Argentina - Buenos Aires

BA is what I expected Rio to be but without beaches. It might be one of my favorite cities in the world. Now I did stay in some of the nicest hotels on the planet while here, so I am a bit biased, but man I had a great time here. Parillas (grilled meat restaurants) are everywhere, patios are everywhere, classic European squares, old as shit monuments, gorgeous people, etc. I found BA to be just easy and beautiful.

What may be most striking, and what I most often repeat, is how uninterested and unimpressed they are with anything American, or United States of America(n) I should say. They are prettier, more sophisticated, their history is far older and richer. They have really nice lives and they not only know it, but they don’t care if anyone else does :)

Notes to self:

-Go to a nice sit down steak restaurant. The steaks are as big as your head and cost very little. They will give you a million sauces, dips, pastes, whatevers to enjoy with your steak and side dishes and bread.
-Go to the market square area (San Telmo) and have a seat on the patio. The dancing is interesting and the atmosphere lively. Even walking to and from this area can be outrageously packed and fun as hell.
-Port Madero is an up and coming area, but the walk along this canal can be pretty awesome. Lot’s of patio options and people and views.
-Florida street is one of those great pedestrian streets you find in cool cities. Tons of people and lots of retail.

Faena Hotel - Feb 2013

This is supposedly one of the best hotels in the world…and I actually can’t really disagree. I really loved it. It’s also in the Puerto madero area of the city but staying here I didn’t care about much.

The room was separated into 2 levels with views out onto the street (it’s not a tall hotel). The accommodations were so comfortable and their use of dark wood everywhere is just perfect.

The lobby is a pretty dramatic hallway with entrances to all of their amenities. They had a very cool classic Argentine restaurant (we liked it), a fine dining spot that we didn’t try, and a library bar (looks like the den of some English mansion…but cool) that connects to the pool. And the pool is great. Reminded me of Miami, or maybe a smaller vegas pool. The drinks and food were really really good. Service in this area was atrocious, but I didn’t mind too much.

The spa is also worth mentioning. You can get a pass for the day and just lounge around. Their hamam is huge and had some crazy offshoot rooms that I didn’t understand. They looked like the type of room where you would sacrifice something. This spa was top notch.

Great hotel.

Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt - Feb 2013

This hotel scared me. One of the best ranked hotels in the world. Housed in a super old building. Chandeliers everywhere. Etc. etc. etc.

I was so pleasantly surprised though. Our room was fantastic. Modern dark wood with every amenity one could want. It was pretty perfect and extremely comfortable and cozy.

The grounds are awesome. They have a balcony right next to the lobby that overlooks the lush and gorgeous landscape in between the two hotel towers (they are also connected underground). Hanging out on these grounds and lounging anywhere in the public areas made you feel like you had gone back in time...and were some kind of a prince or knight or something. Something royal.

Drinks on the balcony are a must. Room service is a must. Great hotel in a great location.

Hotel Madero - Feb 2013

Oh man I liked this place. Cool hotel. Right when you walk in you can tell that they are trying to do things a little different here…less classic and more modern.

The room was great and had one of my favorite layouts, big bathroom when you walk in, then a seating area, then a divider, then a bedroom (all “open” and connected). I’ll have to think about my favorite layouts now but let’s at least call this one top five. Main idea, get the f’ing bathroom away from the bed you imbecile.

Anyway, it’s not in the main city area of Buenos Aires. This port area is off to the side and is up and coming. Either way, it was an easy walk across the bridge to the river promenade. A nice walking situation in any city.

Panamericano - Feb 2013

So I knew once my companion arrived the next day that we would be staying in the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt. Thus, I wanted a place to spend one night where the location was good and I wouldn’t be driven crazy. This was the perfect hotel for this.

Basic amenities, but I got a high floor. The lobby is modern enough and the staff is very nice. It was right next to a giant pedestrian walkway area and had access to many other areas. The location was perfect at that moment. Also, they have a huge rooftop pool. It’s a little weird because it was enclosed at the time (turning it into a steamy greenhouse), but they also have viewing balconies where you can see the entire city. Cool stuff.