I usually prefer to stay in hotel chains because of the generous elite benefits (suite upgrades, breakfast, late check-out, etc.) but on occasion in some destinations without hotel chains then booking at an independent hotel cannot be avoided. In such situations I usually feel the sting of not having benefits and the value for the money is often noticeably inferior. Since our stay in Punta Arenas was part of a package involving a trip to Antarctica I could not choose which hotel we stayed at, and anyway there are no hotel chains in the city. Based on our stay at Hotel Jose Nogueira there was nothing to change my opinion about independent hotels, they are often inferior to hotel chains in many ways. Our stay was not overwhelmingly bad, in fact there were a number of positives. For starters of course I did not expect a suite upgrade but our room almost looked like a suite nonetheless because there was a living room separated from the bedroom. The downside is that both sections were quite small and the layout of other rooms which I saw felt more spacious when it was just one open room. Another positive was the lack of carpet which was not the case in all rooms, and also the bathroom had heated floors which was suitable for the local climate, and also a towel heater which was very useful. The bathroom toiletries were not some local unbranded stuff, in fact it was Pharmacopia which is often used in various Hyatt Regency hotels around the world. The main problem was that the curtains were not great so for a stay during the summer which has long day light hours, our daughter woke up too early every day. Having good blackout in a hotel far north or far south is a must but Hotel Jose Nogueira failed in that regard. At least the pillows were thick so we could sleep well before sunrise. The bathroom was also a sore spot, it was exceedingly small and quite dated especially the shower in the bathtub. The rest of the room was quite bare bones. There was no coffee kettle and even when I asked at reception they told me they only had one so they could not lend it to me. Since we needed boiled water to make milk for the baby I had to go to the bar regularly to ask for refills which was not as convenient as what we normally do in any other hotels. There was also no bathrobe which is a miss for a cold climate. The overall lack of amenities was also noticeable at the bar. While the venue itself was attractive, one day I asked for a *****ni but I was told they did not have Campari anymore. So I ordered an Amaretto Sour. The next day I ordered an Amaretto Sour again and I was told they did not have Amaretto anymore, but that they had Campari! Breakfast was quite weak, so weak in fact that we voluntarily decided to skip it two out of four mornings during our stay which we almost never do in any kind of hotel. They had eggs made to order and the rest at the buffet was standard stuff and nothing that stood out: cheese, cereals, fruits, bread, etc
Very Good
74 Reviews