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 Hotel
The brand-new Faena, Martha Salotti 445 (tel. 11/4010-9000), located in the Puerto Madero district, is my 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 in the hotel.
Best Budget Hotel
French miracle chain Hotel Ibis, Hipólito Yrigoyen 1592 (tel. 11/5300-5555), wins in this category hands down. With clean, efficient service, even though these places are the same the world over, its location overlooking Congreso makes an excellent accommodations choice. All the rooms look the same, to be sure, but with the low price 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 Crowne Plaza 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, being here will make you feel like you are floating over Avenida 9 de Julio when at the pool, or 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 pool at the Crowne Plaza Pan Americano, Carlos Pellegrini 551 (tel. 800/227-6963 in the U.S.), is a combination indoor/outdoor pool, and its location on the roof of the hotel gives the impression of swimming over the city and floating on top of 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 here in 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.
For a complete listing of Frommer's-reviewed accommodations, visit our online hotels index.
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