MSPeconomist

GetSetJetSet

bhrubin

bgriff

That said, at some times of day (particularly 3-6pm or so on weekdays, though earlier in the day on weekdays can also be busy) it can also be more like 45 minutes or more in traffic, so there is definitely a penalty to the Faena's location if you're mostly going to spend time in other parts of town.

Larkin

vuittonsofstyle

Although Faena is close to San Telmo, which is great on Sundays for the antiques and the tango dancers. I agree, though, that in all other respects, its location is not too appealing.

BESVISOR

And the Hyatt Prive upgrade at booking (well, within 24 hours from booking due to availability) makes it a great value, too.

mczlaw

As much as anything, Puerto Madero feels like a whole different city compared to the older neighborhoods. I couldn't imagine staying at the Faena for that reason alone.

Like others here, I'm struggling to decide between Alvear Palace and back to the PH where I've stayed the last three times in BA on my return in March. The Old World look of the Palace and its location right near all the green spaces at the top of Avenida Alvear have been sorely tempting, but I've been persuaded away by the relative comfort and creature comforts of the PH. Maybe it's time to try the new rooms at the Palace. Regardless, I really love this city despite all of Argentina's economic troubles.

bhrubin

I understand about the Faena. That's why we stayed at the Alvear!

I don't think you can make a bad choice between the Alvear and the PH; both are wonderful hotels that offer slightly different ambience and pros and cons.

If you like having a strong sense of place, I think you'll find the Alvear to be an amazing option. If you like a more modern/clean design, the PH might better suit the bill. For service and F&B, I think the Alvear beats the PH, but that can be so personal. If you're a WoH Globalist, the value of the PH is obvious.

I normally don't prefer a more formal environment, but we were surprised how comfortable we felt at the Alvear. I was able to be as casual as I liked despite the slightly more formal sensibility of the hotel and many of its patrons.

For us, there is only one Alvear Palace--that helped make the choice a lot easier for us in Buenos Aires. There's always another PH. We felt the same way with the Hotel Imperial in Vienna. We feel the same way about the Royal Mansour in Marrakech.

But go with your gut. Don't overthink it. They're both great hotels.

Surgee

Forgive me for dragging up an old thread - we have a trip down to BA next month (will spend 2-3 nights en route or on return from patagonia) and wondering if any one has any recent or post-pandemic experience.

-PH looks amazing, but hard to swallow at $500+/night or 25k points in a city with so many more affordable options. Worth it? We won't spend too much time in the hotel anyway while out exploring the city...
-Intercontinental is surprisingly affordable ($100-200/ 25k IHG points) -- is this a red flag?
-Alvear is in between in the $300-400 range but no points option. Again, worth it?

Of course there are countless other hotels in BA -- wondering what folks think. Marriott, Hilton, boutiques/independents?

lautaro

PH! with a Virtuoso or Prive rate.

The trick is... the real cost to you would be 50% of the rate you see online.

Per law the hotel has to charge you in Argentinian Pesos. The "oficial" rate is ~112 ARS per USD. If you pay in USD cash or with US credit card that is the rate for the exchange. But there is a parallel "illegal" market which reflects the actual value of ARS, it's called "dolar blue", you can go to Florida street or many other places and get up to 220 ARS per USD. The current exchange rates can be found at dolarhoy .com
This applies to everything in argentina, never give dollars at a rate less than 200 ARS per USD.

As a plus, visitors do not pay IVA (Tax) on hotels stays, so you are are saving 21% extra.

GUWonder

Which means that if someone is willing to physically port around greenbacks to take advantage of the blue dollar dynamic "on the street", then a $500 rate effectively turns out to cost something closer to (or even less than) $300?

lautaro

Yes, correct.

I.e. The hotel charges you at the official value, 500USD x ~112 = 56000 ARS, you exchange at the blue value 500USD x ~220 = 110000 ARS. Enjoy the extra 54000 ARS

bgriff

Of course, taking advantage of the "blue market" exchange rate can also be used to lower the price of less expensive hotels, if one wanted, so the PH and others become more attainably priced but there's still a big price gap to some more mid-range hotels. Which has long been the case in Buenos Aires (and some other cities in middle income countries, like Bangkok).

So to answer Surgee's question, it's not really clear why there is such a big gap, and up to you whether it is worth buying up to the high end places. It is definitely true that some of the more modestly priced hotels are priced that way for a reason, like the run-down Sheraton and its sister property the slightly-less-run-down Park Tower, but there are others that are more or less solid midrange properties (I believe the Hilton gets good reviews though its location is debatable).

lautaro

Ok, to get back to the question...

Stay away from Intercontinental, it's old and in a bad area.
At ~200usd Alvear Art (part of the Alvear trio), is a great value for the money, the rooms are high quality and the Spa/pool area at the top floor is marvelous. This is a great hotel, the price is mainly because the location is not that great.
For ~300usd, Alvear Icon, is the newest member in the family, and the newest luxury hotel in BA. Higher quality than Alvear Art and located in Puerto Madero. The top floor bar/restaurant has one of the best views of the city.

Again, the "blue dollar" and being regularly mentioned as one of the best PH in the world, makes Palacio Duhau an opportunity not to be missed for anyone coming to BA and looking for a luxury hotel. Not to mention that if OP is a Hyatt Globalist, a suite upgrade is pretty much guaranteed.