Iguazu ~ Boutique Hotel de la Fonte

We flew to Iguazu for a few days last week to view the spectacular Cataratas del Iguazu. It's a two hour flight from Buenos Aires and the two cities, one on the Argentinian side of the river, the other in Brasil, are filled with tourists from around the world.





We stayed at a small, somewhat rustic hotel called Boutique Hotel de la Fonte. A French name, with an Italian chef, and a decidedly Argentinian flavour, the hotel has only ten rooms.

The rooms are actually small cabins surrounded by a tropical garden of flowers, trees and much falling fruit. This is not the Sheraton; the water pressure is low and it would take hours to fill the room's hot tub. Our room fixtures were old and not everything worked, and it was all quite charming in an old-world kind of way. We heard the sounds of dogs and birds and even marching bands preparing for Carnival, but little else from the city. In truth, the constant drumming from the marching, at one in the morning, was a wee bit annoying.




Owners, Matteo and Simona, have created a wonderful retreat where serving the guest is a first priority. When we arrived in the afternoon we asked if there was something we might be able to have for lunch, rather than going out. With the restaurant only open after 7:30pm we knew it might be difficult, but within a few minutes a beautiful vegetarian pizza and glasses of wine were served to our patio.

Matteo Lagostena is a first rate chef and he provides a delicious alternative to the Sheratons of Iguazu, using local and fresh produce, fish and meat. It is truly amazing, and all quite inexpensive. The wine list is sparse, but that is in keeping with the needs-some-work nature of the place.




Hugo, the friendly parakeet, commands attention at the hotel, hanging out during the day near reception. He is happy to perch on your shoulder and share pieces of fruit with you. And that cough of his? Don't worry. It's only an avian flu.





Visit the hotel's website at
Boutique Hotel de la Fonte