Faena Hotel & Universe

Outrageous opulence in Buenos Aires’ most stunning modern hotel: flamboyant design and fabulous nightlife

From the moment cape-wearing flunkies usher you down a long red carpet to check in with your Experience Manager in a plush darkened recess, you’re in another world. Gold velvet, black leather and mahogany suggest a Bond casino. The library lounge resembles a gentleman’s colonial club, complete with Chesterfields, stag heads, antique lamps and Persian rugs. Dining in El Bistro - gold-studded white leather, crystal candelabras and unicorns - feels like a surrealist 1940s movie. Wandering through Faena is like strolling through Hollywood film sets, each with its own soundtrack. And you do feel like a star - your Experience Manager’s goal is ‘to satisfy your every need’ - whether sashaying down to the pool among the beautiful people, or showering in the glass bathroom in your opulent bedroom.

Nightlife is unquestionably the beating heart of Faena: exquisite food, the city’s sharpest tango show and top-notch singers attract elite locals and international rock stars. So get pampered in the spa, find a stunning dress, and prepare to party. Faena just screams "Have the time of your life!"

Highs

• Philippe Starck’s wonderfully extravagant design: opulent, ironic, inimitable - unique in South America
• Impeccable service: Experience Managers attend to your every whim and make you feel totally looked after
• Superb entertainment - the best tango show in town, classy live singers in the bar, even a DJ by the pool
• You’re quite likely to bump into a famous musician or actor: Coldplay, Fito Paez, Charlie García...
• A gorgeous pool, a superb steam room and great massages make this the place to be pampered
• Exquisite French-influenced cuisine in El Bistro (in the company of unicorns), plus excellent traditional Argentine fare in El Mercado

Lows

• Not the spot if you’re looking for a quiet, understated place to hide away. Everything about Faena is extrovert
• Faena is a constant stage set waiting for performers. If you’re famous, or would like to be, you’ll feel right at home, but it’s not for shrinking violets
• Rooms are impressive rather than cosy - and might be too cool for some
• The immediate area has yet to be developed, and the streets around the hotel are a little bleak, though Puerto Madero's restaurants are not far off. You’ll need to take a taxi if you want to shop, however