Cheat Sheet: Buenos Aires

Top picks for hotels, restaurants, shopping, polo, tango & more

I used to live Buenos Aires, and still have many great friends in that lively and sophisticated city. Based on my own finds there, and those of several savvy Porteños, I've rounded up some of the best the dynamic port city has to offer, from the hottest restaurants and chic designer boutiques to renowned polo clubs and a lovely residential tango academy.

WHERE TO STAY IN BUENOS AIRES

Faena Hotel+Universe

Puerto Madero Este, Buenos Aires, Argentina

"Wow," was the collective response from Porteños when this dramatic, high-design hotel opened in 2005 in a handsomely restored, early 1900s red brick warehouse in Puerto Madero,an industrial dockside district that is now a chic destination thanks to urban renewal ... read more on the Faena Hotel+Universe

www.faenahotelanduniverse.com

Alvear Palace Hotel

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina

This fabulous city hotel, in the center of BA's most exclusive neighborhood, Recoleta, has a terrific history but don't for a minute think stuffy interiors and outdated furnishings ... read more on the Alvear Palace Hotel

www.alvearpalace.com

Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt

La Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Whether you're in Buenos Aires to work or play (or a mix of both), this is the top hotel in town—and still one of the newest—centered around a grand Beaux Arts palace and a gorgeous landscaped garden in the fashionable La Recoleta district ... read more on the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt

www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com

1551 Palermo

Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires, Argentina

I love small boutique hotels with an authentic family feel, and they don't get much more intimate than this—a small urban find tucked away in Palermo Soho, one of the trendiest neighborhoods in Buenos Aires ... read more on 1551 Palermo

www.1551palermo.com

WHERE TO EAT IN BUENOS AIRES

Restaurant File: Buenos Aires

El Bistro
Faena Hotel + Universe's fine dining restaurant is an extraordinary white leather, red-carpeted Philippe Starck affair. It's ornamented with enormous chandeliers and kitschy-cool unicorn heads ... read more on El Bistro and other favorite Buenos Aires restaurants

WHAT TO SEE AND DO IN BUENOS AIRES

Top Polo Clubs & Farms in Argentina

El Metejon Polo Club
Argentines are passionate about polo, and matches in Argentina are hot mix of top equestrians, fabulous facilities and Latin glamour. Well-heeled fans from Buenos Aires travel forty minutes out of town to the beautiful El Metejon Polo Club ... read more on El Metejon Polo Club and other top polo clubs & farms in Argentina

Mansion Dandi Royal Tango School & Hotel

Here's something a bit different. My Argentine friend Juan Carlos told me about this residential tango academy, housed in an extraordinary Art Nouveau mansion in the historic San Telmo district of Buenos Aires. Restored and converted into a tango school by renowned dancer Héctor Villalba in 2000 ... read more on the Mansion Dandi Royal Tango School & Hotel

WHERE TO SHOP IN BUENOS AIRES

Buenos Aires Shopping: Leather Handbags, Riding Boots, Alpaca Silver & more

Fashion Designer: Marta Facchinelli
Argentina's edition of Vogue chose her as the avant garde designer for the year 2000 after launching her own brand. Marta Facchinelli's work expresses a unique South American image and uses soft fabrics like cotton ... read more on Marta Facchinelli and other great shops in Buenos Aires

WHERE TO GET PAMPERED IN BUENOS AIRES

Men's Grooming Spas & Barbers: Buenos Aires

Day Spa: Markus for Men
If you're hitting the party circuit in Buenos Aires, Markus for Men will get you ready for a serious night on the town. This cool urban sanctuary has the look and feel of a resort spa ... read more on Markus for Men day spa

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Topics: Sports & Active , Epicurean , Arts & Culture , Travel
Tags: restaurants, shopping, fashion, designers, tango, polo clubs, equestrian