Five-star Shore of Lago Argentino, El Calafate
Xelena Hotel & Suites
Seventy rooms on the shore of Lago Argentino a few kilometres outside El Calafate, with a heated pool that runs from inside to out and a restaurant cooking lamb over embers.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.
- Rooms
- 70, from Standard to the Presidential Suite
- Opened
- 2006
- From the airport
- About 20 km, roughly 25 minutes, our estimate
The hotel
On the lakeshore, out of town.
Xelena was built in 2006 on the shore of Lago Argentino, a few kilometres outside El Calafate, twenty kilometres from the airport. Rooms look either over the lake or back towards the town, and the hotel runs a free shuttle to the centre every afternoon and evening. There are seventy rooms in six categories, from Standard to a Presidential Suite.
The spa and health club take the water as their view. The pool, seventy square metres and kept between 28 and 32 degrees, runs from indoors to an outdoor section, with a jacuzzi and dry sauna beside it and a gym on the first floor. Two meeting rooms, Ambar and Coral, open into one for up to 190 people. Massages are booked by appointment.
- The pool Heated to between 28 and 32 degrees, partly indoors and partly out, with the lake in front. Open to hotel guests from noon to 10 pm.
- Mora The main restaurant cooks lamb over embers, guanaco and Argentine cuts on the grill, with wines from Patagonia.
- Into town A free transfer runs to the centre from 3 pm until 7 pm in winter and until 10 pm in summer.
Rooms & suites
Six kinds of room, lake or town.
Rooms face the lake or the town and come in six categories.
- Rooms Standard, Superior and Triple The three room categories, the triple for families or friends travelling together.
- Suites Junior Suite and Luxury Suite The larger rooms, with lake or town views.
- The largest Presidential Suite The top category in the hotel.
Dining
Embers, a bistro and a coffee shop.
Venues as listed by the hotel. Shown for information.
- Mora Restaurant Patagonian grill Lamb over embers, guanaco, Patagonian wines
- Pierrot Bistró Lobby Bar Modern bistro In the lobby
- Coral Coffee Shop Snacks and light meals By day, looking at the lake
- Huerta & Fuegos Garden and fire Listed by the hotel
Good to know
Before you go.
- Arrival Check-in from 3 pm, check-out by 11 am.
- Children Under-14s must be with an adult in the spa and gym, and under-18s may not use the jacuzzi.
- Pets Not accepted.
Getting there
Flying to El Calafate.
El Calafate airport handles domestic flights and private aircraft on the same runway. The hotel is about 20 kilometres away; allow about 25 minutes by car, our estimate.
- Punta Arenas 45 min
- Ushuaia 1 h 05
- Bariloche 1 h 40
- Santiago 2 h 50
- Buenos Aires 3 h 05
Questions
What guests ask first.
- Is Xelena in the centre of El Calafate?
- No. It is on the lakeshore a few kilometres out, with a free afternoon and evening shuttle to the centre.
- Is the pool open to day visitors?
- No. The spa and pool are for hotel guests, from noon to 10 pm.
- Can we bring a dog?
- No. Pets are not accepted.
- Can SkyCourtage arrange the flight to El Calafate?
- Yes. We arrange Business and First Class seats on scheduled airlines and private jet charter to El Calafate, with one final price, our margin included. The hotel is booked with the hotel or through our booking partner.
Also in El Calafate
Other hotels worth the trip.
- EOLO – Patagonia's Spirit A lodge on a 4,000-hectare estate in the open steppe, with two MICHELIN Keys.
- Estancia Cristina A ranch inside the national park, raised to two MICHELIN Keys in 2026.
- Imago Hotel & Spa Looks straight onto the bay, with a spa, indoor pool and sauna.
- Design Suites Calafate Sixty rooms with views of the lake, outside town, with a spa and indoor pool.
- Alto Calafate Hotel Patagónico A hundred and three rooms on the hillside at the entrance to town, with a heated outdoor pool.
- Kau Yatún Hotel de Campo A country hotel among native plants, within walking distance of the main street.
Staying at Xelena Hotel & Suites?
Book the room, then the flight.
Rates and availability come from the hotel itself. For the journey to El Calafate, a Business or First Class seat or an aircraft of your own: tell us the date and we come back with one final price, our margin included.
Opens the hotel's own website. We have no arrangement with the hotel.