Portillo Chile has high quality resort services and facilities, most of which are located in Hotel Portillo. In addition to the standard amenities such as ski rentals, child care, ski school and lockers, they also have other special touches to make the ski vacation experience a bit easier.
The communication at Portillo Hotel is exceptional, and verbal communiqué is supplemented with other mechanisms. One example is a large electronic board near the ski locker area that outlines the current weather conditions and the forecast, as well as the status of the runs and lifts.
General service is also of a high standard and the staff to guest ratio is close to 1:1.
Portillo Ski and Boot Storage
Another highlight of Portillo Chile is the ski, snowboard and boot storage service for overnight guests. You only have to walk several steps with your equipment before you’re on the snow to click in – absolute luxury! Enrique, one of the boot valet men, has the most amazing memory. Even though there are hundreds of guests, he remembers your face and which boots are yours from the first day. His memory combined with a cheeky grin warrant a huge tip. And considering some of the bad smells he must have to put up with, give him a ginormous tip!
For day trippers there is also a ski and boot storage area outside the hotel.
Eating On Mountain
Portillo Hotel and Octagon Lodge guests have meals in the formal hotel dining room, whilst Inca Backpacker guests have lunch in the cafeteria on the lobby level of the hotel. When purchasing a lift ticket, day trippers can pay for a lunch ticket for the cafeteria.
There are a couple of other dining options on-mountain at Portillo ski resort. Tio Bob’s is perched up high in the ski area near the top of the Plateau lift. From the deck of the restaurant, the views across Inca Laguna and the surrounding Andes are absolutely spectacular. The beers and food are great, but they pale into insignificance in the presence of such vistas.
The Ski Box kiosk is not far from the hotel. It’s located adjacent to the magic carpet and learners area, so it’s a great place to watch the kids or have a chuckle at wet-bottomed adults learning to snowboard. The kiosk sells soft drinks, beers, and a few snacks.
Facilities for Children
Portillo is very family oriented and is the
best ski resort in South America for children who don’t speak fluent Spanish.
Childcare facilities are located on the reception level of the hotel. The crèche is open daily from 9am to 8pm. It doesn’t really need to be open any later as kids are welcome at the first dinner sitting. There is a fee for child care for ages 0-4. Children ages 4-7 are free of charge for hotel guests. A private nanny service is also available.
In addition to Kids Camp ski school for kids, the hotel runs various programs for children such as treasure hunts, games and baking classes. In the gymnasium there is also a games area with table tennis, billiards and a rock climbing wall.
Parents should keep an eye out for the Kid’s Ski Free Weeks at Portillo as they offer great value for money, and the little ones are guaranteed to make lots of new friends.
Portillo Ski and Snowboard School
The Portillo ski school has a good international reputation with a history of very high profile ski school directors. The school has high quality instructors who are multi-lingual so there are no problems booking a group lesson in English.
Kids Camp is ski and snowboard tuition for children aged 4-6 and it operates twice daily. Classes are only for 1.5 hours, so parents wanting some child-free time will need to combine ski school with child care. Children ages 7 and above can join in with teens lessons or the regular group and private lesson formats for adults.
Portillo Ski Rentals and Snowboard Rental
The Portillo ski and snowboard rental department is the best of the Chile ski resorts. In addition to standard ski and board sets, they also have some powder skis and performance gear. Prices are comparable with those at “middle of the road” US ski resorts, and hotel guests can charge rental costs to their hotel bill so that it doesn’t attract the Value Added Tax.
The Portillo rental shop also has a high quality tune and repair workshop.
Banking and Internet Facilities
Portillo has an ATM located next to reception, although you won’t need that much cash whilst staying at Portillo because drinks, equipment rental, and shopping can be charged to your room and paid by credit card. A small amount of cash is required for incidentals at any of the non-hotel restaurants and for tips. For the latter, the staff will gladly accept US dollars if you don’t have pesos.
At the reception there is a cambio (money exchange) where they exchange US bills, although the rates aren’t fantastic.
The hotel has wireless internet access in the lounge and throughout the rooms. As to be expected, it’s a little slow during peak times.