ALVEAR ART HOTEL
CRITIQUE MY STAY RATING: 8/10
AVG. NIGHTLY RATE: $220
The Alvear Hotel Group is one of the most well known hotel groups in Argentina mostly because of its Alvear Palace Hotel, a five star property located on one of the most high-end streets in Recoleta. A night at the Alvear Palace comes with a pretty heft price tag though. and so we opted to stay at the Alvear Art Hotel in order to experience one of the Alvear properties for about a third of the price. What we found was a bit of a mixed bag.
LOCATION
8/10
The Alvear Hotel is situated in Retiro, s more commercial neighborhood just to the east of Recoleta. Retiro holds a significant place in the city's landscape due to its strategic location, historic charm, and well-established transportation infrastructure but there are parts of it that are really beautiful and parts of it that are perfectly fine. The Alvear Art Hotel is in an area that falls right in between the two. While only a few blocks away from the prettiest parts of the neighborhood, you are also a few blocks away from areas that are just fine. It’s not going to give you the hipster or trendy experience of one of the Palermo neighborhoods or the more residential feel of Recoleta, but the nice thing about the hotel’s location is that you are able to walk around the area with ease. The renowned Teatro Colon and the Recoleta neighborhood are both just a 10-minute walk away and a car ride to Palermo will take no more than 20 minutes. The Ezeiza International Airport is approximately 45 minutes away (without traffic).
AMENITIES
8/10
GYM 7/10
Situated at the top of the building, the gym may initially seem promising with its expansive glass walls flooding the area with natural light and offering stunning panoramic views of the city. However, upon closer inspection, it fell short of expectations from an equipment perspective. In terms of cardio, the gym had 2 decent treadmills, 2 elliptical machines, and 2 older looking bikes. For strength training, there were free weights, one bench, a pretty bad all-in-one multistation machine, and a leg press machine. The view was great, but this is definitely not a top-notch hotel gym.
SPA
The spa and wellness center onsite features amenities like a steam bath, sauna, and invigorating pressure showers. Additionally, there's a relaxation room with numerous lounge chairs, offering a serene spot to sip tea or lemonade while enjoying the breathtaking city skyline views. Robes, towels, and flip flops are provided in lockers for your convenience but during the entire time we stayed, we never actually saw anyone manning the spa desk and so we couldn’t even get a treatment if we wanted to.
POOL 9/10
By far and away, the hotel's best amenity is its rooftop heated pool with amazing views of the city skyline. The retractable roof allows for open-air swims when the weather permits, which is a unique and very cool feature. The space is equipped with lounge chairs and a compact hot tub as well and it was not crowded at all while we were there which was really nice.
OTHER
The Alvear Art Hotel has a lobby bar, Artesano, which offers cocktails and a selection of Argentine wines. Contraluz, the onsite restaurant, has a partial glass roof and some of the hotel's most impressive art pieces. For business needs, the hotel has a 24-hour business center with three meeting rooms. There’s free Wi-Fi, paid laundry services, and the front desk is manned at all hours.
ROOM
8/10
We booked a Studio Standard Room, the hotel’s basic room, and found the 35-square-meter room to be perfectly adequate for a four night stay, but nothing close to what we expected from a luxury hotel. The design, including everything from the colors to the wallpaper to the furniture, was dated and wasn’t really inviting. The room had two leather chairs and black and white photos of the city adorning the walls. In addition to the king sized bed, there was a desk with a table, chair, and lamp that served us well and the room also had a Nespresso machine, flat screen TV, minibar, and a safe. The bathroom, adorned in marble, offered a separate bathtub and a walk-in shower but even though there was a lot of marble, the feeling of luxury just wasn’t present, both in the bathroom and in the main part of the room.
BREAKFAST
7.5/10
Our stay at the Alvear Art Hotel did not include breakfast but the hotel very kindly invited us to enjoy the buffet one morning. While we were super grateful for the invitation, we were less than impressed with the buffet itself. There was a selection of fresh fruits, pastries, some cereals and yogurt, in addition to scrambled eggs and a couple of hot vegetable and meat sides. However, the quality of the food wasn’t great and made to order eggs were not included. For the rest of our stay, we opted to order from the reasonably priced à la carte menu.
RESTAURANTS NEARBY
If you’re looking for good food in walking distance, here are some Eat My Critique approved options:
Tanta (4 minute walk) - Peruvian Cuisine from one of Lima’s finest chefs.
Elena (13 minute walk) - Sophisticated steakhouse inside the Four Seasons Hotel.
Marti (15 minute walk) - Chic vegetarian restaurant in Recoleta.
If you are looking for good food that’s worth the drive, here are some options:
La Cocina (10 minute drive) - Best empanadas in town.
La Carniceria (16 minute drive) - Our favorite steak in all of Buenos Aires.
The Flour Store (18 minute drive) - Quite possibly the best burgers in South America.
Sacro (25 minute drive) - Super creative and trendy plant based restaurant.
4ta Pared (30 minute drive) - It’s a bit outside of the city but the food is excellent.
To check out all of the Eat My Critique reviews from Los Angeles, click here.
THINGS TO DO
Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina, offers a rich tapestry of cultural, historical, and recreational activities for visitors. Here are some things to do in Buenos Aires:
Visit Teatro Colón (10 minute walk) - One of the world's most renowned opera houses, Teatro Colón is an architectural gem. Take a guided tour to appreciate its grandeur and learn about its history.
Visit Plaza de Mayo (25 minute walk) - This iconic square is surrounded by significant landmarks such as the Casa Rosada (Presidential Palace) and the Metropolitan Cathedral.
Enjoy Tango Shows - Buenos Aires is the birthplace of tango, and experiencing a live tango show is a cultural highlight (though very touristy). Many venues offer dinner and tango performances for a complete experience.
Visit Recoleta Cemetery (25 minute walk) - This historic cemetery is the final resting place of many notable figures, including Eva Perón. The elaborate mausoleums and sculptures make it unlike most cemeteries you’ve likely seen and worth a visit.
Experience the San Telmo Market (13 minute drive) - Held every Sunday, the Feria de San Telmo is a bustling market where you can find antiques, crafts, and street performers. The surrounding San Telmo neighborhood is also known for its historic cobblestone streets.
Wander through Palermo (15 minute drive) - This trendy neighborhood is known for its hipster vibe, street art, and fashionable boutiques. Explore Palermo Soho and Palermo Hollywood for eclectic shops and vibrant nightlife.
VERDICT
I am glad that we were able to sample the hospitality at one of the Alvear Hotels but it honestly didn’t live up to its name. With a lot of high end hotels in Buenos Aires, we wouldn’t return to the Alvear Art Hotel unless we found an incredible deal.