Buenos Aires Hotel Advice
 

Hi--<BR><BR>I'm traveling to BA in Feb and am looking at staying at the Emperador Hotel on Av. Liberatdor. Anyone have experience there? Rates are much better than Marriott or Sheraton and it sounds like locale and amenities a re fine...<BR><BR>Thanks, Peter<BR>

Never heard of it which means it is probably pretty iffy. The Sheraton has a gorgeous, huge outdoor pool and you are going in the peak of summer, it would be a shame to pass on that. They also have a very nice health club. The Marriott has a small dipping pool and a nice health club also, and is in a very historic building. I would choose either one of them over the place you mentioned, BA has some really terrible hotels once you get outside the big chains, plus you will want the pool and the health club.

<BR>Emperador Hotel at rates much better than Marriott and Sheraton, you say? <BR><BR>Nice website: indoor pool, sun deck, sauna, health club, business center. <BR><BR>Looks good to me.<BR>http://www.hotel-emperador.com.ar<BR>Av. del Libertador 420<BR><BR>I think I would be happy with it and hope you post a report if you say, Peter. <BR><BR>Hotel Emperador Madrid looks nice too.<BR><BR>

Yes, Emperador Hotel is newer than Marriot and Sheraton. Marriot is pretty old but it has a great location (in front of San Martin Square).<BR>As far as Sheraton is concerned, several tourists have said that the service is pretty bad and rooms are nothing special.<BR>Crowne Panamericano has very good attention and has a very good location, but standard rooms are very simple. The next category has beautiful large rooms.<BR>Emperador Hotel is a bit away from dowtown, so you may have to walk maybe around ten blocks, it´s located on Libertador Avenue, close to Retiro Station and next to the only round building in the city.

I see Cintia lives in Argentina so I don't like to contradict her but...the Marriott is not OLD, it is historic and one of the most charming hotels in the world. I have stayed there on business trips at least 25 times and loved it! The rooms are beautifully decorated. Madonna stayed here when filming Evita. The Sheraton has two parts, one a typical ugly Sheraton like anywhere in the world and a new part, which is on par with the finest hotels in Hong Kong and priced accordingly. Both the old part and the new part share the same huge and lovely pool area and health club. The location of both hotels is ideal, next to Puerto Madera and the main shopping district. I would really try to stay in one of these hotels and I base this upon dozens of trips to BA and staying in all the principal hotels.

It´s okay, but Marriot is old comparing to Emperador which is not more than 5 years old. Alvear Palace is historical and among the best in the world, but rates range around $250.00 per night.<BR>Marriot hotel was called Plaza before and was then bought by Marriot. <BR>It depends on the style you like also. Marriot has a more style than Emperador. You can check its website at http://www.hotel-emperador.com.ar/ in case you haven´t done it so far.<BR>Have you found out about fares in Crowne Panamericano? It is centrally located and the service is excellent. If you don´t want to spend so much money, there are good 4 star hotels too.<BR>

Sorry folks, there is one word missing.I meant &quot;more decorated style&quot;

Be very careful of some of the four star hotels. We got stuck at El President when our United Airlines flight was cancelled, and it was a dump. All of the websites give it four stars, and it was about 2 at the most.<BR>I would stick with the well know hotels.

It is true, many hotels are rated as 4 stars and they are 2 or even less!<BR>There is a very good one, just three years old called Argenta Tower which is a real 4 star one. There is another one, Colon, next to Crowne Panamericano, also 4 star hotel, it is older but it is being constantly renewed.

Take the star rating with a grain of salt, regardless of the category. <BR><BR>The Etoile is often listed as a 5 star hotel, but would not rate more than 3 stars in the U.S. As already noted, many 4 star hotels are more like 2 star hotels in the U.S. <BR><BR>It is far better to take the advice of someeone who has stayed in a specific hotel or someone like Cintia who obviously knows BsAs. <BR><BR>FWIW: I have stayed in 2 chain hotels that are cleaner and nicer than most 4 star hotels in BsAs: Howard Johnson's Plaza (which was a Marriott Courtyard until recently), and the Holiday Inn Express. I paid $51 dollars US, including tax at HOJOs by making my reservation directly with the hotel and using the 15%AARP discount. I paid $45USD plus IVA at Holiday Inn Express using AAA membership. <BR><BR>RE: Crown Panamericano....friends who have stayed there tell me there is a new tower and an old tower. Rooms in the old tower are very ordinary. Rooms in the new tower are much nicer, more like a Crowneplaza in the US.<BR><BR>I have not stayed in the Argenta but I have visited the lobby and restaurant. Very attractive, near Plaza San Martin but away from the hustle and bustle of downtown.

Hello<BR>I'm travelling to BA in May and not really interested in the top end of the market, really looking for a clean, cheap with ensuite some where close to downtown. I'm also trying to track down an old friend from school, his surname is Rospide, if anyone could give a few tips that would be great thanks!!

C. Formosa: do you remember your friend´s first name? I have looked his name up in the white pages and there are lots of Rospide in the country. Please try to provide me with any additional information you remember, and I will try to help as much as possible.

Listen to Paul. He is 100% correct on the star rating system in Buenos Aires. Personally I think more and more people are starting to see the merits of staying in apartments. You get more privacy in apartments. There are some truly luxury apartments in Buenos Aires at often times half the cost of hotels. <BR><BR>Many of these apartments have nice amenities like a gym, sauana, pool on roof, etc. Mine is available for rent so email me if you're interested. There are plenty of restaurants in the area that can deliver breakfast, lunch or dinner so it's better than room service without the high service fees.<BR><BR>I have rooms available for $75 US, $50 US and $40 us a night. Special rates for weekly and monthly too.<BR><BR>You'll see why more and more people are switching to apartments vs. hotels. Not to mention avoiding the 21% VAT tax too.

Saint, there are great hotels in BA and I´ve stayed at four already, all of them were pretty good. You are advertising here!

I was told that the Hotel Castelar (4*?)was very nice and pleasant. Have I been led astray?

<BR>It's not really 4* like you would expect. It is an ok hotel, inexpensive. The lobby is nice and the cabbies know where it is. I stayed in a standard single room. Air conditioning unit was right above the bed. You have get a remote controller at the desk to use it. TV, elevators. You get a free pass to the spa next door. Just fine for $30US or so.<BR>

Anyone have experience with the Clarion Aspen Towers en Paraguay 857?

Aspen... mmm, it depends on what kind of hotel you are looking for. The lobby has been remodelled so it looks better, but the hotel itself is old and the rooms are small. What I noticed was that in many rooms the furniture is sort of worn out giving a bad look.<BR>In my opinion, it is too expensive for what it is. On the other side, the location is good (but there are hotels with similar location for a better rate).<BR>