Mendoza Trip Report #7: Park Hyatt Mendoza
We arrived at the Park Hyatt Mendoza after we finished our last tasting at Alta Vista in the late afternoon. It’s a massive, impressive structure, crammed onto its block and overlooking the city center park. Someone immediately appeared outside to take our bags, and another person greeted us and  directed us to reception.
The check-in process was quick and courteous. The desk clerk was happy to exchange my 100 peso note for smaller 20 peso bills so I could tip the bellboy. (Although 10 peso bills would have been more reasonable :-P)
My Platinum Hyatt Gold Passport status got us free internet access and for only 12,000 points vs $600 a night, we had a Park Suite with a city view. The suite was amazing, and possibly one of the best values I’ve redeemed for.
The living room was spacious with a half bath opening off it. There was a nice desk/office area, and the dining room table for 6 made ordering room service a great option.
The master bedroom was nice, but unremarkable. It was the bathroom that really caught my attention. The sink and counters were clear. The shower was also interesting, it was immediately adjacent to the tub, with a drain in the floor. The downside was if you had a bath shortly after the shower was used, you might wipe out on the wet marble floor as you got out.
Also a little unfortunate was that there was no door to the toilet room, just the main door to the bedroom. Since the closet was housed in the bathroom as well, it definitely limited your access or your privacy.
The bath amenities were great! Full size wine themed products from their Kaua spa, including two shampoo choices — a Savaugnion Blanc and a “Table Red†Shampoo. We liked the Sav Blanc version best, it had a light distinctive scent that was enjoyable while lathering and lingered throughout the day. The “Table Red†had a weaker presence. Both the body wash and conditioner smelled like grapes.
Random aside, the toothpaste that was provided had no scent and no flavor. We wondered if it was intentional, so as not to destroy the palatte of those about to go wine tasting? A yoga mat was available in the closet. The only thing missing was any kind of coffee maker or tea options.
A fruit plate was waiting us on arrival and was refreshed every day. Every evening a different complimentary dessert was delivered.
Winetasting every day from mid-morning to late afternoon left us tired so we wound up ordering a lot of room service so we could relax and not have to stay up until the restaurants opened at 8:30PM. And with no service charge, delivery fee, and extremely reasonable rates ( a burger or salad was $10), there was no reason not to order it!
Delivery was always quick, but our lack of spanish sometimes led to misunderstandings when ordering. Trying to order the American breakfast package wound up being “ala carte†with the hashbrown potatoes coming out as fries. They did send us a complimentary Malbec Cherry dessert though and every delivery came with a sweet vase of daisies.
Another night we tried to order the “meat & cheese†charcuterie platter and wound up with a plate of steak with 4 slices of cheese adjacent. We figured something was up when they called back to see if we wanted the cheese on the meat, but didn’t know to double check they were sending up charcuterie.
My decaf coffee tasted strongly of root vegetable (probably a side effect of hone my wine tasting palatte) but they always brought pots of steamed milk for the coffee, which is far better than creamer.
One night we visited The Vines branch in the hotel as an alternative to going out or room service. The place was small, but had great outdoor seating with heat lamps. They had a fair selection of wines, not as extensive as the main branch around the block. Prices were expensive for Mendoza, probably because it was in the hotel. We went right at the beginning of dinner hour, so it was enjoyably quiet.
We visited their Kaua Spa twice, as prices were about 30% less than in the US. Situated on the 2nd floor, the spa encompassed the fitness center and had decent locker areas, although we didn’t spend much time in them. The décor was restful, though not luxurious, the treatment rooms looking out onto a private garden area.
Our facials on the first visit were relaxing but simple. I got the wine antioxidant option which focused on stimulating the circulation and reviving the skin with various topical treatments, no extraction. My skin felt fresh, and some red spots had faded, but otherwise I didn’t notice a significant difference.
The 90 minute Thai-style massages we had the next night were relaxing. I’ll admit I’m totally spoiled by my trips to Asia, so this one was but a shadow of an “authentic†one, but it felt good and I particularly enjoyed the 15 minutes of intensive stretching at the end. My therapist spoke decent English, although I couldn’t seem to successfully convey I wanted stronger pressure. So if you’re going, look up massage related Spanish terms first :-). Spa treatments entitle you to all day access to the spa and fitness facilities, but after a busy day we were ready to crash.
The hotel features a standard casino which we breezed through once looking for an ATM. Mostly I was impressed at how the presence of the casino doesn’t dominate the hotel atmosphere at all.
Our first night there was a big game between the local rival soccer teams and the road beneath our windows turned into an impromptu parade ground and we had the perfect view.
We ate breakfast at Bistro M on our final day. We were quickly seated and our order taken, but there were subsequently long delays in service. That could have been because the power went out twice for 5+ minutes as they were working on the elevator. We both ordered crepes, which tasted great. My decaf coffee arrived with a beautiful milk froth. Unfortunately it wasn’t actually decaf so my friend later had to put up with a lot of involuntary anxiety at the airport.
Check out was quick and they were happy to apply my excess pesos to the bill (a great way to avoid getting gouged by exchanging your left over currency at the airport)before charging the rest to my Chase Sapphire Visa (which earns double points on hotel spend).
I HIGHLY recommend staying here if visiting Mendoza, especially on points!
Previous Posts:
Mendoza Trip Report #1 — IAD-MIA
Mendoza Trip Report #2 — Element by Westin Miami Airport
Mendoza Trip Report #3 –MIA -(Caracas?)- SCL
Mendoza Trip Report #4 — Holiday Inn Santiago Airport
Mendoza Trip Report #5 — SCL-MDZ
Mendoza Trip Report #6: Day 1 of Wine Tasting
This property can also be a great value using the Hyatt Stay Certificates!