Buenos-Aires : Sleep
In towns like Los Angeles and Miami, the hipper your hotel room key is, the more fashionable you are. In Buenos Aires, this is not the case; where you eat, which VIP room you burst your way into and how unaffected you are by histericismo (Buenos Aires ‘mind games’) are all more important.And there is a reason for this. Because of the massive rise in tourism in Argentina since the unpegging of peso from the US dollar in 2002, hotels in Buenos Aires are still able to charge ‘hard currency’ dollars without blinking, so it follows that most porteños, who still earn devalued pesos, are generally not tapped into the hotel scene. You can therefore book any suite without worrying about your image in Buenos Aires being tarnished – not that you cared anyway, of course. Sleeping in Buenos Aires can be your own secret little adventure.
While we have included the best of the big hotels, much of our selection is of the boutique variety. As outsiders on the inside, we can tell you that while the larger hotel chains continue to deliver there has been an explosion of fabulous boutique hotels in Buenos Aires recently.
Of the larger hotels, the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt, the Four Seasons and the Sofitel are the pick of the bunch. All have excellent central locations in or around Recoleta, within easy reach of every part of the city. If you are, or have pretensions of being, rich and/or aristocratic, high-society Argentines will intimate you are ‘supposed’ to stay at the Alvear Palace. We’ll leave that up to you.
The Panamericano, which sits beside the obelisk, and the Marriot Plaza, which faces Plaza San Martin, boast idyllic locations, but lack style and atmosphere.
Of the larger boutique hotels, the 725 Continental and the Esplendor – funky and minimalist respectively – are two exceptionally designed hotels in the centre. The same goes for Design Suites and the Design CE, which neighbour eachother in Recoleta. The development of the latter by Design Suites’ architect has caused quite a legal stir.
In the smaller boutique category, which is where it’s at, Bobo and the pioneering Home hotel have sent a frisson of excitement through the Palermo Viejo scene. Home, with its boutique chic, is one of our favourites, while the Costa Petit would be anyone’s number one choice for a four-room slice of style in an atmospheric, cobbled street. For a ‘naughty weekend’ playboy bachelor pad, slightly rough around the edges, consider Palermo 1551.
Meanwhile, down in San Telmo, the Cocker deserves the accolade of the finest hotel in the area, while the Mansion Vitraux is a stylish alternative for a different breed of tango enthusiast.
If you’re looking for a stylish guesthouse vibe in a happening area, then Krista in Palermo Hollywood ticks all the boxes. If your body and soul require a boutique getaway, then My BA Hotel in Belgrano will answer your prayers. For B&Bs, La Otra Orilla is charming. But for something a little different, look no further than the Youkali hotel.
The truth is that you will gain more respect by telling porteños that you are renting a flat in Buenos Aires. Argentines like to hear you are in town to sample their culture over a period of tim, and favour longer lasting relationships, whether it be for friendship or a fleeting romance. The best piece of advice we can give you is to stay in Buenos Aires for as long as possible. Try Buenos Aires Habitat for temporary rentals: www.buenosaireshabitat.com (tel: 4815 8662).
