Home Hotel

A stunning retro-chic enclave with a pool garden, spa, inventive bar and fabulous service in trendy Palermo Hollywood - home to BA’s media crowd

Home Hotel is that rare combination: the design couldn’t be cooler but the staff couldn’t be warmer, putting it in a different league from all Palermo’s other boutique hotels. The idea was conceived by Argentine-English couple Patricia and Tom, frustrated by the lack of stylish Palermo lodgings for guests flying into Buenos Aires for their wedding. The result? The home away from the home that you've always wished you had, created with panache and love.

The 18 spacious rooms and suites, originally an old factory, are filled with natural light and decorated in bold uplifting colours, with deliciously sumptuous beds and slick bathrooms. For those who want to live like kings for longer, there are now also 2 lofts - thoroughly equipped and airy apartments with abundant wow factor. The design throughout mixes contemporary minimalism with lovely classic furniture, fresh flowers and vintage wallpaper. Step through reception and you’ll find a fragrant garden with a pool, as well as a long and sleek ‘resto-bar’ where inventive cocktails are served by candlelight and the soundtrack blends Billie Holiday classics with haunting tango. There’s even a spa in the basement offering Ayurvedic massages. It’s a very easy place to call home.

Highs

• The stylish décor is contemporary yet warm and inviting, with classic 20th-century design furniture and funky wallpapers
• The atmospheric ‘resto-bar’ has 22 hand-infused vodkas, inventive cocktails created by the city’s top-rated bartender and a great wine list. The breakfasts are fabulous too
• There’s a delightful pool and garden, where the birdsong is louder than the street noise
• The enthusiastic owners and helpful staff make you feel like treasured guests
• The small in-house spa has an excellent range of treatments, from jet lag recovery massages to seaweed wraps
• Palermo Hollywood (the other side of Avenida Juan B Justo) still has a real neighbourhood feel, with abundant restaurants and bars within walking distance

Lows

• You’ll have to cross the railway tracks to reach the greater concentration of shops and restaurants in Palermo Soho; it's perfectly safe during the day, but take a cab after dark
• It’s not ideal for young children - this is an intimate place best suited to adults
• Home Hotel is very popular (it’s appeared in lots of glossy mags since opening in December 2005), so it’s best to book months ahead
• There’s a 3-night minimum stay from October to March, though you'll want to stay longer anyway