Wild Location, Civilized Hospitality
Written: Sep 20 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Dignified luxury with an AMAZING location
Cons: Expensive, very slow service
The Bottom Line: Most luxurious property *AT* Iguazu Falls. Sure it's expensive, and sure, the service can be beat...but the location....the LOCATION!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Tropical das Cataratas Hotel |
Iguazu Falls --- the most spectacular waterfalls in the world. You know you want to go there (I sure did). And you know when you go that it will be an experience of a lifetime. Sounds to me like the right time to splurge a little bit and go totally first class.
At Iguazu, totally first class means staying inside the park as close to the falls as you can get, and it means opting for the class and distinction of the Hotel Tropical das Cataratas. It probably will hurt your pocketbook, but luxuries aren't always on sale.
A Hotel With Few Peers...
If you're a believer in the real estate adage that there are three important factors affecting price, location, location, and location, then you'll understand in a heartbeat why the Hotel Tropical das Cataratas can often get away with charging two or three times more than luxury hotels just a few miles away, while still turning away potential guests by the bus load. This hotel boasts one of the world's most spectacular locations.
In a world of spectacular sites, few places on the globe can equal the spectacular grandeur that is Iguacu Falls (which is also spelled Iguazu, Iguassu, and probably a few other ways). Spell the name however you wish, this is the most spectacularly scenic waterfall in the world. Higher than Niagara Falls, broader than Victoria Falls, there is just no equal to this magnificent work of nature.
The falls are in a dense jungle, miles from the nearest city, and completely surrounded by national park lands that straddle the border between Brazil and Argentina. The Brazilian national park encompases some 270,000 hectares of untamed wilderness, the Argentinian side another 49,200 hectares. But of course the star of the park is the huge series of waterfalls that the indigenous peoples called Iguazu long before the first Spanish explorers stumbled onto the site.
You can find dozens of inexpensive hotels (some of outstanding quality) in the city of Foz do Iguacu Brazil, and more in neighboring Puerto Iguazu Argentina and Ciudad del Este Paraguay, but only two hotels in the whole region are actually at the falls: the Tropical das Cataratas on the Brazilian side (inside the loop of the Iguazu River), and the Sheraton International Iguazu, situated directly across the river on the Argentina side. If you really want to stay near the Falls and get the full experience, these are your only two choices.
Of the two hotels, the Sheraton International is more modern (built in the 1970s), just slightly smaller (177 rooms), offers rooms with better views, and usually offers better rates. Yet in spite of the Sheraton's seeming advantages, I prefer the Hotel Tropical das Cataratas because it is the hotel of greater character and distinction. It's like with cars: a Toyota might be an economical smart choice, but damn it feels nice to roll around in a Jaguar sometimes!
A Hotel of Dignity and Grace...
Construction on the Hotel das Cataratas started in the 1950s, which shocks me since the hotel has the substantial feel and the space and the dignity and quality of a property that would have been built 50 to 100 years earlier.
Big salons and open public spaces, huge vaulted ceilings, a graciously wide marble staircase, corridors that are easily 15 feet wide and as much as that in height. Big leaded glass windows, heft wood french doors, and arches all speak of the kind of architectural quality that doesn't jibe with my idea of a hotel built in the 1950s and expanded in the 1970s and 1990s. Yet there it is, and here I am...sitting in a magnificent hotel that feels to me like the kind of place that a Rockefeller or a DuPont would have built in 1900.
The bar feels like you're in an exclusive urban club for the well-heeled. A grand piano sits in one corner during the day, but sings in the evening as guests while away the quiet evening hours. Next to the bar is an absolutely enormous salon that feels like what I imagine J.P. Morgan's living room must feel like, what with those huge leather sofas and floor-to-ceiling built-in bookshelves lining the walls. Rarely have I seen a hotel with so much open public space, and such opulent spaces at that.
A Hotel of Leisure...
This is leisure hotel, not a business hotel (though I see the Brazilians are building an enormous convention center near the Iguazu airport (IGU)). I can't imagine wanting to hold a business function here --- all my associates would skip the meetings and go do some river rafting, or sightseeing, or something other than work --- at least they would if they had their priorities straight. I'd rather hold a business meeting in some ugly place (maybe Sao Paulo). Anyway, I think the folks at Hotel Tropical das Cataratas know where I'm coming from, because this hotel doesn't have much in the way of business amenities. But it does have everything a man (or woman) of leisure would want!
As nice as the place is, I doubt you'll want to spend all your leisure time loafing around the hotel property. Heck, you might eventually even get tired of gazing at the wonderous falls and the lush jungle scenery. When that happens, the hotel has a tour office that can fix you up with lots of different activities. They have a bus that leaves in the morning, crossing the bridge over to the Argentina side of the falls, and the bus tour is cheaper than hiring a taxi for a few hours (every taxi driver, either Argentinian or Brazilian, will happily take you crossing back and forth as often as you please --- for a price --- the price for us was R120 (US$40) for about half a day in the park and "downtown" Puerto Iguazu). The tour office can also set you up with tour buses over to the Itaipu Dam (although if you can figure out how to get over there on your own, the tour of the dam itself is free). Best thing to do? Do the Macuco Safari trip! It runs about US$35 per person, but you go up the river in one of those high-powered Zodiac-style inflatables and get totally drenched as the boat operator makes passes directly under some of the chutes that don't have lots of big sharp rocks at the base...awesome stuff!
Anyway, the tour office in the hotel can keep you busier than a 1-legged man in a butt-kicking contest, and the prices are generally pretty good. But there's lots of stuff to do right around the hotel too...
The pool is big and inviting, and its set in a wide, spacious open lawn setting with an attractive garden nearby and the hotel's outdoor restaurant, Ipe Grill, off to one side. There are plenty of tables and lounge chairs around the immaculately manicured lawns, so loafing isn't going to be a problem. The only problem you're likely to run into is abyssmally slow service. I don't believe I've ever before been to a resort type property where waiters didn't scurry up to me when I sat down by the pool to try to sell me overpriced drinks. They don't at this hotel! You'll have to hunt down the waiters yourself (they're usually lurking inside the shady confines of the Ipe Grill) and ask them to bring you drinks. When you want refills, you'll have to hunt them down again. The wilier waiters will have moved over by the tennis courts to increase the challenge...
Speaking of tennis, the hotel has a very nice tennis court. I especially liked the natural vegetation that was cultivated on the fences. Sure is a lot nicer feel than the green plastic strips they embed in the fence around my community's tennis courts back home! After you're done playing a few sets, you might want to duck into the bar at the Ipe Grill to grab a cool drink. When the bartender sees you coming, he'll step into the kitchen for a break. Don't worry. Just duck down out of site and when he thinks you're gone, he'll come back out, then you can surprise him with your drink order. This is the way service works at the Tropical Hotel das Cataratas. Playing games with the service staff is a great way to work up a healthy appetite!
A Hotel of Upscale Dining....
If you're a guest at the Hotel Tropical das Cataratas, chances are pretty darn good that you're going to be sampling the restaurants. Often. The only real viable alternative is to head down the trail to Porto Canoas, at the top of Garganta del Diablo (about a 5-minute walk on the road, 10-15 on the trail) and have lunch at the falls. (This won't work for breakfast and dinner though). Heading into Foz do Iguacu is possible, and if you're crossing the river into Puerto Iguazu Argentina for the day, you'll probably do lunch at one of the excellent small restaurants in town there. But most of the time, you'll find that it's too much of a pain in the tookus to go looking for food, so you'll eat at least a few meals at the hotel.
That's not a bad thing. It is sometimes an expensive thing, but it's never a bad thing. In fact, it's usually quite an excellent thing.
Breakfast is included in the room rates, so there's no sense in not eating breakfast in the hotel's main dining room. You'd be a fool to miss it anyway because the buffet breakfast is outstanding.
Start off with a steaming hot cup of coffee --- some of the strongest, blackest, thickest tasting stuff that ever wasn't called "quadruple strength expresso". It's not for the faint of heart. Brazilians drink just a dash of it in a mug filled most of the way with scalded milk. There's a big pot of hot milk next to the coffee pot. I drink the coffee black.
There's a fresh fruit bar, with everything from freshly made fruit salads to a huge range of freshly sliced tropical fruits. I was a little put off by the papaya slices with all the seeds intact on top --- never seen it served that way before. In retrospect, it does add some visual interest to the fruit, but I wonder how many people actually try to eat the seeds instead of scraping them off...
There's at least a good half dozen hot dishes. I didn't care for their scrambled eggs much (too runny and salty for my tastes), though the sausages --- two different kinds of 'em --- were both excellent. One was like cocktail weenies cooked in a richly flavorful tomatoe and onion salsa while the other seemed to be lightly pan fried thin-sliced salami. They also had wonderfully airy small cheese puffs that were slightly chewy, but totally sublime.
A whole table was filled with more types of breads than you could ever think to ask for --- everything from nut loafs and lemon loafs to small mini croissants. It was a veritable smorgasbord, all outstanding, and all free for the munching each morning (until 10am).
It's almost a shame that most of the viable off-site meal alternatives are for lunch. At lunchtime, the hotel dining room again rolls out the big buffet tables, but with one of the most amazing selections of European-style entrees that I've ever seen. Beef medallions in a a light wine sauce, grilled salmon, fettucine --- you name it! And the lunch buffet is pretty reasonably priced too (about US$8 per person). I'm a desert fiend, and I just couldn't get enough of all the wonderful chocolate cakes, puddings, tarts, and every other temptation for my very bad, diet-shunning sweet tooth.
Here's a tip for ya: be sure to make a dinner reservation at the Ipe Grill in the morning before you run out to do all your sightseeing and adventure activities. The Grill does book up almost every night, and you want to experience the churrascarria (barbecue) at least once while you're there. At R45 (about US$15) per person, it is not cheap, but it is outstanding. I think I'm even developing a taste for their roast beef, though I don't usually do much salt in my diet. (The way Brazilians seem to roast their meats is that they crust it with salt, then, after they're done slicing off portions for one guest, they roll the remaining leg/roast/whatever in more salt and put it back on the fire.)
Good thing the dinner was buffet. I didn't worry too much about the fact that I only saw my waiter once the whole evening, though at least he was good enough to make the appearance once to bring drinks from the bar...but then I never saw him again. I think he might still be hiding over by the tennis courts. If you see him, tell him I said "Olleee olleee in come free!"
Here's another tip for ya: put on the DEET before going to dinner. My leg still has welts on it from all the insect bites I got at Iguazu!
Every morsel of food I ate at the Hotel Tropical das Cataratas was nothing short of spectacularly delicious. Top drawer eating. Top drawer. Stick to the buffets though if you don't want your meals to take 3 or 4 hours....service at this hotel redefines "slow".
A Hotel of Creature Comforts...
The hotel feels old and venerable, but the rooms sport modern features, from the updated bathrooms to air conditioning, to cable TV.
I love the feel of this room though, especially the high ceilings, which must be 12 feet if they're a foot. Hardwood floors and architectural details, like heavy arched windows, give the room a distinctive and historical feel to it that's more like what you'd find in a cozy bed and breakfast historical inn than in a 200-room hotel operated by a corporation (Tropical Hotels is a chain of hotels, owned by Varig Airlines).
The bathroom was large too, and looked like it had been updated fairly recently. The modern tub enclosure was a sure giveaway, even though the marble countertops looked timeless.
No coffee maker in the room (darn it!), but at least there's all the free high-test, super-caffeinated crude oil you can drink downstairs. Nice to have the in-room safe, even if the hotel is charging me a buck a day for the lock. The mini-bar looks pretty well stocked. If it weren't the fact that there's nowhere else within miles to get a cheaper beer, I'd probably skip the mini-bar, what with prices of R6 ($2) per can. (Hey! You get spoiled real quick when you can snag a chilly brewski almost anywhere in the country for 30 to 60 cents!)
The furniture is all dark hardwoods, in a traditionally colonial style. The beds are firm and comfy.
Although the hotel is at the side of the falls, no room has a good, unobstructed view of the falls themselves. The most famous photo op spot is just 20 yards from the hotel's front door, but location doesn't translate into views from the rooms. Mercifully, it also doesn't translate into lost sleep from nighttime noise --- our room (which faced the falls) was peaceful and quiet as a tomb. The only noise we got at all was when we opened the window and tried to shut it again --- there's a trick to getting those little wood triangles back into position just right, and it took us a few minutes of jiggling before we figured it out.
The room was hugely spacious and very quiet and comfortable. An easy place to rest easy...
A Hotel for the Privileged...
I've heard that this hotel sometimes has standard single rooms starting at about US$150 per night. When I was there, they had nothing cheaper than a deluxe double for US$250. I was offered rooms as high as a suite for $750, but that seemed just a tad pricey for a guy who calls himself "The World's Cheapest Traveler (tm)". Needless to say, I opted for the $250 room.
For the record, rooms at the somewhat less prestigous Sheraton International Iguazu across the river can usually be had for under US$150 (rate confirmed on www.starwood.com), and you can often snag 5-star quality digs at hotels outside the park for under US$100 per night (the Bourbon Resort is said to be the most luxurious new hotel in the greater falls area --- didn't try it myself). Good, general tourist quality rooms are easily found throughout the area for $40-50 per night, and backpacker quality digs can be had for $20.
The Hotel Tropical das Cataratas (www.tropicalhotel.com.br) is the only hotel inside the Brazilian National Park. If you want to sleep literally within a stone's throw of the falls, it's one of only 2 possible choices, and it is, in my humble opinion, the more distinguished, elegant property of the two. If luxury and location is what you really want, you will have to pay for more it, but you will want to stay in this hotel.
In retrospect, I know I could have gotten an acceptable quality room for 1/4 to 1/5 what I paid here. But sometimes, it's worth paying more to get the best. This is one of those times...
Until next time, see you on the road. Maybe I'll be back in the cheap seats then...
Recommended:
Yes
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