San Telmo

Anselmo Buenos Aires, Curio Collection by Hilton

★★★★★

Anselmo puts you in the middle of old Buenos Aires. It stands on Pasaje Anselmo Aieta, a short cobbled passage off Plaza Dorrego, the square at the centre of San Telmo, the city's oldest and most atmospheric neighbourhood. San Telmo grew up in colonial times as the home of sailors and dock workers, became a district of grand family houses in the nineteenth century, and was abandoned by the wealthy after the yellow fever epidemic of 1871, when its mansions were subdivided into conventillos, the crowded tenements where tango took shape among immigrant families. Today its cobbled streets, faded façades, antique shops, bars and tango venues make it the most romantic part of the city, and on Sundays the antiques and crafts fair of the Feria de San Pedro Telmo fills Plaza Dorrego and the length of Calle Defensa. When it opened in 2015, the hotel became the first in Latin America to join Hilton's Curio Collection, the brand of independent-minded hotels with their own personality, and it has the feel of a boutique property rather than a chain: rooms are individually styled, with a mix of contemporary design and references to the neighbourhood's heritage, and the public spaces are designed for lingering. The hotel has its own restaurant and room service, a fitness centre and meeting rooms, free Wi-Fi throughout, and a continental breakfast for an additional charge. As a Hilton property, it also offers the reassurance of a global brand, Hilton Honors points and the brand's booking flexibility, which many travellers value in a city they do not yet know.

Who it suits: couples and culture-focused travellers who want to wake up in San Telmo and walk out into its streets, and Hilton loyalty members who want character with their points. It is a superb base for the Sunday fair, the tango bars and the old cafés of the neighbourhood, and the Plaza de Mayo, Puerto Madero and the Costanera Sur reserve are within walking distance or a short taxi ride. It is less convenient for Palermo and Recoleta, which are around twenty to thirty minutes away by taxi, and San Telmo is lively on weekend nights and very busy on Sundays, so light sleepers should ask for a quieter room.

Living in it: plan your stay to include a Sunday, and step out early to see the fair before the crowds arrive. In the evenings, the neighbourhood's bars, parrillas and small tango venues are a few minutes on foot, and Plaza Dorrego itself often hosts open-air dancing. San Telmo calls for the usual city sense: keep phones discreet, take app rides late at night, and avoid empty streets after dark. The hotel has no parking, so arrive by taxi or transfer.

Value: rates sit in the upper-middle range for Buenos Aires, generally below the big luxury hotels of Recoleta and Puerto Madero. Breakfast is charged separately, so compare room-only and breakfast-included rates, and remember that the neighbourhood's cafés make breakfast out a pleasure. Foreign guests paying with a foreign card are generally exempt from VAT on accommodation.