Mendoza Argentina

Mendoza is a common gateway for skiers and snowboarders heading to Las Lenas Ski Resort. Or you may want to use Mendoza as a stop-over to other South American ski resorts to see what all the fuss is regarding the Mendoza wines. Mendoza is one of the great wine capitals of the world!

Where is Mendoza City?

Mendoza is located in the foothills on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains, and not far from the massive Aconcagua. Mendoza City is the capital of the Mendoza Province of Argentina, and located in the north central area of the province. Mendoza is 683 miles (1100km) west of Buenos Aires and 226 miles (360km) northeast of Santiago de Chile, and Ruta 7 between Santiago and Buenos Aires runs through Mendoza.

The Mendoza Airport (aka Governor Francisco Gabrielli International Airport or El Plumerillo International Airport) is about 5 miles (8km) from the city centre and it hosts lots of options for car rentals. Most flights to Mendoza originate from Santiago or Buenos Aires and there are also flights from a few other Argentinean regional airports. You can look at flight options here.

Ski Mendoza Argentina

The highly renowned Las Leñas ski resort is 419km southwest of Mendoza (260 miles - about 4.5 hours by road), and most domestic and international routes to travel to Las Lenas go via Mendoza.

Vallecitos near Potrerillos was the oldest ski centre in the province, but alas, it’s now closed.

Further west on Ruta 7 is Los Penitentes, which is 114 miles (183km) west of Mendoza and only 15.5 miles (25km) from the Chile border. Portillo Chile is only 30km (19 miles) further to the west.

Los Puquois Ski Resort is 5km (3 miles) west of Penitentes; a little family ski area with delightfully easy slopes.

The Mendoza area also affords various opportunities for backcountry skiing and snowboarding.

Mendoza Accommodation

Mendoza City and the surrounding towns offer an extensive array of accommodation choices. One option is to stay in central Mendoza where there are many slick hotels and big name hotels.

Mendoza City Hotel Listings

Or you can stay further afield amidst some of the wineries of Chacras de Coria, a cute little wine town.

Chacras de Coria Accommodation Listings

Or Maipu is also a nice spot to be near a large concentration of wineries.

Maipu Lodging Listings

The Powderhounds have also stayed at the Gran Hotel Potrerillos in the very rural town of Potrerillos, about 65km from Mendoza (on the way to Los Penitentes Ski Resort). This spectacular 4 star renovated hacienda style hotel offers a piece of glamour for a fraction of what you’d expect to pay.

Mendoza Wineries

The Greater Mendoza area reputedly has 1000 wineries! Whether that’s true or not, there certainly is an abundance of Mendoza wineries. Mendoza Malbec is probably the best known wine, and Cabernet Sauvignon is also well renowned.

The Luján de Cuyo region is best known for the Malbec varietal, and the little rural town of Chacras de Coria is worth a visit if you love Malbec. We had lunch at Clos de Chacras, a winery in town, and it was just too hard to decide whether to have a 3, 4 or 8 course lunch with wine pairing!

Just a little further east is the Maipu department and there are various towns (including Maipu) that have lots of bodegas (wineries).

Many of the wineries offer tours but you typically need to book in for a tour and tasting. Your accommodation host will be able to assist you with this.