Mine Hotel

Palermo Soho, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Book from GBP Book from £169 per night

Trendy, cosy and eco-friendly hotel located amidst hip Palermo Soho’s boutiques, cafés and bars

Trendy, cosy and eco-friendly hotel located amidst hip Palermo Soho’s boutiques, cafés and bars

Leaving behind the sinfully-tempting vintage boutiques and cobblestones of über-hip Palermo Soho, I am excitedly schlepping my shopping bags through the glass door, when the yummiest of smells hits me. Cocoa Butter. Eyes now narrowly closed, I am enthralled by the delicious, rich, warm scent, which I’ll find out later lingers around the entire hotel.

Calm, colourful and bright with warm eco-elements of wood, stone and hemp, this 20-room hotel includes delicious breakfasts, a lounge area with a PC corner, and a garden courtyard with a swimming pool and large daybeds. The tunes of U2 and other nostalgic 80s songs add to the mellow atmosphere, though a few sips of the velvety Rutini Malbec might also play their part. Up in the room, what better remedy for shopping- and tango-tortured limbs than a soak in my very own Jacuzzi? This is a true feel-good hotel, where comfort reigns - but it had me at the cocoa scent...

Highs

  • Slap-bang in the midst of Palermo Soho's boutiques and bars, its location is perfect to give your wardrobe a solid makeover, and you a great night out
  • Jacuzzi baths in the Superior and Palermo Rooms
  • DVD players in all rooms and an extensive DVD library, in case you fancy a cosy night in
  • The most varied and delicious breakfast I had in Buenos Aires - it changes daily
  • Buzzy and welcoming; perfect for single travellers

Lows

  • The bathrooms are compact, bordering on tiny
  • The deli-style café is closed for the foreseeable future, so you'll have to dine out for lunch and dinner
  • While stylish and cooling in summer, the concrete floors are decidedly chilly in winter - luckily, fluffy warm slippers are provided

Best time to go

October to April, if the spring/summer is what you're after, though January is almost unbearably hot and humid (Porteños who can afford it desert the city and head to cool Punta del Este in Uruguay). Winter (May to September) is usually pretty mild.

Our top tips

3 nights seem about right to cover the Palermo neighbourhood and all its shopping glory and to fill your suitcase to the brim. To explore all of BA’s historic, cultural, gastronomic and hedonistic highlights, allow for a week.

Great for...

City Style
Eco
Family
  • Boutique Hotel
  • 20 rooms
  • Café and bar (mid and peak season only)
  • All ages welcome
  • Open all year
  • Heated Pool
  • Spa Treatments
  • Beach Nearby
  • Pet Friendly
  • Disabled Access
  • Car not necessary
  • Parking
  • Restaurants Nearby
  • WiFi
  • Air Conditioning
  • Guest Lounge
  • Terrace
  • Garden
  • Gym
Room:

Rooms

The 20 bedrooms are comfortable and bright with polished concrete floors, white walls and stony/pebbly headboards, all of which give a cool eco feel. Colourful cushions, lampshades, throws and chairs add warmth, some rooms have a small balcony, and all the mod cons are in place.

Classic Rooms are a modest 19 sq.m with queensize beds, a desk and 2 chairs. Their bathrooms have showers only but if tubs are not high on your priority list, these rooms are great. If, however, the sight of a jacuzzi makes your heart beat faster, treat yourself to a Superior Room - they are also considerably bigger (25 sq.m). The largest Palermo Rooms (29 sq.m) have a kingsize bed, a sofabed and a coffee table, but no chairs or desks. These are great if you are travelling with a child, but otherwise not worth the extra cash.

The Classic Rooms overlooking the courtyard are the quietest (and peace and quiet is hard to come by in BA). If you are a light sleeper, ask for one of the L-shaped Superior ’01 room types, located at the end of the corridor, giving you extra privacy.

In general, bathrooms are rather compact and you need to have the door closed to actually use the loo (but then again you should do that anyway). All have a bidet, a shower, large dispensers of fabulous cocoa toiletries (their heady scent wafts through the hotel), fluffy white towels, a hairdryer and little vanity packs. Superior and Palermo Rooms both have jacuzzi baths.

Features include:

  • Hairdryer
  • In-room treatments available
  • Minibar
  • Safe box
  • WiFi

Eating

There's an inventive and varied breakfast from 7:30-11am and the menu is a welcome change from the spartan and underwhelming breakfasts of most hotels in BA. I loved the daily-changing smoothie shots, exotic fruit salads and pastries. And the eggs of choice with sides such as fried potatoes and onions made for the perfect solid meal after a long Porteño night out.

During Mid- and Peak Season lunch and dinner are also available at the deli - expect the likes of curried sweetbreads with sweet potato mash, spaghetti al oregano with squid and eggplant caponata, chocolate parfait alfajor, and marinated pineapple and lemon tocinillo. You can tuck into afternoon tea, too, with yummy pastries and the traditional mate (which is so strong it will take your socks off but is definitely worth a try).

Lunch and dinner are not available for the foreseeable future. Please check when making an enquiry

Most guests venture out to explore the fabulous local eateries. I particularly loved the tapas-style corner bar Oro & Candido, and buzzing Oui-Oui for lunch. A pit-stop at La Salamandra, a dulce de leche bar with addictive treats, had to be fitted in every day (and thanks to it, so was the daily visit to the local gym upon my return home). For dinner, chic and minimalistic Mott is just a few blocks away, and Don Julio, a traditional, rustic and very popular parilla, is a highlight for carnivores.

Features include:

  • Bar
  • Breakfast
  • Restaurants nearby
Eating:
Activity:

Activities

  • Hang out in wonderful cafés and bars, check out the best of Porteño fashion right in front of you, and shop until your bank manager calls...
  • If you're hunting for souvenirs other than a Maradona cap, head to La Salamandra (any reason to go there!) and get a few jars of dulce de leche for your loved ones at home. For lasting paraphernalia, check out the stylish handbags at Humawaca and the glittery jewellery treats at 925 Galería
  • Take a couple of tango lessons at a milonga or sit back and watch a show. Tango is not a cheesy tourist attraction; it is a lifestyle, full of class and timeless elegance. Porteños take it very seriously - and look enviously cool whilst doing it
  • The Palermo parks, where Porteños go to relax, are a short walk or taxi ride away. Pretty Parque Tres de Febrero has rose gardens, lakes for boating, Japanese gardens, several cafés, a zoo and a planetarium
  • Go to Uruguay for lunch! Ask reception about the ferry to Colonia del Sacramento
  • For traditional Argentine music and food, head to La Peña del Colorado, a popular folk bar and restaurant, packed with a young, local crowd

Activities on site or nearby include:

  • Boat trips
  • Historical sites
  • Museums / galleries
  • Nightlife
  • Plantlife / flora
  • Shopping / markets
  • Tennis

Kids

Children are welcome. All rooms can fit a baby cot (free of charge), and an extra bed can be added to Superior Rooms for a small supplement. Palermo Rooms can sleep 2 children under 12 on their sofabeds at no extra cost.

Best for:

Babies (0-1 years), Toddlers (1-4 years), Children (4-12 years)

Family friendly accommodation:

Cots Available, Extra Beds Available

Distances:

  • Shops: 1 minute
Kid Friendly:

Location

Mine Hotel is smack-bang in the midst of all the shopping action of hip Palermo Soho, in central Buenos Aires - nothing but boutiques, restaurants, cafés, galleries and stylish people as far as the eye reaches.

By Air:
Buenos Aires has 2 airports - Ezeiza for international flights, and Jorge Newbery (commonly known as Aeroparque) for domestic services. Click on the links below for a list of airlines serving these airports.

From the Airport
The hotel can arrange a transfer - see Rates - or you can take a taxi (around US$40 from Ezeiza and US$15 from Jorge Newbery; buy a ticket from the desks in the arrivals halls).

By Bus:
If you're travelling within Argentina, you can book a long-distance bus to Buenos Aires' Retiro bus station (not as uncomfortable as it sounds as long as you book the cama and cama completa services, which recline to 160 and 180 degrees respectively), then take a taxi.

By Car:
Most visitors prefer not to drive in congested Buenos Aires, but if you want to hire a car to explore wider Argentina, see our car rental recommendations.

Detailed directions will be sent to you when you book through i-escape.com.

More on getting to Argentina and getting around

Airports:

  • Buenos Aires Ezeiza International 35.0 km EZE
  • Buenos Aires Jorge Newbery (Aeroparque) 4.0 km AEP

Other:

  • Beach 100.0 km
  • Shops 0.2 km
  • Restaurant 0.2 km

Rates for Mine Hotel

Arriving on: