Fashion, trends and lifestyle in the City _ May 2007
Serenely beautiful, this grand mansion in the elegant Recoleta district is now a superb hotel. Luxurious rooms with cutting-edge technology in the Palace and the Posadas, a handsome modern building. Magnificent public spaces, top class restaurants and bars, extensive gardens, and a blissful spa with a huge swimming pool. Exceptional staff with a rare courtesy, charm and intelligence.
Avenida Alvear 1661, +54 11 5171 1234,
www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com
Alan Faena's ambitious development (with Philippe Starck) in the old port area is a magnet for an international crowd and Bs.As's famous faces. There's a hotel, apartments, a restaurant, bistro, lounge bar, two intimate theatres for music and cabaret, a spa and a huge open-air swimming pool with a terrace and bar for posing and serious networking. It's lavish, ornate and glamorous. Dazzling.
Martha Salotti 445, +54 11 4010 9000,
www.faenahotelanduniverse.com
Eat the best beef in the world at this smart steakhouse with rustic furniture, a huge open grill manned by burly chefs from the pampas, and amusing stuffed cattle by the door. Four floors of historic art and antiques, a private terrace, bags of atmosphere, a great wine list and polished service for the swanky clientele in this upscale part of town.
Rodriguez Peña 1967, +54 11 4814 0001,
www.lacabanabuenosaires.com.ar
Authentic parrilla or steak house packed with trophies of cult football team Boca Juniors and other sporting heroes. If you're squeamish, be warned - they cook all the animal. Afterwards, walk the quaint streets of San Telmo for antiques and atmosphere. Estados Unidos 465, +54 11 4361 4685,
www.labrigada.com
This is the most sexy and fashionable restaurant in town with velvet sofas, soft lighting, a huge wine wall and flowers everywhere. Superstar chef, German Martitegui serves avant-garde cuisine where every dish is a delight, deconstructed and reassembled by the master. Art on a plate. Uriate 1658, +54 11 4833 1112,
www.casa-cruz.com
Fernando Trocca is another high profile chef who brings the city's movers' n' shakers to this lively restaurant and bar with a pared-back quasi-industrial interior. The in-crowd gathers for cocktails at the floor-to-ceiling bar (with the best views of pretty girls on the catwalk ramp above), while foodies gather round the open grill for Trocca's clever take on classic Argentine dishes with a Latin touch. Sucre 676, +54 11 4782 9082.
www.sucrerestaurant.com
Buenos Aires has the lot - beautiful people (called Porteños), great architecture, culture, history, music, shopping, a lively arts and fashion scene, delicious food, vibrant bars, cafes and restaurants, and an exchange rate in your favour.
La Dolfina, smart sportswear boutique owned by polo superstar Adolfo Cambiaso. Buy polo gear, casual menswear and leather bags. Avenue Alvear 1315, +54 11 4815 2698, www.ladolfina.com
Learn to tango at La Viruta, a dance hall or milonga, popular with locals of every age. The real thing, not a tourist show. Armenia 1366. +54 11 4774 6357, www.lavirutatango.com
Walk around the Palermo district for edgy fashion designers, bohemian art scene, bars, restaurants and bookshops. Feels like Paris or San Francisco.
Well-connected travel specialists Fueguito will tailor your itinerary taking in the best parties, clubs, polo matches, galleries and artists' studios. Stay at an estancia or buy your own vineyard. www.fueguito.com
The revived Puerto Madero district, Bs.As.'s very own Docklands, has striking architecture and a lively property market for lofts and warehouse apartments.
Recoleta Cemetery - baroque mausoleums for wealthy influential Argentines (including Eva Peron) line the narrow streets of this bizarre ghost town.
Gran Café Tortoni, founded in 1858, is a classic European-style coffee shop with stained glass, wood panelling and crowded tables for conversation and music. Avenida de Mayo 829, +55 11 4342 4328, www.cafetortoni.com.ar