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ABOUT ESTANCIA LOS PATOS -  in their own words:

LOCATION:
Located at only 120 kilometers from the City of Buenos Aires, in the middle of a unique environment, the Estancia Los Patos opens its gates to visitors and guests.

THE HISTORY:
The Estancia Los Patos is part of the property owned by the Videla Dorna family more than 200 years ago. Ángel de Estrada’s great grand-mother, Doña Elina Videla Dorna bestowed her daughter, María Elina Peralta Alvear, mother of Carlota Lainez de Estrada, the fields after named as Estancia La Elina. Part of these fields were inherited by Ángel Estrada, Carlota Lainez’s son, thirty-five years ago. The Estancia Los Patos compound was built by Ángel de Estrada in 1969. It has been recycled and enlarged in the last years due to an increasing number of guests, mostly from Europe and the U.S. Presently, the visits to the estancia meet the balance between the traditional country customs and the comfort the modern technology has to offer.

ACCOMMODATIONS:
The Estancia Los Patos has a lodging capacity for 10 persons. It has five deluxe suites with private bathroom. One of these has a king size bed and the possibility of adding a third bed. Each room is decorated in line with the style furniture belonging to the family. In all cases, the rooms are large and have a peaceful park view.

The living-room is very cozy with a big fireplace always kindled during winter time. The full-board service includes American breakfast, drinks, lunch, tea, drinks and dinner.

GASTRONOMY:
Our dishes are home-made made out of traditional menus with some international gastronomy influences. We also prepare the hunted pieces or fresh fish with fine recipes. Barbecued beef cannot fail in the menu.

SERVICES:

We offer lodging with full board (four meals), open bar and we also have for the use of our guests:

• Phone –free for local calls
• Broadband Internet w/WIFI
• Direct TV (satellite TV)
• Distributed heating
• Library with more than 1000 volumes
• Reiki and Shiatsu massages (your order)

    Games and activities:

• Cards
• Crocket
• Taba game
• The Frog game
• Bask bowling
• Swimming pool

ACTIVITIES:
In the frame of the works of an estancia, Los Patos offers many of the activities developed in the argentine countryside depending on the season of the year and the weather changes.

In the estancia, guests will also have the possibility of playing knucklebones (taba), crocket, sapo, cards, or bowls. In hot days they can use the swimming pool and sunbathe.

At your arrival, empanadas, wine, and soda drinks will not fail.

At noon a criollo-styled barbecue will be served with different salads and native desserts, accompanied by Argentine folklorical tunes and melodies.

After the afternoon activities, tea, coffee, soda drinks will be served together with home cakes baked by our chef.

POLO:
The Estrada family, of great polo tradition, invites guests to practice one of the more exclusive sports in the world, offering them horses, all necessary elements, and a especially designed polo clinic for those who wish to be initiated in this sport.

At the estancia, polo ponies are raised, broken in and trained. The polo field at the Estancia Los Patos is one of those existing in the area and its use is subject to the activities previously planned by polo players who usually play there.

In the polo fields at Estancia Los Patos many renowned polo players have played, among them Adolfo Cambiaso (h), who is presently considered the best player in the world, and is distinguished by most of the polo colleagues, as one of the best players in the history of this exclusive sport.

POLO CLINIC:
With quite a long tradition playing polo the Estrada family offers the guests of the estancia the possibilty to learn and practice the sport.  They provide the horses and the theoretical and practical way to get into the sport. There are clinics specially designed for those who want to begin playing polo.

HORSE RIDES:
We probably are right when we say that one of the loveliest things you can experience in life is to go out riding in an estancia. That’s why we have organized horserides in the ranch, it’s the best experience we can offer our guests.

Those who come and visit us want to ride on horseback or be driven in a horse carriage. We have selected our horses very carefully and you will feel good and trust your horse in a very sort time. You will enjoy during the whole ride. In that way we have a different view of what happens in a working estancia as ours. A simple way of life linked with nature and the leisure you deserve.

HUNTING:
Estancia Los Patos is internationally wellknown for duck hunting. Every year expert hunters, journalists, and renowned photographers arrive from different parts of the world for this reason.

Duck hunting takes place in ponds especially prepared for this activity, with the assistance of bilingual and expert guides, who are in charge of selecting the best hunting spots, and transferring hunters to and from hunting areas. They work with retrievers and pointers.

In duck hunting there is quantity limits per person and per day. Hunting season for ducks as well as for partridges starts on April 15 and ends on August 15.

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A COUNTRY DAY AT ESTANCIA LOS PATOS

Come and spend the day in the country. Begin with a welcome drink and empanada. Enjjoy activities, and an "asado" lunch complete with salads, wine and soft drinks, typical argentine desserts and coffee.   You can use the pool, partake or activities as offered, walk the forest and the park.  You  will be hosted by the owners.

ACTIVITIES include:

• Horse rides:
  For those who have experience in riding we offer horse rides accompanied by bilingual guides.

• Horse Carriage rides:  
  in the estancia and with the guidance of our people. Bilingual guides.

• Technical talks:
  We visit the different fields of the estancia and some other neighboring estancias. We show and disclose technical information about our horse breeding and the taming and training systems. We also show and explain the way we manage the estancia operation. We talk about our agricultural and our livestock management strategy.

• Gaucho Culture:
  The gauchos do demonstrations of the activities they normally do at the estancia, i.e. herding, cutting, roping, taming animals, etc. A good and simple way to understand how is the life of the men that work in the country in Argentina.

• Gaucho Games:
  we can play taba, basq bowls, frog. Also we can practice non gaucho games such as crocket or play backgammon.