Maxie and Agustina are amazing hosts. Truly, they made our stay in Calefate perfect! My wife and I visited Argentina, Patagonia and Calafate for the first time in December. We spent 10 magical days visiting the Upsala and Perito Merino Glaciers, doing ice trekking, visiting an Estancia for horseback riding, lamb shearing and a barbecue lunch, and generally exploring southern Patagonia. At the center of all of our experiences each day were Maxie and Agustina, two of the three directors of Hosteria La Estepa. They were simply incredible! They served us delicious buffet breakfasts at 5 a.m. when we were being picked up at 5:30. And they served us dinner at 10:30 pm when we returned from Los Torres del Paine National Park in Chile. Each night they confirmed our tours for the next day as well as our pick-up times. Our trip would have been only a shadow of what it actually was without them. And they are both fluent in English.

Hosteria La Estepa is a short distance outside of the town of Calafate. It affords peace and tranquility with gorgeous unobstructed views of the sun setting over Lago Argentina. The rooms are specious and the common areas both upstairs and downstairs even more spacious. And as an added extra, they have a vintage collection of Jazz vinyl records, courtesy of Agustina's father, a jazz musician.

Hosteria La Estepa is a perfect "base camp" from which to explore the wonders of Patagonia, and a quiet place to retreat at night, slightly outside of the bustle of Calafate!

And while you are there, don't miss a visit to the fascinating Glacarium, a museum of the glaciers with displays and films the quality of a major urban science museum (and its hidden surprise - the "ice bar" down below), all only a couple of kilometers from La Estepa!