Review

Crisply designed by Urgell-Penedo-Urgell in a refreshingly bling boutique style, the 725 Continental is the hip historian’s choice. Located on Avenida Roque Saenz Peña between Buenos Aires’ obelisk and pink presidential house, the hotel boasts a rooftop pool deck overlooking the old city domes.

Formerly the Hotel Continental, built in 1927 by Alejandro Bustillo, this triangular French pile (situated where three streets meet, shaving off part of the block) quaintly mirrors New York’s Flatiron building. Inside, or ‘adentro’ as they say in BA, the retro pop lounge lobby is also reminscent of the US – Manhattan, Miami and Los Angeles.

What was a crumbling relic of a hotel has provided Buenos Aires’ central hotel industry with a stylish new 192-room facelift. The corner suites are rather overpriced, but you are paying for a central location, the roof deck and the reality that this (the 725’s sister hotel the 562) is the only design hotel in the area.

The rooms all exude a sophisticated, minimalist feel and are strangely warmed by the mix of wood and metal fittings. It’s invitingly hip, and the hotel’s inconspicuous location close to Buenos Aires’ historic sights is refreshing (while the city’s more fashionable destinations remain but a taxi-ride away).