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6 Design Hotels in Argentina Argentina, famous for its tango, wine and meat, holds substantial allure for visitors to Latin America. With the European charm of Buenos Aires and the natural beauty of Patagonia lending itself to hotels with magnificent views and a distinctive style of architecture, Argentina is one country poised for exciting design hotels. This article focuses largely on Buenos Aires- where most of the tourism dollar congregates(and therefore, where most of the interesting boutique hotels are) and Patagonia, where its panoramic vistas lending a suitable backdrop for scenic hotels. Buenos Aires, a city built for a kingdom that never was, is replete with beautiful colonial buildings, now housing the gamut of Argentina s national banks, upscale shopping malls and Burger King. The grand façade of these buildings often lending themselves to very interesting conversions, the recent zeal amongst the city s hoteliers for design-centric boutique hotels has produced many manifestations of Buenos Aires current twin fixations- design hotels and the conservation of its heritage properties. With a breakdown of hotels within certain neighbourhoods (all hotels within a location sharing similar characteristics due to the constraints of available real estate and surrounding infrastructure), design hotels acts as a narrative of and testament to, the evolution of design and the emergence of neighbourhoods in Buenos Aires. Palermo The Esplendor Buenos Aires, located in the heart of Buenos Aires and formerly the site for the Hotel Phoenix, the building, as per the hotel s press release, has been declared the historic patrimony of the city, albeit with totally remodeled interiors of avant-garde design. Showcasing a minimalist bent with a decidedly porteno streak, the hotels in the Esplendor group all feature furniture collections by Martin Churba, Argentina s leading interior designer. With a concentration in the Palermo neighbourhood - a hip congregation of esteemed names on the porteno fashion scene, quaint stationery stores and chic cafes and restaurants, hotels like the 1555 Malabia (a design bed and breakfast housed within an ancient convent), the Parisian-styled Bobo Hotel Puerto Madero Puerto Madero is a story of urban regeneration and the will of one man. Seeing potential in this sleepy port, Alan Faena( who purportedly now owns half of Puerto Madero), converted the surrounding warehouses into a stunning hotel. The Faena Hotel (with Philippe Starck lending his ubiquitous belle-epoque style), is an exercise in superlatives. The self-dubbed Faena universe and the assigning of the similarly over-the-top sounding experience managers to customers in preparation for their stay with the hotel sums up the Faena experience. With a theatrical lobby, good-looking employees and impossibly glamorous people lounging by the pool, it is easy to be sucked into this parallel universe of Faena.

7 Patagonia The setting of one of the most beautiful places on earth, Patagonia, known for its scenic Andes mountains, massive glaciers and fierce winds. Famous for its Patagonian wools, excellent artisanal Patagonian chocolates and the latest by-word in exotic interior décor- petrified Patagonian wood. One of the most sparsely populated regions in the world; the breathtaking landscape of Patagonia, its exciting remoteness( Ushuaia, part of Argentinian Patagonia, is famously known as the southernmost tip of the world), and the adventurers, pirates (ref. Dread Pirate Roberts of the Princess Bride) and outlaws, all of whom have made their way to Patagonia and in turn, contributed to the legend that is Patagonia today. Landing at the Carlos Ott-designed Calafate airport is an instruction in Patagonian architecturesoaring ceilings with vertical cuts on the glass ceilings allowing ever-changing Patagonian light through, walls of rough hewn stones and an asymmetrical building structure, with doors and walls built slightly askew, referencing vernacular sheep farm buildings. Design hotels in Argentina have facilitated Patagonian both the Patagonian style of architecture as well as native Patagonian materials- Patagonian wool in the standing lamps and rugs, petrified wood for the chairs and coffee tables and art by local Patagonian artists gracing the common areas of the hotel. The Design Suites group has a strong presence in Argentinian Patagonia. All of its hotel properties in this area(ushuaia, Calafate, Bariloche), share a similar theme in the materials used, architectural styles and a patronage of Patagonian artists. The Design Suites Calafate offers inspiring views of the Lago Argentino from the restaurant and every hotel room. Similarly designed by Carlos Ott and offering a similar style of architecture, the Design Suites Calafate is characteristic of the best design hotels in Argentina in its architecture, showcasing of natural vistas and patronage of local arts and crafts. The Esplendor Group has also opened a design hotel in Calafate, facilitating the works of Martin Churba is a consistent thread with its other hotels in Buenos Aires. Blessed with such a panoramic locality, the Esplendor Calafate offers views of the Argentinian lake and Calafate hill. San Telmo It has been said that whilst the cabaret in Faena hotel hosts a hugely-popular(and very good) tango show, the best tango action is still to be found in the traditional milongas in San Telmo. A less gentrified neighbourhood, and not traditionally associated with the best hotels, San Telmo is fast becoming the setting for new design-led, boutique hotels. Whilst the very

8 charming, quixotic Cocker ( a restored Art Nouveau townhouse) and the Moreno( a restored, art-deco style building) number amongst the hotel properties fashioned after older buildings, the exciting design-led hotel Mansion Vitraux boutique ( housed within a large, old 19 th century house, with each room showcasing a different theme) and the gay-focused Axel Hotel lead the pack in the new luxury stakes for the design hotel scene in San Telmo. The South American city of Argentina offers an interesting mix of design-led hotels for the most sophisticated travelers. Whilst the boutique hotels of Buenos Aires seem to be an indication of the gentrifying effects of neighbourhoods, the hotels in Argentinian Patagonia are a more benign base for exploring this stunning region, buildings that are created with sensitivity towards the surrounding architecture, environment and locals.

VERY BEST HIGHLIGHTS OF ARGENTINA TOUR Buenos Aires, Bariloche Lake District, El Calafate, Ushuaia

VERY BEST HIGHLIGHTS OF ARGENTINA TOUR Buenos Aires, Bariloche Lake District, El Calafate, Ushuaia 13 DAYS / 12 NIGHTS Discover the most scenic landscapes in Argentina, from the metropolis of Buenos Aires