BLV

Just completed a 3 night stay at PH. Had a room on the palace side, which is the only way to go. Service was good. Concierge's desk was excellent (except with restaurant recommendations) and I've had a lot of communication with them re: various requests, to which they replied practically within minutes each time. As mentioned over on the Argentina forum, breakfast was a bit underwhelming when compared to Paris and Milan PH, but not awful. Did not have dinner at the hotel, only in room and it was good. Did use spa & gym, both were ok.

obscure2k

I love that view

FlyerEC

Thanks for the information & photos .
Any more photos ?
Will sure try get palace rooms for our December stay .

Any other tips on " must / to dos " will be appreciated
Including " best " restaurants for steak in decent surroundings .

Haven't looked at the Argentina forum lately ..

BLV

Check out my post in the Argentina forum re: steak (sole reason for the trip).

NinaThompson

How does it compare to Four Seasons Hotel? which has Elena!

obscure2k

The Argentina Forum is well worth a visit. So much valuable information there.

bhrubin

I understand the appeal of the Park Hyatt in BA; it truly is beautiful and very luxurious. That being said, don't discount the Alvear Palace. We stayed there over Christmas several years back, and we had a fabulous stay. It is a bit more formal in feel, and more "grand olde dame" in style, compared especially with the modern chic of the PH, but the service was second to none.

We had lunch and checked out rooms/suites at the PH and FS, and had Christmas Eve dinner at the FS Mansion, as well, during our Alvear stay. We totally agree that the FS was disappointing and that the PH and Alvear are the places to consider. We also think many will appreciate the luxury boutique hotels--they may not be as grand as the AP or PH, but I think there are several that serve up luxury quite comparably from what many friends who've been have shared with us.

scubadu

Interesting. My wife and I had a very enjoyable, satisfying stay at FS, but for reasons I don't completely understand it gets no love at all in this forum. For example, we greatly enjoyed and took full advantage of the pool at the FS almost daily for a few hours and it was a great treat and somewhat unique in BA.

We've walked through the lobby of AP, but as you mention, it is just way, way to "old world" for our tastes. I guess I can appreciate "grand olde dame" but I appreciate it much more by walking through the lobby and saying to my wife, wow, this is a "grand olde dame" of a hotel than I do by actually staying the night there.

I guess at some point we'll have to try PH and see what all the fuss is about...

Regards

bhrubin

Everyone has their preferences, I suppose! We found the FS to be particularly antiseptic and sterile--it could have been in any N American city and we wouldn't have been the wiser IMO. Service was also a bit stuffy. We had XMas Eve dinner in the Mansion, and thought it was the only distinctive part of the property. F&B at the FS was also a bit lacking IMO; we definitely preferred the food at the AP, and the PH was almost as good as at the AP. Service at all was good, but we found the AP and PH service to be of a higher standard.

Normally, FS does a great job. In BA, at least when we were there, we found the FS just lacking in comparison to other FS properties elsewhere, and definitely lacking when compared with the AP and PH. But we are not you, so I'm delighted you had such a nice stay!

It isn't normally our style at all, but we were surprised at how much we enjoyed it. We normally are big fans of the PH modern chic, but we really loved our AP stay. Service and food were absolutely outstanding, and our suite was beautifully decorated. And it was at full occupancy being XMas. We only stayed there because the FS had a 6 night minimum, which didn't work for us. In the end, though, it was a great choice.

We definitely would opt for the PH first when we return to BA. We loved its style, and its F&B and service were nearly as good as that of the AP. But the PH felt a bit more relaxed than the AP, which strongly appeals to us.

We might also consider one of the smaller boutique properties now available in other areas of the city. But in the Recoleta district, it's the PH first for us, then perhaps the AP since it impressed us much before.

CMohajer

We stayed at the FS a few months ago, and I highly recommend it. We booked through Amex FHR and were upgraded to a one bedroom suite. While the room was nice, the service really set the hotel apart. They were great. The breakfast set-up was fun (and free with FHR).

We didn't like concierge's restaurant recommendations. The best steak we had was at Cabana Las Lilas. (Got the recommendation from a local friend.)

BLV

What other places did you visit for steak? Cabana Las Lilas was the worst experience by far and I'm talking about quality of meat when compared with what BA has to offer. Locals on the FT Argentina forum are of the same opinion.

superunknown

I'm of the same feeling as you. I've stayed multiple times at PH, Alvear and FS. I'd put FS above PH in terms of the room's as well as the service. Elena at FS is amazing for dinner. Staying there using FHR benefits is really great as they give you a starter/entree/dessert for each guest (choose anything on the menu). PH is nice and if you want to use points its the way to go. However, given the choice I'd stay at FS over PH anytime.

Alvear while having the history and the old world feel just seems dated. If you are paying for nights, I've found all 3 are very similarly priced. If you want a more modern contemporary feel FS/PH is the way to go.

Larkin

We ended up staying last year at the FS in BA and the Ritz in Santiago.

FS BA - newly renovated. We had a lovely one bedroom suite overlooking the mansion and pool. I had stayed before on business so asked for that view as quiet and nice. We did not like the lobby renovation at all. We thought quite unattractive. The room was fine, service very good, but we are going back in January and will likely try the PH or we heard the Alvear is renovating their top floor suites and modernizing. We are looking into that as well. Does anyone have information? Stayed there a number of years ago and friends stayed there last year. We checked out their room and no comparison to our suite at FS, but I do love the lobby and location. If they renovate well, I might really like it!

Ritz, Santiago - not great at all. Rooms are very old, dark, and run down IMO. We had great luck with service, especially on concierge floor. Found the hotel depressing however. We are going back to Santiago in December ( going to Antartica). All the boutique hotels we were thinking of are booked - singular, Aubrey. So thinking of grand Hyatt or Starwood luxury San Cristobel Tower. Any comments? I used to stay at grand Hyatt on business but a long time ago, and it is undergoing renovation so makes me nervous. But Ritz was quite poor in my opinion. I'd love ideas or comments!

MSPeconomist

There's a new Alvear Art Hotel in Buenos Aires. It's in LHW and seems to be somewhat of a boutique property. Location is close to the old CBD (Centro).

EfficientTraveller

We stayed in the Alvear Art Hotel in March this year - it is a really nice hotel - perhaps not quite the stella service of the PH / Alvear Palace but the rooms are modern and very comfortable and the price point much lower making it great value. The rooftop pool (and views from) is great and I really liked the location - it felt right in the middle of everything. It was about a 15 - 20 minute walk into the central area (Casa Rosada etc) and a similar walk to the newly updated harbour area and ferry terminals (good for a day trip to Colonnia). We ate one night in Palermo which has a more residential feel and were really glad we had opted to stay centrally.