Puerto Madero

Faena Hotel Buenos Aires

★★★★★

The Faena is the most theatrical hotel in Buenos Aires, and the place that turned Puerto Madero from a business district into a destination. It occupies El Porteño, a monumental red-brick building on the docks that was built as a wheat mill and grain warehouse for the agribusiness firm Bunge y Born at the start of the twentieth century, using bricks shipped from Manchester. When the port moved north, the docklands fell derelict, and by the late 1990s the building was slated for demolition before conservation groups saved it. The Argentine entrepreneur Alan Faena, a former fashion designer, bought it and opened the hotel in 2004 after a lavish conversion with Philippe Starck as interior designer, and it became the centrepiece of the Faena District, an entire neighbourhood of residences, the Faena Art Center and cultural spaces. Inside, the effect is cinematic: a long cathedral-like corridor called El Cathedral lined with red velvet curtains and white columns, gilded unicorn heads, crystal chandeliers and Belle Époque flourishes, all with Starck's sense of fun. The rooms, fewer than a hundred, are white, gold and red, with heavy velvet curtains, mirrored details and views over the docks or the river and the Costanera Sur nature reserve. The hotel's restaurants and bars are destinations in their own right: El Mercado, a rustic, market-style space for Argentine dishes and grilled meats; Bistro Sur; the Library Lounge, a club-like bar with live music; the Poolbar beside the famous pool lined with scarlet loungers; and El Cabaret, a velvet-and-gold theatre that hosts Rojo Tango, widely regarded as the most luxurious tango show in the city. The Faena Spa includes a Turkish-style hammam.

Who it suits: design lovers, couples and travellers who want their hotel to be the experience, with dinner, a show and nightlife without leaving the building. Puerto Madero is the safest and most modern district of the city, with a waterfront promenade along the old docks, the Puente de la Mujer footbridge designed by Santiago Calatrava, and the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve, a vast wetland park on the river for birdwatching, running and cycling. San Telmo and Plaza de Mayo are around fifteen to twenty minutes on foot, and the ferry terminal for Colonia is close. The trade-off is atmosphere: Puerto Madero is polished but a little corporate, and quiet in the evenings compared with Palermo or San Telmo, and you will take taxis to Recoleta and Palermo.

Living in it: book the Rojo Tango show at the same time as your room, as it sells out, and reserve a table at El Mercado or Bistro Sur for at least one dinner. The pool is a scene on summer weekends, and the hammam is a fine way to recover from a long night. Ask for a room facing the river and the nature reserve for the best light and views. The Faena Art Center, a short walk away in a restored mill, hosts major contemporary art installations and is worth a visit.

Value: rates are at the very top of the market, comparable with the Alvear and Four Seasons, and the hotel has been named in Condé Nast readers' rankings as one of the top hotels in Argentina. Foreign guests paying with a foreign card are generally exempt from VAT on the room. If you want a night that feels like a film set, with tango, a great bar and a dramatic pool, this is the one.