mlztravel

My family and I will be in BA for 4 nights in August. We need 2 adjacent rooms and we would appreciate guidance in our attempt to compare the 4 Seasons and LoiSuites/Recoleta.
We are not interested in grand public rooms or name prestige. On the other hand we are interested in clean, well maintained and quiet rooms. We also appreciate good housekeeping and front-desk service. On business, I have stayed at 4 Seasons around the world and know the service there is likely to be excellent. The difference in rate between the 2 hotels is so stark (the most favorable 4 Season rate is more than double the LoisSuite room rate) that I wonder if I will be getting value for the difference in price. Is the 4 Seasons worth the extra cost?
I thank you in advance for your help.

dona

We have stayed at LoiSuites Recoleta and found it to be a very nice hotel with clean and well maintained rooms. We were mistakenly put in a regular room for the first night and it was very quiet and comfortable. We were moved to the top floor in a junior suite after 2 nights. This room had a weird sound during the night coming from the roof and we asked to be moved. We were moved with no problem and the 2nd suite was fine -very quiet. Found the staff to be very helpful and accomodating. They have a nice buffet breakfast. I have not stayed at the Four Seasons in BsAs, but have stayed at other ones. They tend to be more luxurious and I don't think they are always worth the extra money. We were pleased with LoiSuites.

tengohambre

We stayed very recently at the Four Seasons and found it to be a world class hotel. Outstaning in every way. Yet, double the price is a big difference, particularly in BA. Also, if you are traveling in August, presumably you will not be able to use the Four Seasons beautiful outdoor pool. Frankly, that was a real asset since we were traveling with children in February, and worth the extra cost to us. Absent the pool the hotel loses a bit of attraction to us.

Apartmentsba

I came down to Buenos Aires about 15 times before I moved down here full time. I stayed at several hotels and apartments throughout the Recoleta area. I feel I can answer this intelligently. I've stayed at the Four Seasons, Loi Suites Recoleta and even the Alvear Palace.

All are nice hotels. All I do believe are overpriced considering what you can get for a luxury apartment in the same areas. There are a lot of new hotels all coming on line with the new Park Hyatt coming next year. I think tourism is going to continue to boom as I have predicted it would be the past 3 years.

All those you listed are good but No comparison with Loi Suites REcoleta and Four Seasons. Four Seasons was head and shoulders above the Loi Suites. It was quite a bit more though.

Honeslty, there are good options over various price ranges for luxury hotels and apartments all around the city.

WinterTravel

Mike - We are considering the Four Seasons for an August visit to BA, so we are interested in your thoughts since you've stayed at so many hotels in BA. What makes the Four Seasons the nicest? Is the location convenient for people who like to walk around and explore?

drdawggy

I'm not Mike, but since I until recently I leased an apartment near the 4 Seasons, I can answer some of your questions....

The location is very people friendly: Across the street is La Recova de Recoleata, an area comprising a number of upscale restaurants.....a block away is Patio Bullrich, one of the largest malls in Buenos Aires. The hotel is within walking distance of both downtown and Recoleta, but far enough removed from both that you are not in the midst of the noise and bustle.

I have never stayed in the hotel, but I have eaten in the main restaurant and waited in the lobby for a van to take me to a tango dinner show....The staff was very helpful, offering to bring me a drink while I waited and to check with the company that was scheduled to pick me up to verify that they had not forgotten me (my ride was 15 minutes late). Visiting dignitaries, from Fidel Castro to Robbie Williams stay here....for good reason....

Judi

We stayed in Loi Suites Recoleta and although it is nice it is certainly not the Four Seasons.

We went to the Four Seasons several times for a pre-dinner drink and loved the atmosphere, ambience and the staff.

I don't think we would pay double for a place to sleep as we don't ask much more of a room than to be clean, attractive and quiet. Loi Suites Recoleta was all those things.

Apartmentsba

Wintertravel,

Like I said, it's night and day difference between the service, staff and rooms. The Loi Suites is perfectly fine for what most people need. However, if you have the money, the Four Seasons is simply better. As I mentioned, it was recently ranked as having the best service in any hotel in South America.

Honestly though I only stayed there one time because I was splurging and treating myself. I've never stayed there again as I can't justify spending that kind of money on a hotel room. I stayed in several hotels but then started to lease luxury apartments instead and never stayed in a hotel again in Buenos Aires.

As DrDawggy mentioned, the area is really great near the Four Seasons. I used to lease an apartment in the same building that DrDawggy leased his apartment. I currently live one block from there and it's a terrific area. The Loi Suites is in a good area as well.

You really can't compare the two though. Two totally different classes. You hear the term, "5 star" thrown alot in Buenos Aires when you are looking at Hotels. Even hotels like the Etoile try billing themselves as 5 stars when they are 2.5 stars at best. I really think there is only a handful of 5 star hotels in BA including Four Seasons, Alvear Palace, Sofitel and a few others.

Good luck.

ahdzp

We just returned from Buenos Aires and Punta del Este and let me tell you that Four Seasons is great, the service is EXCELLENT and the concierge always gave us great tips and the best tickets for teather.

The only "problem" was that there are doing renovations and noise is annoying if you are in your room during the day (10 am -4 pm)

Even with this, I will go again.

tengohambre

To ahdzp:

Do you mind posting a short trip summary of your time in Punta? There doesnt' seem to be much information listed.

Where did you stay? And, how was Punta? Does it compare to places like Rio, or Buzios for example? Was the water swimmable or freezing cold?

Also, I hear that Punta doesn't compare to BA as far as prices. That Punta is way more expensive across the board. Is that true? Does the food compare?

Thank you. We are thinking of Punta for next season.

Apartmentsba

Punta del Este and places like Rio are like night and day. I really love Punta del Este but unless you are going in the end of December, January or the beginning of February the town is quite dead. I went there at the end of December. The city is amazingly beautiful. I went on a real estate fact finding mission so I saw many parts of the city and the insides of many apartments throughout the city.

The city is beautiful and very clean and safe. The houses are amazing. The level of wealth here is really apparent. The thing is that 75% of the real estate is owned by Argentineans that only use the property in January/February. Even at the end of December it was amazing to see the highrise buildings with only a few lights on in the entire building.

They had good restaurants that were affordable by USA/European standards but couldn't compare to the quality and price of Buenos Aires. If you are going during high season you will find prices to be outrageous. Some people rent their apartments for up to $10,000 to $20,000 US per MONTH. It's the wealthy playground for Argentineans, some Brazilians and some Chileans.

I have been to Rio about a dozen times in the past two years. Like I said..like night and day. There is much more to do in Rio. Punta del Este is a really small town with not much to do. If you are looking for a little weekend getaway it's nice but you might find it boring if you are expecting some big paradise.

There is a Conrad hotel and casino there which is really big and nice. The city is full of smaller hotels. I think if you are already in South America it's worth hitting but I wouldn't just plan a trip to come only here.

Good luck.

ahdzp

Hola Tengohambre:

I just posted some info about Punta in the Uruguay section.

Have fun.

Graziella5b

The beaches in Punta are great. Best time is during the Summer, sometimes early March or even the whole month can be beautiful.
Going to the beach is an important part of Punta's life. Food can be very good but it is more expensive that Buenos Aires , although some places like El Ciclista can be the same . The relaxed, upscale ambiance of Punta is important to enjoy it .

cordon

I'm wondering why no one has mentioned the Caesar Park BA which is directly across the street from Patio Bullrich (popular shopping mall) in Recoleta? I stayed there in March and adored it. I don't know where it fits in pricewise for the time that you are going but the hotel was lovely as was the staff. The location is soooo good and my husband and I were able to walk all over. Nice when you have an hour between things and want to get out of your room. As for the 4Seasons, in general, no hotels meet their standards. They train better than any chain I know of but you do pay for it.

Apartmentsba

I stayed at the Caeser Park one time about 2 years ago. It is quite nice but I didn't think the rooms were as nice as my room at the Alvear or the Four Seasons. No complaints though.

Cordon is right on the money. This area is my favorite in the city. Posades has no buses so it's quiet. I live on this same block now and I suspect I won't move far from this area. I really love this area. I have a bakery on my block, dry cleaners, Patio Bullrich is on the block, ATM's, restaurants (not to mention the food court on the upper floor of Patio Bullrich shopping mall) and tons of taxis all hours of the day/night. This is a posh area so there are always police around.

Really, it's hard to go wrong with a nice hotel or apartment in this area. Take care.

chami99

My Wife and I are going to BA and also had questions on hotels. We like the comfort of the american chains. It sounds like the 4 seasons is the best hotel in a great location. What are some other hotels near the 4 seasons that anyone would recommend? Does anyone know where the Sheraton is and if its nice? Marriott? Are they even worth looking into?

WinterTravel

We made a reservation for the Four Seasons after all the positive comments about it, but are a bit worried. We receieved an email from the hotel indicating that they are still undergoing renovation. Has anyone visited the hotel in the last few weeks -- we are hoping for advice on whether to choose anther hotel in BA (if the renovations are too noisy/disruptive to make the Four Seasons worth the price). Comments from those who've stayed during the renovation would be so helpful. Thanks!

Apartmentsba

Winter travel,

You will find that many top hotels are undergoing at least some renovation/construction now. Competition is heating up so many hotels are renovating to stay competitive and charge their high fees. I've stayed at various hotels and when there has been construction I've asked for another room. Most local hotels won't do anything if you complain but the top ones will do something even if it means moving you to another hotel.

Best advice is to call and ask the Hotel directly. They speak English at the Four Seasons. I know there is renovations going on at several hotels including the Alvear Palace.

Just call them and give them your reservation # and request they put you on a floor with no renovations going on above or below it.

WinterTravel

Mike - Thanks for the suggestion. We will give the Four Seasons a call directly to ask them. Good to know that you have found that hotels like this will make an effort. Thanks again!