When Las Balsas opened its doors in 1989, Villa La Angostura was no man’s land. There was no road leading to the lake shore where the lodge was built. No gas, electricity, or telephone either. Today, the town that marks the start of the Route of the Seven Lakes triples its occupancy in summer, and with the ski season at Cerro Bayo, it completes its tourist offering. But Las Balsas Relais & Châteaux, the most iconic in the area, retains the charm of its origins intact.
The Patagonian building, with its unmistakable blue exterior walls, remains a refuge on the shores of Lake Nahuel Huapi. Although it has grown a lot since its beginnings, it never lost its identity. For guests, it acts like a magnet: they go out to explore the town and surroundings, but return again and again to enjoy the lodge. The search for balance between outdoor activities and what happens inside the hotel is what draws most people. Everyone comes south to hike mountains, sail lakes, and explore natural corners, but they also seek the calm and warmth of this enclave, where luxury is not about ostentation but in the personalized service of its employees—they master the art of attending without intruding—in gourmet dishes, in the spaciousness and privacy of its modern villas with great views of the bay, or in how comforting it is to settle into one of the rooms in the main house, with more classic Patagonian architecture.
Las Balsas was born from the hands of Pinky Fernández Barrio and Ana Goñi after spending a summer in the area. They bought a plot of land in a bay where they seemed to be the only inhabitants and were convinced they would build a lodge. In Villa La Angostura, everything was new, and the area was just beginning to emerge as a destination. They fulfilled their wish, and Las Balsas opened with ten rooms and a novel concept in Argentina: boutique hospitality. In 1995, it became the first hotel of the Relais & Châteaux chain in Latin America, an association of small luxury hotels and restaurants with high standards of quality and personalized service. The incorporation came after an incognito visit by the then president of the association.
In 1996, Ana and Pinky sold the lodge to one of their best clients: the Sielecki family, who vacationed there every year. They liked it so much that today the hotel is a meeting point for three generations. Every year, from December 26 to January 10, about 40 family members gather. They share fifteen days and close the hotel as a tradition. They love the place, enjoy it—they come from all over the world—and made it grow.
The most recent addition, of which they are proud, are the ten modern-architecture villas set in the middle of the Patagonian forest, focused on a concept of sustainable luxury. They are reached from the main house via a short internal path that separates them from the general movement; they are independent refuges within the hotel. Each about 120 m², they are built in minimalist lines with stone, steel, and wall-to-wall glass panels, contrasting with the more classic line of the main house. All have lake views, and their wide balconies open to the surroundings. Some are slightly cantilevered over the slope. Hidden within the native forest that makes up the hotel’s 20 hectares, each has its privacy and much silence. Decorated with contemporary furniture, the golden tones of light wood in the interior design add warmth, as do the leathers and textiles.
Sleeping with the blackouts raised is a special experience: wrapped in the starry night, among coihues and chilcos; at dawn, the first lights illuminate the lake. Although the villas are highly sought after, there are guests who have been coming for 25 years and still choose the main house. Everyone calls the blue house «the house» because the first owners initially lived there and due to the emotional bond it generates.
The priority of sustainability led the hotel to the doors of Sistema B: in 2021 it achieved certification as a B Corp, a very high sustainability standard. «The challenge we set ourselves was to fully integrate sustainability into the very essence of the company, under the concept of offering unique experiences for guests so they can leave a positive footprint during their visit to Patagonia,» says Sebastián Tuvio, general manager of the hotel. That an accommodation is certified as a B Corp means it meets high international standards of social and environmental impact and transparency.
Sustainability comprehensively permeates the hotel’s offering, from gastronomy to operational management and community ties. In collaboration with Slow Food and Relais & Châteaux, it promotes regenerative agriculture practices and the valorization of native ingredients, such as Patagonian canelo pepper, permanently incorporated into its cuisine as an expression of local biodiversity. At the same time, it prioritizes sourcing from small regional producers, strengthening local economies. Waste reduction, decreasing single-use plastics, and optimizing resource consumption are part of sustained operational standards, a commitment recognized by Relais & Châteaux with the Sustainability Trophy. This vision is completed with an active integration of Villa La Angostura’s cultural identity into the guest experience, contributing to preserving and enhancing local heritage.
With the addition of the villas and the increase in guest capacity, the common spaces required an update and more comfort space. Therefore, in 2025, they made a strong bet on redecorating the lobby, reception, restaurant, and lounge. «The living room, which was the meeting place, went from being a space for ten people to one for thirty,» says the manager. The interior renovation was led by interior designer Danu Galito, who, without modifying the original structure and with great respect for the lodge’s identity, created more comfortable meeting spaces and proposed an audacious decoration of excellent taste, using a combination of prints on upholstery, tapestries, and carpets, plus the addition of large sofas, tables, and well-thought-out lighting.
The spa is like the hotel, a world apart: you can easily spend the whole afternoon there. It’s hard to decide which ritual to choose from the menu of special massages. We started our stay with what they call the «Volcano Ritual,» with a previous stop at the in-out pool with glass enclosure overlooking the lake, and a few minutes in the dry sauna. The masseuse’s hands begin to work, aided in this case by hot stones placed on key points of the back to release tensions brought from Buenos Aires. Ninety minutes later, I find myself in a robe on a lounge chair, sipping an energizing juice of carrot, orange, and lime, my gaze lost on a fixed point in the middle of the lake.
para mi esto es un verso de chetos nomas mientras los laburantes se cagan de frio y los zurdos de greenpeace lloran por el medioambiente viva la libertad carajo patria o buitres
Para mí esto es una cachetada a la clase laburante, che. Mientras estos oligarcas se dan baños de spa en su lujo boutique, los laburantes se rompen el lomo para que ellos vivan como reyes. ¡Basura explotadora, me parece un asco!