Accommodations in Río Grande are few, particularly at the budget end, where quality varies dramatically. Nearly every mid-range-to-upscale place offers a 10 percent discount for cash payment.

Río Grande’s first backpacker hostel, at the south end of town, the Albergue Turístico Argentino (San Martín 64, tel. 02964/42-2546, hostelargentino [at] gmail [dot] com, US$13–16 pp dorm) gets high marks for hospitality, good beds, and good common areas including kitchen access. Prices with shared or private baths are acceptable, but make reservations for the latter; a couple of rooms are run-down and it sometimes suffers water shortages. Staff will fetch guests from the bus terminal for free.

The simple but spotless family-run Hospedaje Noal (Obligado 557, tel. 02964/42-7516, US$14 pp, US$34 d) has spacious rooms with shared baths but plenty of closet space and good beds, and some rooms with private baths. B&B El Puesto (Juan Bautista Thorne 345, tel. 02964/42-0923, bybelpuesto [at] yahoo [dot] com [dot] ar, US$32 s, US$40 d), the only one of its kind, is one of Río Grande’s best values.

Around the corner from the former bus terminal, the seaside Hotel Isla del Mar (Güemes 936, tel. 02964/42-2883, isladelmar [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$44 s, US$52 d) is frayed, not just worn around the edges, with loose doorknobs, scuffed walls, and eroding wooden built-ins. Still, it exudes a certain funky charm, even if “sea view” is a relative term here—with the enormous tidal range, the ocean sometimes seems to be on the distant horizon. Rates include breakfast, and there’s a small discount for cash payments.

Possibly Río Grande’s best value for money, rehabbed Hotel Villa (San Martín and Espora, tel. 02964/42-4998, hotelvillarg [at] hotmail [dot] com, US$65 s or d) has cheerful contemporary rooms and assiduous service. It offers 10 percent cash discounts.

With its rooms and public areas upgraded, Hotel Federico Ibarra (Rosales 357, tel. 02964/43-0071, www.federicoibarrahotel.com.ar, US$72 s, US$87 d) is well worth consideration, with breakfast and cash discounts. A glass palace that’s an architectural sore thumb, Hotel Atlántida (Avenida Belgrano 582, tel./fax 02964/43-1914, www.atlantidahotel.com.ar, US$74 s, US$92 d) has improved its accommodations and offers similar discounts.

Río Grande’s most professional operation, Posada de los Sauces (Elcano 839, tel. 02964/43-2895, www.posadadelossauces.com.ar, US$74–90 s, US$85–111 d) is easily top of the line. One of the suite bathrooms could hold a hot-tub party, and the restaurant is the city’s most elegant.