Hotel Review: Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa
The Arakur Ushuaia Resort & Spa is one of those places that left me speechless. The hotel is great in many areas, but what makes this place even more unique is its location. Read in this review why the luxury hotel is a great option for a getaway far away from everything else!
I’ve been to many amazing places all around the world, but only some hotels left a real mark on me. I’m speaking of the kinds of the Zulu Camp Shambala Game Reserve in South Africa or the incredible Eichardt’s Private Hotel Queenstown.
- Classification: Five Stars
- Room Category: King Guestroom Plus
- Month of Stay: October
Another place that made it into this list is the Arakur Ushuaia Resort, mainly because of its surreal location at the end of the world. Just as a reminder: All my stays are paid by myself and I’m not informing hotels about any review trips, which allows me to be unbiased.
Even though I was amazed by the Arakur Resort Ushuaia, there were a couple of weak spots, too.
Beagle Channel View Room at the Arakur Ushuaia Resort
There are four different room categories at the Arakur Resort. However, there are only two different types of rooms per se: “standard” rooms and suites (which are a “double standard room”). The main difference between the normal rooms is the view.
The lowest category features the mountains, the second category features the valley and parts of the Beagle Channel and the highest (as well as the suites) comes with incredible Beagle Channel View. I opted for the room category with valley views and was upgraded to the Beagle Channel View due to my Leaders Club membership. After I’ve stayed here I can just tell you that you have to go for this view as it’s just incredible and makes the stays something truly unique. From here on, I’ll just let the pictures speak for themselves in that regard.
While I wasn’t sure what to think about the rooms looking at the pictures prior to my stay, I was very pleasantly surprised by how it looked in reality. The rooms come with a focus on wooden interior, which perfectly fits the location.
There’s a comfortable King Bed as the centerpiece of the room facing a flat-screen television as well as a small table, under which you can also find the minibar. Other than that, the room comes with a rather small working desk with a basic chair as well as another armchair in the corner.
Something I particularly liked was the wooden board right on the window, where you can sit on and just enjoy the incredible view.
The bathroom comes with a spacious window to the room, which you can blackout for more privacy. Inside, there’s a very nice bathtub, which is located right by the window (so you can enjoy the views even when taking a bath).
Then are two sinks, a spacious walk-in shower with two shower heads offering a great water pressure as well as a toilet and a bidet in another area with a sliding door. Toiletries are provided by a local brand and are very much high quality.
All in all, I loved the room at the Arakur Ushuaia Resort. While not particularly spacious, the design totally fits the location and the views are just incredible. It’s just a totally cozy place to return to in the evening even though it doesn’t look anything special at first sight.
Breakfast at the Arakur Resort Ushuaia
Something I didn’t love at the Arakur Resort Ushuaia was the breakfast. It’s not that it wasn’t good or anything, but it was not as outstanding as other areas.
That might be a function of the location at the end of the world, but I didn’t find the selection available for breakfast to be that great. At least, all room bookings here come with complimentary breakfast. There were some cakes, cold cuts, fruits, a few hot options as well as a couple of more essentials on the buffet, but nothing looked especially appealing and a few things didn’t taste that great either.
A couple of hot egg dishes can be ordered at the table and I had an omelette on two mornings. It was okay, but again nothing to write home about.
For a luxury hotel on this level, I found the breakfast to be somewhat mediocre.
Dining at the Arakur Resort Ushuaia
In general, the whole dining experience at the Arakur Resort Ushuaia isn’t particularly amazing. We had a couple of meals during our stay and weren’t that amazed. We liked the Caesar Salad we had for room service once.
We also enjoyed a couple of light snacks at the bar, including a smoked salmon sandwich and a mini-pizza.
At the same time, we found the food in the restaurant a little bit on the boring side when we visited on evening. It wasn’t bad or anything, but it wasn’t great either.
Service was hit or miss during our stay, too. Some members of the restaurant staff did a great job, while others didn’t take so much care in treating the guests well. It’s worth noting that the restaurant and the bar both offer stunning views, so the food isn’t that important anymore 😉
Pool & Gym at the Arakur Ushuaia Resort
In my life, I’ve been to a countless number of pools and spas all over the world. Yet, there’s something about the pool area at the Arakur Ushuaia Resort that leaves me speechless till today.
Not only is the whole area incredibly spacious, but it’s also totally beautiful.
Let’s begin with the indoor area, which features two pools, one for proper swimming with a good length, one for relaxing with several different whirlpools and special areas.
The whole area comes with floor-to-ceiling windows, allowing you to view the nature as well as the Beagle Channel. There are also a couple of loungers to relax on.
The indoor area comes with a couple of more features. There’s a pool bar with a couple of tables and then there are the changing rooms, which offer a sauna and a steam bath, too.
Not that you need this as there’s one area, which is just incredible: It’s the outdoor area, which comes with three whirlpools featuring views of the valley and the Beagle Channel. I won’t loose too many words here as the pictures are doing this incredible spot enough justice.
Last but not least, there’s a very well equipped gym with modern machines, which offers great views of the Beagle Channel, too.
Wow. If that’s not enough, you may want to enjoy a massage or any other treatment in the spa.
Activities at the Arakur Resort Ushuaia
If the pool, gym & spa are not enough excitement, the hotel offers a couple of more activities. There’s a daily program with a couple of hikes and other events. Then there are a few special function rooms like a cinema, a room with pool tables etc.
Most amazing though, you can enjoy the nature around the hotel or take the complimentary shuttle down to the city to enjoy the views from there or even go onto a penguin excursion (something I’d highly recommend).
Overall impressions of the Arakur Ushuaia Resort
To be honest, the Arakur Ushuaia Resort definitely isn’t perfect in all regards. The breakfast wasn’t great and the dining experience in general could be on a higher level. Yet, the location also limits the opportunities in that regard, so that’s something I can excuse. That’s especially true as I found everything here to be amazing. The rooms are lovely, very well designed and incredible cozy. The bathrooms are offering all the luxury standards and the views are something I’m still dreaming of. Then there’s one of the nicest spa areas I’ve seen in my life and last but not least this surreal location. I’m sure you’ll love your stay here.
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