located in the downtown area of Mendoza, with lots of large shade trees just like everywhere else in the city. It has a very modern and clean reception and breakfast area close to the glass entrance door, which is remote lock-controlled by the receptionist.

On our final day in Mendoza, we left our luggage in the manager's office after checking out, while we wandered the streets for a few more hours before our departure time for Buenos Aires.

Unique Quality: Because this hotel was booked for us by Ripio Turismo agency as part of our package deal, we ended up not paying anything extra for our four night stay. Consequently, I do not even have a telephone number or other contact information for the hotel. I do not even know how much the room rate is!

Directions: Downtown, close to Plaza Chile and the corner of 25 de Mayo and Las Heras Avenues. Within easy walking distance of all the major shopping, restaurants and plazas.