Portillo Resort Reviews
Visitor reviews for Portillo Ski Resort
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(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
(NOTE: Reviews may be edited by our content team for the purposes of ensuring accurate and relevant information)
Latest
July 12, 2014
Davey B. from
United States
Davey B. from
United States
I really wanted to like Portillo, but frankly it's mediocre in most aspects. The vertical is not great with all lifts accessing less than 1,000'. It's very difficult to expand that number because the resort is divided in half by the Inca Lake. The best skiing is the "bowls" - really just long chutes that you reach via 4/5 person poma lifts that whisk you up. There are 3 of these, and from them you can traverse or climb to some others. In most other ambitious ski resorts these would all have chairlifts and better planning of layout throughout. The care-taking of the mountain is seriously lacking, with minimal grooming, little signage of any kind, and complacent staff attitudes. The "trails" number less than a handful and get boring quickly, especially after skiing/boarding them for a day or two. If snow is iffy there is hardly any snowmaking backup - a serious problem. Most folks stay at the Hotel Portillo (except for the budget minded - there's a bunk bed building) which is basic; very modest rooms including 4 meals daily which are surprisingly bad and sometimes near rancid. I don't know how it's partnered up with Rockresorts, other than a stunning location (it has nothing in common with those five star resorts). As someone who has skied most everywhere I'm glad I visited for my own education, but I'd find it hard to recommend this place except for the most inquisitive, it simply doesn't live up to expectations. From what I understand, Valle Nevado is a better choice, and when I return to S.A. it will be my next.
August 21, 2012
Tomasso from
Chile
Tomasso from
Chile
Pros:
- way less congested than the resorts near Santiago (El Colorado, La Parva, Valle Nevado)
- great scenery
Cons:
- an absolute lack of security; in 2011 an Argentine girl died when she was strangled by the lift's rope of Roca Jack .. those dangerous lifts are still in place, and there's hardly a sign telling you how the five skiers have to download
[note from the editor: staff, at the resort, contacted us with the hope of creating a balanced impression. They wanted to reassure visitors to the ski area. I recommended that they submit their own posting to express their intentions.]
September 22, 2010
James Statham from
Canada
James Statham from
Canada
Just returned from Portillo and in a light snow year and had a great time.
Portillo has the vertical of an eastern resort, but with western conditions - high alpine with chutes, steeps and the world famous Super C couloir.
Tio Bob's is one of the best ski bar/restaurants in the world along with the Moosewirt in St. Anton and the Longhorn at Whistler/Blackcomb.
More of the world's best skiers have skied here than anywhere else. Portillo is a legend. The only place better is Revelstoke.
August 27, 2010
Arthur from
Brazil
Arthur from
Brazil
Portillo is a nice place to come and have fun, with good food (all included) and a live band every night to distract people after ski. There's also a nice swimming pool and dance club. What is a bit dissapointing is that there are very few slopes, mainly two big ones and others small on the sides. This is really not enough to compare with the other large resorts available, even in Chile. Also there is no snow park, which can be frustrating specially to the snowboarders (like me). But overall we had fun, people were friendly in general. I hope the number of slopes increases in the future, it would make Portillo a real good option even worldwide. Today I think it's still limited.
August 17, 2010
Rich from
United States
Rich from
United States
Portillo has a beautiful and cozy bar with a fireplace on the second floor (not a lounge like in the Minneapolis Radisson). There is tons of off-piste skiing accessible from the four (not two) multi-man slingshot lifts - only in use at Portillo - that gain 500-1,100 feet of vertical over a length of 1,100 to 2,100 feet. As for pitch, the top of Roca Jack is 50+ degrees, good enough for the Austrian Ski Team to use for downhill training every year. Finally, you drove yourself to Portillo, a place with zero use for a car, instead of taking one of the easily accessible drivers or shuttles? If you're going to diss a place, at least get the facts straight. Giving any bias, Portillo and its loyal guests - including some of the best skiers in the world - are probably glad to see the last of you.
June 30, 2010
Martina Diez-Routh from
United Kingdom
Martina Diez-Routh from
United Kingdom
I love Ski Portillo, it is a great place with spectacular scenery. For those comments I have been reading below that they did not like some aspects of it, I would say, you might have got a wrong selling speech. The hotel is old and not-fancy, with no TV, only one bar, one disco and a bar across the international route where the staff mainly goes with some adventurous guests, but the quality of snow usually is great, thanks to its altitude and lack of wind. The food is great and the chef gives you great options of all kinds of fish in Chile. You have four meals a day and then you can have one meal on the on-top mountain restaurant Tio Bobs with superbs views of the Laguna del Inca.
The rooms are simple, with no TV, but that makes you want to go to socialise to their living room. It feels like if you were staying at home, like what old ski resorts use to be.
Obviously, it is great to relax on the pools and now on their two hot tubs, and you can take their yoga and stretching sessions.
Overall, Portillo is a great experience with magnificent vistas.
December 17, 2009
Kevin Lee from
Canada
Kevin Lee from
Canada
I keep reading that this area is one of the top 10 in the world. This really upsets me, because I made a point of travelling across the continent to ski it (travelled from Buenos Aires). It's a tiny small area, with nothing but blue runs. Nothing challenging, nothing steep, nothing long. The lifts are from the stone age, slow and clunky. When I was there half the resort was down due to a power failure for half the day. They harp on the "off piste" Well there are a couple of cable lifts that drag you literally only 2 or 3 hundred meters up a slope. From there you might get a half dozen turns on reasonable steepness. But I ask you, is it worth the time and expense for 6 turns? Also, at the end of the day I thought I'd drop into the lounge for a beer before driving back to the city (Santiago). Well to my disbelief there is no lounge. No where to sit and enjoy a cocktail or hot drink after a day of skiing? What's up with that? As I was walking through the hotel looking for the non-existent lounge, I was confronted by a nasty hotel worker who began shouting at me in Spanish, telling me I can't walk around the hotel. I was in the pubic area.
All in all, I was not impressed. One of the worst 10 areas I've ever skied at, and I've skied hundreds.
September 20, 2009
Brett from
Australia
Brett from
Australia
Portillo is a great resort with excellent terrain. The food is top notch, bar the afternoon snack; bring some alcohol and some good books. The hotel at Portillo can organize a shuttle service for 12000 peso back to Santiago. Stayed in the Inca lodge. You can meet great people and the staff are friendly.
September 06, 2009
Alix from
Bolivia
Alix from
Bolivia
I am currently in Portillo and staying in the lodge: a less expensive option to the overpriced hotel. The weather is dreadful and I haven't been able to walk to or from the lodge to the hotel as the walkway hasn't been shoveled and I fall down to my waist trying to traverse the short distance. I've found the staff surly and the place dirty. The staff seem bored and are all sitting around in groups; it would be nice if someone would shovel the walk way. If I could get a shovel I would do it myself. The food for those staying in the lodge is exceptionally bad - stale bread rolls with butter for afternoon tea. All the attractions listed such as the cinema, library, game room etc are closed as are the lifts and runs. A very poor holiday experience all round.
June 15, 2009
Bruce from
United States
Bruce from
United States
Portillo now has off-piste as steep as Jackson Hole or the Palisades at Squaw. Riding the Va a Vients (a new advanced run for 2009) is an adventure.
For adventuresome children, there is certainly enough to keep them occupied when not skiing (indoor soccer, basketball, a decent library, et. al.) For sedentary children, it would be 'boring'.
For adults, a late evening at La Posada is a must.
Instructors are excellent. Food and service are superb (get to know Senor Besa) and Henry and Miguel have done great things to the resort. Just remember, the rooms are simple and while there is no TV (a blessing from my perspective) there is good wireless connectivity.
Access is two hours from Santiago, with some magnificent vistas.
Just bring your game when skiing OB.