Originally Posted by
JDiver
I, on the other hand, much prefer the cleanliness, service and just about everything else about the Hilton to the old, noisy Sheraton Libertadór and its often lousy service.
Pto. Madero is easy walking distance from nearly anything in the Microcentro, and more, and is much safer - the Navy MPs are much more alert than the city cops (and not on the take) so one is more at ease here.
I'm looking forward to the Conrad's opening. ^
The "much safer" part doesn't make sense to me. The microcenter -- especially the area around the Libertador -- is VERY safe these days. I frankly feel safer there than in Puerto Madero if for no other reason than there are always people around (generally a good safety mechanism in any city). And in 20 years of visiting BA, I've never had any interactions with the police.
The Libertador certainly is an older building -- no showpiece, that's for sure. There is also no question that both the rooms and public areas of the Hilton are significantly nicer. But the Libertador is more convenient for just about anything one would actually want to do in BA (except go to Puerto Madero). And I've had absolutely no service issues there -- the staff is very friendly. It functions essentially as a boutique hotel.
As I said, I'm gold in both Hilton and Starwood. In a choice between 35,000 points for a night at the Hilton, or 2800 points and $45 for the Sheraton, it's a slam dunk in favor of the Libertador. Especially since Golds these days are getting upgrades and lounge benefits.