Moreno Hotel Buenos Aires

A sensitively restored art deco gem in the beating heart of Buenos Aires, with vast rooms and splendid city views from the roof terrace

Until recently, the trendy area of Palermo Viejo was bagging all the hot new boutique hotels, so it was high time other areas of Buenos Aires got a look-in. In 2007, the San Telmo/Montserrat barrios scored big with this foxy makeover of a 1928 deco masterpiece designed by German-Hungarian architect Johannes Kronfuss, considered one of the city’s finest examples of art deco. Its metamorphosis from office block (home, for decades, to one of the city’s major publishing houses) into glamorous hotel has been mercifully respectful of its heritage. Original features include the gorgeous aqua green entrance tiles, the wrought-iron cage lift, the stained glass in the stairway and the striking roof cupola.

The first-floor reception has a sultry jazz-age feel, decked out in crushed velvet, deco furniture and a fantastic retro chandelier. The oversized loft-like rooms, spread over 6 floors, are sleek and modern with well-judged deco accents. A central location makes for easy access to BA’s major sightseeing stops.

Highs

• Successful insertion of contemporary interiors in a heritage building
• The architecture, which harks back to when Buenos Aires was one of the wealthiest and fasting-growing cities in the world
• The a la mode rooms are incredibly spacious – even the smallest is 39m² – making them some of the largest in town in this price bracket
• The location: a few blocks from Plaza de Mayo (presidential palace) and up-and-coming San Telmo; walking distance to pedestrianised shopping mecca Calle Florida; close to the rejuvenated docks of Puerto Madero
• The outdoor jacuzzi and gorgeous roof terrace, with sofas overlooking a patchwork of new and old architecture, and glimpses of the River Plate

Lows

• The tango-salon isn’t due to open until sometime in 2009
• The immediate vicinity can feel dead at weekends; but it's only a ten-minute walk to the atmospheric bars and Sunday antiques market of San Telmo
• The antique lift is rather noisy; if you're a light sleeper, ask for a room far from it, and high up to avoid street noise
• Not all rooms have a bath, though showers are powerful and spacious
• A slightly institutional air lingers, perhaps from its previous life as an office block