Accommodations

While Puerto Iguazú [1] gets visitors all year round, demand is highest during Semana Santa and July’s patriotic holidays, when prices tend to rise. Recent new luxury constructions, plus the renovation of existing hotels into shining hostels, have improved the accommodations scene. Most of the best places are on the outskirts, on the road to the park, but there are some delightful places in town as well.

Under US$10

Two campgrounds on the park road offer decent facilities for around US$4 pp plus US$2.50 per tent: Camping El Pindó (RN 12 Km 3.5, tel. 03757/42-1795, lisandro_lozina [at] hotmail [dot] com) and Camping Americano (RN 12 Km 5, tel. 03757/42-0190).

US$10–25

Puerto Iguazú has several HI affiliates and other hostels that offer excellent value. Only a block from the bus terminal, the Hostel Iguazú Falls (Avenida Guaraní 70, tel. 03757/42-1295, www.hosteliguazufalls.com.ar [2], US$10 pp, US$28 d) has the standard amenities and a swimming pool.

Across from the bus terminal, under the same management as the Hostel Inn, the Marcopolo Inn Iguazú (Avenida Córdoba 158, tel. 03757/42-0434, www.hostel [3] inn.com, US$9–10 pp dorm, US$32–37 s or d) has remade a conventional family-run hostelry into downtown’s most appealing budget option, with manicured gardens and even a small pool.

On the park road, Hostel Inn Iguazú (RN 12 Km 5, tel. 03757/42-0156, www.hostel [3] inn.com, US$10–12 pp dorm, US$38–44 s or d) occupies sprawling but well-kept grounds and has more elaborate amenities, including a giant pool with its own bar, Wi-Fi, pool and Ping-Pong tables, and some hotel-style doubles. It’s also one of the livelier hostels here, though the sleeping quarters are well-separated from the bar-restaurant and other common areas. Rates vary according to HI membership, and whether the room has air-conditioning or not.

New in late 2009, the Marcopolo Suites Iguazú (RN 12 Km 3.5, tel. 03757/42-2440, www.hostel [3] inn.com, US$10–12 pp dorm, US$38–45 s or d) is a renovated hotel whose clientele leans more toward slightly older travelers who prefer a bit more quiet and greater amenities than its sister Hostel Inn, which is just a few hundred meters down the road.

US$25–50

Once a hostel, Residencial Uno (Fray Luis Beltrán 116, tel. 03757/42-0529, residencialuno [at] gmail [dot] com, US$26–32 s, US$32–40 d) is now a more conventional accommodation, though it still has a friendly feel.

On a quiet block, on sprawling grounds with a new pool, Residencial Los Amigos (Fray Luis Beltrán 82, tel. 03757/42-0756, www.residencialamigos.com [4], US$37 d) has simple rooms with private baths. Off-season rates drop by a third.

Reservations are advisable for popular, efficient Hostería Los Helechos (Paulino Amarante 76, tel. 03757/420338, www.hosterialoshelechos.com.ar [5], US$34 s, US$44 d), an excellent value that’s often crowded even off-season. The rooms enjoy a delightful garden setting, with a large pool and other amenities, but rooms with air-conditioning cost slightly more.

US$50–100

No longer the only one of its kind, Secret Garden Iguazú (Los Lapachos 623, tel. 03757/42-3099, www.secretgardeniguazu.com [6], US$90 s, US$100 d) may still be Iguazú’s best bed-and-breakfast and is virtually the only thing in its price range. Host John Fernandes, a Portuguese-Indian photographer from Mumbai by way of Buenos Aires, has created an intimate secluded hostelry in a quiet residential neighborhood where the liveliest presence is Roxy, his energetic Jack Russell terrier. Separated from the main house, the guest rooms are cheerful and luminous, with breakfast served on the main deck (where late-afternoon caipirinhas and conversation are an additional attraction).

US$100–200

On five hectares of lush grounds along the Iguazú highway, the Orquídeas Palace Hotel (RN 12 Km 5, tel. 03757/42-0472, www.orquideashotel.com [7], US$101–174 s or d) has darkish but comfortable standard rooms. Only a little more luminous, the more expensive superior rooms are substantially larger. In addition to its grounds, the hotel has a restaurant and a swimming pool with a bar.

The best downtown hotel in its price range is the tastefully modernized
Hotel Saint George (Avenida Córdoba 148, tel. 03757/42-0633, www.hotelsaintgeorge.com [8], US$86–112 s, US$105–129 d), which offers very good contemporary lodgings with gardens and a pool.

At the west end of town, overlooking the confluence, upgraded Hotel Esturión (Avenida Tres Fronteras 650, tel. 03757/42-0100, www.hotelesturion.com [9], US$109–158 s or d) has both garden- and river-view rooms.

New in 2009, the Italian-run Boutique Hotel de la Fonte (1e de Mayo and Corrientes, tel. 03757/42-0625, www.bhfboutiquehotel.com [10], US$120–190 s or d) consists of a central reception, dining room, and other shared areas surrounded by eight freestanding rooms with a fairly nondescript brick exterior, but the interiors boast fine design touches and amenities such as flat-screen TVs. Gourmet meals are available for guests only, though the owners may open a separate restaurant.

East of Puerto Iguazú [1], Hotel Cataratas (RN 11 Km 4.5, tel. 03757/42-1100, www.hotelcataratas.com [11], US$183–290 s or d) will win no truth-in-labeling awards—it’s far closer to town than to the world-famous cascades, and its only falls are the bogus ones that tumble into its oversize swimming pool. Still, the rooms are large and well-equipped, and the rates are commensurate with its amenities.

Over US$200

West of the Esturión, new in 2008, the 102-room Amerian Portal del Sol Iguazú Hotel (Avenida Tres Fronteras 780, tel. 03757/49-8200, www.portaldeliguazu.com [12], US$250–275 s or d) is a modern multistory hotel with views across to Brazil and Paraguay, but it is part of a business-oriented chain that doesn’t really fit in here. Still, it probably has the most complete services of any in-town hotel.

On the shores of the river, which is barely visible for the dense rain forest, the Loi Suites Iguazú Hotel (Selva Iryapú s/n, tel. 03757/49-8300, www.loisuites.com.ar [13], US$242–550 s or d) is the first hotel in a newly developing area east of the road to Foz. Part of a design hotel chain that also has branches in Recoleta, Bariloche, and El Calafate, this newest branch is large—120 rooms—with the common areas in a central building and the accommodations divided among several others, sometimes connected by suspension bridges. The best values are the upper-story suites (US$345), which have outdoor Jacuzzis with river views. Despite the hotel’s size, its visual impact is surprisingly light.