Algodon Mansion

For all the recent commotion in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, where every week seemingly marks the opening of another desperately hip little boutique hotel, it would be easy to forget that it’s not the city’s only neighborhood. A little to the east lies Recoleta, a long-established residential district whose stately Belle Époque structures (Algodon Mansion included) are key to Buenos Aires’s status as the most European city in the New World. If Palermo is Clerkenwell then Recoleta is Belgravia or Knightsbridge; if Palermo is SoHo, then Recoleta is the Upper East Side.

In hotels, of course, location is nearly everything. Algodon Mansion, the in-town sequel to Mendoza’s Algodon Wine Estates, already feels like a Recoleta fixture, so effortlessly does it match its luxe surroundings. Its ten suites, all different, mix period architectural detail with stylish modern comforts, and the vibe, posh but relaxed, is more akin to upscale apartment living than typical hotel formality. Even at their most basic the suites include butler service and lack for nothing in the way of luxury, and at the top end they’re probably the finest in town, right down to the personal chefs.

Algodon Wine Bar, with a focus on Mendoza-style cuisine and fine Argentine wines, is the marquee restaurant, showcasing an impressive list of award-winning varietals and blends from the hotel's own vineyards. But the most remarkable of the Mansion’s common spaces has to be the rooftop, a rarity in Buenos Aires — this one is home to the Davidoff Lounge, an open-air cigar bar with a fine selection of, yes, premium Davidoff cigars, as well as top-shelf cognacs.

How to get there:
Algodon Mansion is located 48.5 km (1h) from Ezeiza International Airport and 6.4 km (15 min) from Jorge Newberry Airport. Transfers can be organized for US$100 from Ezeiza and for US$60 from Jorge Newberry, each way.