Legado Mitico Salta

When it comes to stylish boutique hotels in Argentina’s rural northwest, there’s not a lot of competition, so a place like Legado Mitico may seem like a bit of overkill. But its architect owners honed their craft in Buenos Aires, where fashionable small hotels are thick on the ground, and their expertise is on display here, in what is essentially a concept hotel — each room pays a subtle homage to a major figure in Argentine history.

It’s housed in an old mansion near the striking main square of colonial Salta, comprising eleven guest rooms dedicated to various national heroes. While the Buenos Aires location centers around politicians and cultural figures, this northern hotel looks to the region’s indigenous history, naming rooms after native tribes, gauchos, even a feminist sculptor.

More tangibly, each room is oversized, outfitted with plush bedding, a flatscreen TV and DVD player, and a bright, contemporary bathroom. It’s a sophisticated, almost intellectual atmosphere throughout, the spaces filled with masculine leather armchairs, smooth dark wood, oil paintings, literary artifacts and art objects in moody shades of slate grey and deep red — and the spacious house boasts a cozy library, breakfast nook, and a tiled patio, if not more conventional amenities like a swimming pool or restaurant.

At the end of the day, this is a city hotel, just like the original Legado Mitico, and while there’s no question that the restored mansion is gorgeous through and through, the real attractions of Salta are the stunning mountain scenery, the nearby wine region, and the fascinating mix of indigenous and European cultures that influence everything from architecture to cuisine.

How to get there: from Martin Miguel de Guemes International Airport — approximately 20 mins.