A Review of Four Seasons Buenos Aires: One of the Best Hotels in Buenos Aires

I had the exquisite pleasure of staying at the Four Seasons Buenos Aires when I was down in South America this past month. The renovations on the lobby and pool had just been completed on November 29, 2012. (I arrived December 11).  I couldn’t wait to check it out. While down in Buenos Aires, I visited two other Five-Star hotels as well, the Faena Hotel and Alvear Palace, but the Four Seasons was the best in my opinion. Although the other two were equisite, the Four Season’s standout service made them the clear winner. I have never been so impressed by a concierge’s services–but I’ll get to that.

Location, Location, Location

Located in the heart of Recoleta, the most affluent neighborhood of Buenos Aires, just blocks away from all the best shops and restaurants, you can’t find a better spot. There is a Havana coffee shop (my favorite) right across the street and there are also two of my favorite restaurants just outside the hotel: El Mirasol and Piegari. Recoleta cemetery is also within walking distance (about 20 minutes) as is the high-end shopping (5 minutes). You are also just a short cab ride from everything else. You can get almost anywhere in the city in a $10 (USD) cab.

Decor

Although I usually prefer traditional decor over modern, I made an exception for the Four Seasons Buenos Aires, which found a way to seamlessly marry the two. My favorite thing about this Four Seasons in particular is how they managed to pull this off and still capture the essence of Parisan panache. When you arrive on the property, you’re greeted by whimsical yet classic sculptures of horses by local artist, Vivienne Duchini. Upon entering the lobby, I was impressed once again by the hotel’s ability to tie traditional elegance with modern energy. The two-story lobby is filled with interesting art, fresh flowers and eye-catching blown-glass, crystal chandeliers. Vivid blues and purple hues cover the room and provide a rich ambience.

 

 

Rooms

In line with the rest of the hotel, guestrooms too draw together classic decor with a more updated feel. The rooms  are clean (of course, it’s a Four Seasons afterall), spacious and as always, bring in the local culture into the decor. Here, lofty polo themes and French-influenced touches provide the perfect sanctuary away from the bustling city. Each room boasts a walk-in closet, wet and dry bars, stereo systems and electricity converters. I was ready to move in the moment I stepped inside. The particular room I stayed in had not underwent renovations yet but still looked completely new and updated as it was. All guestrooms are set to be renovated by the end of 2013. In-room makeovers will include leather-wrapped drawer handles, carved horse lamps to evoke the polo theme further, alpaca-embossed headboards made by local artists, as well as many more special touches.

 

Bathrooms

My favorite part of Five-Star hotels are always the bathrooms and this one did not disappoint. It was heaven. Like many Four Seasons, the bathroom was stocked with the usual L’Occitane goodies. My husband makes fun of me the way I scavenge through the bathroom products upon arrival.l Fluffy robes and squishy, wonderful slippers awaited me as well. The huge water-jet bathtub is so inviting that it’s difficult to get yourself to leave the room each night without a soak. If not for some damn good restaurants out there,  room service (though glorious) would have been my nightly fate.

Pool

A French-style garden and pool separate La Mansion and the hotel’s main tower. The pool is heated to the temperature of bathwater, which in my opinion is the measure of true luxury. Oh, that and the fact that they bring you fun finger-snacks like frozen grapes, strawberries, smoothies, orange lemonade, etc. throughout the day. The food was also delectable. I highly recommend the Caesar wrap! with Bacon! Oink oink.

Food

Speaking of good food, breakfast was out of this world. The decor at the hotel restaurant’s, Elena, once again blew me away. An enormous, domed skylight fills the room with natural light and is the centerpiece of the room. Throw some dulce de leche waffles  in and Elena rocked my world. I never thought I would be able to eat two waffles in one breakfast but I made an exception. Gorging myself on vacation is what it’s all about right? Especially at a breakfast buffet!

Staff

As I briefly mentioned above, never have I ever been so impressed with a hotel’s staff. They were not only friendly, genuine and down-to-earth, but they were competent and efficient as well. They are also patient. Because trust me, we had ALOT of questions and never once did they seem frustrated. Unfortunately, before my trip, I was very busy and didn’t have much time to research restaurants, etc. They were so knowledgable and helpful, making us reservations, giving us directions and calling ahead to ask questions about anything we wondered. You just don’t get this level of service at even some of the best Five-Star hotels I’ve stayed at or when I’ve hired a professional travel agent. No need to here, the Four Seasons is happy to book any activity you may be interested in and take care of all the details for you. That said, you will pay a bit more than if you do it yourself. So, if saving some money is your goal, simply ask them where you should go and book it yourself.

Bonuses:

The weekend of my stay, Madonna was a guest of the Four Seasons Buenos Aires as well. Yeah, you can only imagine my excitement! We only saw her one time, from our balcony, while paparazzi were blasting the Evita album–pretty ironic, no?Eva Peron? Balcony? You get the picture. We caught a glimpse of her as she jetted from the mansion to her vehicle, it was an awesome 3 milliseconds.  Just long enough to snap this pic. Plus, we did see her two kiddies hanging around the hotel. What adorable, little happy campers those two are–though I imagine I would be pretty psyched too if I were Madonna’s spawn, hopping from one Five-Star hotel to the next. Madonna actually stayed in the neighboring Belle Epoque style mansion, La Mansión, which often attracts rock stars–probably because they don’t really have to share the rest of the hotel with commoners (Rolling Stones and Michael Jackson have also stayed here).

I highly recommend the Buenos Aires Four Seasons. Definitely one of my favorite hotels I have ever stayed at.

Check out the Four Seasons Buenos Aires online for more information. Rooms start at about $525 USD.
Address: Posadas 1086, C1011ABB Buenos Aires, Argentina
Phone:+54 11 4321-1200

Already been to Buenos Aires? Let us know where your favorite hotel is in the comments!

Planning a trip? Check out our review of Alvear Palace as well.