We have been there twice. Both have been exceptional experiences: the unique and stunning beauty of the place, the happy, caring and highly professional staff, the exceptional food. This has been a true outstanding experience! Highly recommended.
Wonderful place in terms of infrastructure and location. Lovely pool and park. Great quality of food (not so good the afternoon tea), very good rooms and common areas. The big disappointment was the horse riding. They are more focused on the insurance policy, than the enjoyment of riding this beautiful animal. I am not a very experience rider but did some riding in other estancias in Argentina, and those were truly countryside ranch experiences. This time at La Bandada they just allowed me to go in circles around the park and gave us a 30 minutes stroll in the country passing one fence. They kept me saying about the danger of falling from a horse when riding over any hole. what kind of horse fall at any time galloping cross country? And the worst part was that they treated me disrespectfully (horse staff) for saying that I had a little experience and that I wanted to gallop with the horse.
Staff in general is welcoming, but not truly attentive. Another drawback was the dinner: they run out of the main dish that I ordered when they had to serve it...
It is a very good hotel on the country side made for the tourist show lacking the real spirit of an argentinian estancia.
It's been quite the year (2020) and we were looking for a few days outside of Buenos Aires with lots of nature, amazing food, and just an opportunity to relax.
La Bandada was exactly what we needed, we honestly couldn't have asked for more. It's so easy to get to from the city, and once we arrived, everything was taken care of...we didn't have to worry about a thing.
My partner and I went for 2 nights to celebrate his (belated) birthday and just have some quality alone time. Our favorite parts were the quite breakfasts in our private patio, the tea time by the pool, the asado, and drinks by the campfire on our last night. The staff was amazing and super attentive.
We had such a lovely experience, we're already looking at our calendar to figure out when we can go back.
I spent 3 wonderful days with my wife and two kids (2 and 5 y/o). The apartment we stayed in (Las Garzas) was fresh, silent, roomy and exquisitely furnished. The food is DE LI CIO US!! (make sure you loose some weight before arriving) typical Argentinian dishes with a twist from chef Roxy. Kids really enjoyed the orchard, feeding the goats or trying horseback riding for the first time. I highly recommend this place, and we'll be back for sure.
The “Estancia” as we called it, was the perfect way to spend our last couple of days for our month-long trip to Argentina.
Mauro picked us up and drove us to the estancia, which was quite a long ride, so you knew it was going to be a special, remote get-a-way.
Our room was The Picaflor, which means hummingbird, so the perfect room for us as I love hummingbirds and dragonflies.
Our dinner that night was served at 8:30 p.m. with one other couple that was also staying at the Estancia. The long table was beautifully set. The meal consisted of a tomato, cheese and basil salad to start and then a gnocci dish that was outstanding and one of my favorite dishes in Argentina. And, I ate the whole thing!! The dessert was a brownie ice cream dessert.
The next day we woke up at 8:30 a.m. and breakfast was served at 8:30 a.m., so we had to hustle. Their homemade granola with chopped fruit and fresh yogurt was scrumptious. So much so that I want to learn to make my own granola and yogurt at home.
I went for a swim in the pool to exercise. The water was cold, but the sun made it nice.
The asado (barbecue)was at 1 p.m. Empanada, beef, sausage, chicken, potatoes, salad and a dulce de leche dessert. All lovely!
After the asado we played croquet out on the lawn. We had not played this game in years!!!
At 5 p.m. I had high tea on the patio while my husband took of with Marcelo to go horse riding. While I drank tea on the patio, I closed my eyes to meditate and listen to the beautiful sounds of nature - birds, owls, insects - all the calls of nature that get masked in city living. It was also the perfect place to journal while enjoying the patio all to myself.
Then, Romina took us on a long walk along the expansive grounds, including the vegetable garden and the “island” with the beaver-like critters with long rat-like tails. It was fascinating to watch them in their environment.
Romina took us out for our walk at the perfect time so we could see the sunset which she referred to as “The Golden Hour”.
Lastly, she took us through the herb and vegetable garden. I saw artichoke growing in the ground (versus seeing it in a grocery store) and saw that it produces a beautiful purple flower, but also learned that at this point, they cannot be eaten. We saw squash (yellow and green) on the vine and herbs like rosemary, mint and kale, and different types of lettuce.
We came back to the Estancia to drink wine and learned that in Argentina, they toast with the left hand as it is closest to the heart. Then you raise the glass up (arriba), then lower it (abajo), then “clink” (al centro) and then raise the glass to your lips (al dentro) and drink!
Dinner was a fantastic pork dish with roasted vegetables. Another home run!
The chef made some outstanding food for every meal.
So, to Grace (Gerente), Romina, Marcelo, Mauro,and the rest of the staff and the chef, we (including Behr) say grab your glasses of wine with your left hand and repeat after us: “Arriba, abajo, al centro, al dentro!” We toast all of you for a lovely stay!
