I have been like 10 times to Portillo. So... I have been through many different conditions. I love the place. It is now expensive in dollar terms due to the weak US dollar for the best rooms. However... el Inca Lodge (really a hostel) costs USD 100 per night all included (except alcoholic drinks). This is just basic basic lodging. The place has a pool outside that is kept warm all winter, a disco, a bar, a small cinema, a basketball court. My advise regarding Portillo... wait for the season to start and check the amount of snow. Best time to go is early September when it is now clear the amount of snow. Just forget about going in early July: it hardly ever works. The octogon has intermediate pricing and the actual hotel higher end. There is TV in the few chalets that are available... those work well for a group of people. I think you need 6 for the smaller one to make it worth it.

Transportation to the resort:
Getting to Portillo seems to vary by people. This is our 2nd time to Chile and like the last time we flew into Santiago and spent a night in Santiago to recoup from our flight. Next day we took the ski total bus to the resorts. We do this because flight from Atlanta doesn't land until close to 9am and the ski total bus that we take for about $40 USD per person round trip leaves around 8am from Santiago- by the time we get our luggage and get to the ski total bus stop, the bus would have left anyways. Although I think leaving time may depend on how many people are on the bus since last year our bus left promptly at 8am and this time we didn't leave until past 9:30am. We heard from others that taking a private cab from the airport is around $200 USD each way. If anyone has other transportation methods, I would love to know. We also used the extra day this time to load up on wine, water, and snacks from the local grocery store since these items are fairly expensive at the resorts.

Ski Terrain:
If you love Alta you will love Portillo. Lots of fun terrains and places where pro skiers and locals hike up and ski. Ask one of the staff about the super C! You can also go heli skiing in Portillo which is a fun addition to the trip.

Hotel:
We stayed at the Hotel Portllo(there are other lodging options as well) and pleased with the accommodations. There is alot of history at the hotel and definitely captures an old ski lodge feel. Overall there are plenty to do including skiing swimming, hot tub, fitness, game room, indoor gym, disco tech, bars and internet room with a small library. However, be aware that there is no TV in the rooms at Hotel Portillo. There is wireless in every room but it can be choppy and limited certain times of the day. There is also a clinic here with 2 full time doctors and 2 full time nurses which is nice to know.

Room:
I admit, this is by no means the Ritz or the W but the room is fairly large and the closet is spacious. We stayed on the 6th floor and at times it can be a pain to wait for the elevators, the balcony makes up for the wait. You can also get family rooms which has adjacent rooms for parents and children. There is options for a suite and private house rentals as well.

Staff and overall Service:
I absolutely fell in love with the staff. This hotel is privately owned by the Purcell family and it seems like the staff here actually stay here for many seasons. From the activities guide to the wait staff all remembers the guests and treats you like they've known you for a long time. When they see you, they actually say hello and know your name. :) They remember little things as to what I like (i.e. I prefer certain things with my meals and every meal there was whole wheat bread with my decaf coffee and tobasco sauce ready for me at the table). Mr. Purcell(the owner of this resort is always visible and happy to talk with his guests. You can buy a book on Portillo Hotel and he will even sign the book for you which is a nice treat.

Food:
We got 4 meals a day(breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner) and the it was fantastic. We are pretty big eaters and felt like we were constantly being fed. One of the previous review talks about dining room being hot....I am not sure where they got that from....and unlike Valle Nevado water is included and there was always a carafe of water at our table....We got juice every breakfast as well. You can order a la carte but there are so many choices from the daily menu it's almost hard not to want to try what the chef offers for the day. Remember, this is like the old fashioned ski resort so everyone eats in the dining room at a certain time. No worries they feed you constantly here and you will never be hungry!

Compare to Valle Nevado and Termas de Chillan:
Well, each place offers different things I think. Valle Nevado is a newer hotel with more modern feel but the staff and the service varied because they have heavy turn over every year. The fact that only 2 meals were included at Valle Nevado was definitely a minus for me. Lunch, drinks, snacks were pricey. No water anywhere aside from option to buy was also a double negative. Portillo is great for those people who have families and/or like children because this resort is a family friendly place and you will run into many many children everywhere! so if you are looking for a quite adult only place, Portillo is not the place for you. Termas de Chillan-great place for couples or people who like higher end resorts. They do offer various options for entertainment such as the casino, spa and pool service but again, only 2 meals a day is a minus.

dining room service, spotty at best. the ski guys are great the resort itself is missing the boat on several areas,(except the cruise ship feel) and they do try and" nickel and dime" you for things(for instance bacon at breakfast costs extra?? etc. etc. ) $ 3000 u.s a piece for the week should cover ALL the food!!! but all being said you're there for the skiing and it was awesome . if there is no fresh snow it would get a little boring but all in all we had a really good time. getting out atlanta where the temp was 95 and skiing in august was great!!

We spent the week of Aug 6th in Portillo.
First off I have to say, the skiing was really fun. The Sling Shot lift up Roca Jack is something you need to do at least once in a lifetime. We arrived a day late due to a storm, but that meant great fresh snow...and we had a blast. Fresh tracks on the Lake Run, Roca Jack and many other runs. The cat walk back to the resort from Lake Run also a once in a lifetime event.. You will Never find a slingshot lift or a cat track like this in the states...It really is a treat to be able to go skiing in August. We went on to Ski Arpa after Portillo, for another amazing ski adventure.

That said, now on to the hotel. It is in the middle of nowhere, which is nice since you have the resort to yourselves... But you have NO options other than what the hotel has to offer, and their prices.
We booked a lakeview double with balcony almost a year in advance. At almost 900 dollars a day, we expected amazing. We got Meh. Check in is a disaster. Everyone arrives at the same time on the same day, and everyone is checking out at the exact same time. We were given a crappy room at the end of a hall on the 6th floor with twin beds and a tiny bathroom. We were with friends, and we told the woman at the desk, and she put them on the exact opposite end of the hotel, in much nicer rooms.. WE all paid the same huge price. I went to the chaotic desk to inquire why we were treated to such a disaster, and mentioned that the rooms look nothing like the pictures on the web site. The man at the desk said to me,. and I quote "Madam, every hotel in the world exaggerates the size and condition of their rooms on the web site." I kid you not. He did move us to a room a few doors down from our friends, and it was a lot better, but still had twin beds,stains on the cieling, and small. I was led to believe there were queen beds in those rooms. Also, the staff uses the pool well after closing time and you can hear every word they say down there in the hot tubs. You can also hear the disco thumping until 3 AM.

The dining, food, service were just alwful!!! First, you need to know the dining rules. In the chaos of check in, no one tells you the very strict rules of where to sit,. and what time to eat. It was 100 degrees in the dining room, so dress in very little. It was so uncomfortable that we ate as fast as we could just to get out of there and cool off. Drinks are not incl in this amazing price...Not a coke, juice, nothing... And you will pay handsomely for this. Trying to get your water glass refilled during a meal is nearly impossible.. And in that heat, altitude and after skiing all day, you feel like you are going to faint. Why not put a carafe of water on our tables.
They cannot move you out fast enough either, as the next seating is standing outside the door waiting to get in.We had plates pulled out from under us while still chewing. Don't be early, but don't be late either. Not a pleasant experience.
The food is HORRIBLE. I am not kidding. I think it is all made much earlier and soaking in boiling water until you order. The fish on every occasion tasted old,. and spoiled. The hamburgers were reminiscient of boarding school. Breakfast was pathetic.. A list on the table tells you what you can order for NO CHARGE!!! I kid you not.. I am thinking at 900 US dollars a day, we have been charged. If you want a poached egg, it comes out in 20 seconds, overcooked...Had to be sitting in a pot of hot water..If you want some bacon, ham or any kind of protein, you get a bill for 6000 pesos...More than 12 dollars for 4 thin slices of sandwitch ham.
If you are an early riser, or in from Europe, and have a 6 hour time difference, You cannot get a cup of coffee anyplace in the hotel before 8AM when breakfast starts. My friend, who awakes at 5, wandered the hotel for an hour lookinig for coffee...When we asked at the desk, the answer was that it was not possible to get coffee before 8. Really, you cannot have a pot out for morning people at 6 or even 7. Or pots in the very expensive rooms?
Lunch as well, is too rigid. Must come at your alloted time, and that leaves no flexibility if you are having some great runs and just not ready for lunch. We found paying extra to eat a Tio Bob's a bit more relaxing and with a great view. The food up there is not any better, but at least you are outside, not boiling in the dining room in your ski clothes.
Now the thing that really bugs me... You don't really have to stay an entire week. If you book a tour with say Powderquest , or Santiago Adventures, you can do 3 days at Portillo, a few at other resorts, and Ski Arpa.. Only needing a few nights of hotel Hell.
Needless to say, we won't be back to Portillo anytime soon.
We left our ski adventure and headed to the Atacama Desert. Portillo has a sister hotel there, and I tried several times last winter to book our rooms there. They never responded, so we stayed at AWASI. I am convinced now that they did us a huge favor not calling us back. Awasi was the most amazing hotel experience we ever had.