While I am perfectly fine with staying in a Holiday Inn in the states, I don't often stay in hotels in the low-medium range in foreign countries. But after my bank account was drained in Torres del Paine and the hotel we wanted to stay in was booked, I was open to this experience based on the ratings of this property. We received a cabin which was very roomy and had lovely views of the lake. But there is a strong sulfur smell wherever you find water...the bathroom, the lawn, etc. Yes, the hot water lasts 5-7 minutes at a time. I'm 5'3, 100 pounds and the shower was too small for me. I kept bumping into the door but I was also closing my eyes so I wouldn't concentrate on all the bugs and dirty grout lines in the bathroom. My husband refused to take a shower there. At night, the walls are only there to protect you from wind because you can hear the refrigerator, all the cars from the main road (which really is the freeway) below you and all the conversations happening around the hotel property. I prefer my bed firm so I was disappointed with the sagging depression in the middle of the bed. Yes, the restaurant has superb views, the cabins are inexpensive and the owners are very nice. You are also far from the city center so it does require you navigating a taxi driver back to your place as they do not know where it is (brush up on your Spanish). Luckily, we really enjoyed El Calafate and had some of our best meals in town (Pascisio for the unbelievable salmon ceviche and filet mignon and El Puesto for thin, crispy pizza and hearty pasta). But, I would have rather spent double the money for something nicer in town, especially for three nights.

Overall, I like this place. The folks working the front desk were helpful and kind. They only have one person who has decent English, so brush up on your Spanish. They did a good job helping us book trips. The rooms were clean and got great service daily.

The downside is that it is a little far from town and the bungalow that we stayed in slept 6 people in EXTREMELY close quarters. In addition, since we had 6 people, we had to pay very close attention to the time we spent in the shower because there was only about 7 miuntes of hot water at any given time.

If you're looking for a place that is reliably clean and functional and you don't mind some tight quarters, I would certainly recommend this hotel

We spent three nights at Solares in Nov. 06 and liked it. The cabin was nice and clean, a little worn, but kept nicely. The bathroom was also OK.
What I liked the most was the view from their small restaurant, where they served breakfast. The staff was nice.
It is a bit out of town if you have to walk, but it's perfectly fine if you rent a car.

We (my husband, mother and I) recently stayed four nights at Solares del Sur and had a wonderful time!

The slightly-out-of-down-town location (but only 2 minutes by cab/20 minute walk) was a nice respite from the town's high volume of tourist traffic...the staff and owners were always available and super helpful...the cabin we stayed in was charming, sparkling clean, warm (!), and well stocked with kitchen utensils and extra blankets...and best of all, the food at the associated restaurant was EXCELLENT!

I'm not sure about another recent post re: food poisoning, but our culinary experience there was lovely. Hands down i had the best steak of my life in the restaurant - Quidu - and the wine selection (and recommendations) were wonderful.

Don't miss out on this place - and say hi to Sergio for us if you do stay there!