Eating and Sleeping in St Agustin del Valle Fertil

After 200km of driving across barren desert encountering nothing more than the occasional tiny settlement our expectations were not high. How wrong could we be?

St Agustin did not look much as we entered the town. A petrol garage, a coach having its tyre changed, a roadside cafe, some single storey dwellings, and the usual run of stray dogs. Our B&B took some tracking down on account of the fact the owner had taken down the signs for repainting, but when we turned in to Cerro del Valle Hotel Rustico, we were in for a pleasant surprise. We were met by Mario, the owner, who showed us to our room. It was possibly the cleanest room we have stayed in during this holiday and Mario had made all the furniture himself. This included the beds, the table, the chairs, and the light fittings. Moreover the price was very reasonable ($80US), and Mario could not have been more helpful in offering us advice, giving us directions, making suggestions for the next day and so on. His breakfasts, too, were excellent, including fresh baked bread, a selection of fruit and good tea and coffee. There was a guest swimming pool which we did not get the opportunity to try, although like everywhere else it looked very clean.

On Mario's recommendation we ate at the roadside cafe opposite the gas station. Once again appearances were misleading. We had the best steak we had ever eaten, and the creme caramel desert was delightful. Mario's advice to order only one steak between us was spot on. It was huge, at 750gms more than enough to feed a family of four. Washed down with a great bottle of Malbec, and with change from $20US, it was the best value, best tasting meal we had enjoyed.