Alvear Palace Hotel, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Alvear Palace Hotel 5 Stars
"Buenos Aires' premier luxury hotel, which is housed in a handsome Beaux Arts building, attracts an affluent, stylish crowd."
Hotel Overview
Review of Alvear Palace Hotel, by Harry Hastings
It may not be as cutting edge as the wave of boutique and design hotels currently taking centre stage in Buenos Aires, but as a luxury hotel, the Alvear Palace remains the city's most elegant property and ranks amongst its most distinguished landmarks.
Since opening in 1932, its polished brass doors have observed the comings and goings of a relentless procession of international celebrity, royalty and Argentine high society.
The facilities
Conceived as a luxury hotel for European visitors, the Alvear Palace oozes grace and refinement combining Empire and Louis XV furnishings with exquisite French decorative arts. The lobby sets the tone for the rest of this luxury hotel, with crystal chandeliers, abundant fresh flowers, marble floors and gilded columns.
L'Orangerie, the airy court-style lobby restaurant and a favourite porteño meeting place, offers a superb breakfast and the classic Alvear tea, fast becoming a fad in Anglophile Buenos Aires. There's no mistaking that this is a luxury hotel that takes its food seriously, with La Bourgogne - Argentina's only Relais Gourmands establishment - as its flagship.
The rooms
The 110 palatial rooms and 100 suites at the luxury hotel follow a similarly ornate design, individually decorated with fine art, silk drapes and antique furniture, each with a personal butler service, 500-thread count Egyptian linens, Wi-Fi, fresh flowers and baskets of fresh fruit. The large marble bathrooms, most with Jacuzzi baths and televisions, come with Hermès toiletries.
Facilities
Rooms
200Awards
Travellers Choice-Best Luxury in South America 06Who stays here?
The star-studded roster of former guests at the Alvear Palace includes Prince Charles, Donatella Versace, Antonio Banderas, Naomi Campbell and the King and Queen of Spain.Come for...
- Mingling with royalty
Not Suitable for...
- Those wanting to show off their legs at breakfast – the hotel has a no-shorts policy in all of its dining rooms
Eating in
The Alvear Palace is home to one of the best restaurants in South America, La Bourgogne and also offers an excellent, if expensive, Sunday brunch and afternoon tea in L'Orangerie.Reviews
Review of The Alvear Palace, by Caroline Major
Against the cobalt sky of Buenos Aires, The Alvear Palace's grand form is breathtaking in the afternoon sunlight. In the lobby, crew-cut boys, dressed in black and trimmed with red, sneak looks at pretty women. The décor is luxurious, with thick blue and gold carpets, winged-back chairs and silver service set against sparkling glass and shining marble.
The butler arrives just as the porter leaves. He is laden with fresh pink roses, a bowl of summer fruits and a cold drink, and his easy manner and agile exit, thwarting any uncomfortable tip moments, is pleasantly surprising.
When the last women finish high tea, the bar fills with well-heeled Argentines, passionate for cocktails. There is nightly live jazz on the outdoor terraces, and the rooftop ballrooms and garden restaurant are stylish places to watch the sun sink over Recolector.
The Alvear maintains its romanticism and charm by discreetly hiding its modern technology. Touch screen telephones work the TV, stereo and air-conditioning, as well as connecting your PC to the internet on a second line. Thoughtfully, each room has a cellular phone to use in Buenos Aires, billing calls to your room.
The function rooms and business facilities are the most prestigious in South America. Cast an eye behind the drapes or above the cornicing and you'll find subtle speaker systems and hidden projection screens.
With 70 years of tradition, the locally-owned Palace continues to indulge an appetite for fine French furniture and Italian textiles. Alvear is a reinvented but traditional Grand Dame - functional yet luxurious.