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Best Hotel Bets
Most Luxurious Hotel Choices: The two hotels I've cited here don't just top my list of hotel choices, they top many travel magazine lists as well. The Alvear Palace Hotel, Av. Alvear 1891 (tel. 11/4808-2100), is a gilded confection of carved marble and French furniture. It's the ultimate grand hotel experience in Buenos Aires, complete with butler service. The Four Seasons Hotel, Posadas 1086-88 (tel. 800/819-5053 in the U.S. and Canada), offers a more subdued form of luxury (elegant without flash), with quiet pampering and a chance to hide away in the hotel's walled garden.
Best Historic Hotels: The Marriott Plaza Hotel, Calle Florida 1005 (tel. 888/236-2427 in the U.S.), is the oldest of the grand hotels still operating in Buenos Aires, and its location on Plaza San Martín can't be beat. The Hotel Castelar (tel. 11/4383-5000) sits on Avenida de Mayo, once the city's most glamorous street. This hotel, adorned with Italian marbles and bronzes, was once the favorite choice of Lorca and other Spanish writers in the 1930s, when Buenos Aires was the intellectual and literary capital of the Spanish-speaking world.
Best See-and-Be-Seen Hotels: The Faena, Martha Salotti 445 (tel. 11/4010-9000), located in the Puerto Madero district, is the fashionista's see-and-be-seen choice. The hotel was designed with lots of bars in the lobby and a pool in the front of the hotel, so that anyone coming in would know exactly who else was around. Within Recoleta, the new Park Hyatt Buenos Aires, Av. Alvear 1661 (tel. 11/5171-1234), built into the old Palacio Duhau, has the best garden in the city. It's here that ladies who lunch come to be seen now, and businesspeople make decisions al fresco over coffee or drinks.
Best Boutique Hotels: With the tourism boom, boutique hotels have become all the rage in Buenos Aires. These are some of the best, and the newest. Home in Palermo Viejo, Honduras 5860 (tel. 11/4778-1008), creates a home away from home that's both trendy and welcoming. This is also where the Bush twins stayed during their infamous time in the Argentine capital. Nearby, Soho All Suites is sleek and stylish, and the site of some fashionable local parties (Honduras 4762; tel. 11/4832-3000). The Art Hotel, in Barrio Norte (Azcuenaga 1268; tel. 11/4821-4744), offers a charming atmosphere in a renovated former hostel, which retains much of the building's original architecture.
Best Budget Hotel: French miracle chain Hotel Ibis, Hipólito Yrigoyen 1592 (tel. 11/5300-5555), wins in this category hands down. Though these places are the same the world over, the efficient service and location overlooking Congreso make for an excellent accommodations choice. All the rooms look the same, to be sure, but with the low prices here, you can easily ignore that.
Best Hotel Gyms: The Marriott Plaza Hotel, Calle Florida 1005 (tel. 888/236-2427 in the U.S.), has an enormous gym, with more than enough equipment to make sure there's no waiting. The gym in the Pan Americano, Carlos Pellegrini 551 (tel. 800/227-6963 in the U.S.), has to be seen to be believed. Sitting in a three-story glass box on the building's roof, you'll feel like you are floating over Avenida 9 de Julio at the pool and especially on the treadmills.
Best Hotel Pools: In the hot Southern Hemisphere summer months (Dec-Mar), any pool will be a welcome treat in Buenos Aires, but two of them really stand out. The Pan Americano, Carlos Pellegrini 551 (tel. 800/227-6963 in the U.S.), has a combination indoor/outdoor pool, and its location on the roof of the hotel gives the impression of swimming on top of the city and Avenida 9 de Julio. The Four Seasons, Posadas 1086-1088 (tel. 800/819-5053 in the U.S. and Canada), has the only garden swimming pool in all of Recoleta. Lounging poolside at the walled garden complex gives the feeling of being in a resort, even in the heart of the city.
Best Business Hotel: With its location away from the noise of the city in Puerto Madero, and having one of the largest convention centers in all of Buenos Aires, the Hilton Buenos Aires, Av. Macacha Güemes 351 (tel. 800/445-8667 in the U.S.), is a logical business choice. Their business center, complete with translation services, is also one of the largest you'll find anywhere in the city.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
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