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  Dbl: US$145-290, BB*

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  This stylish all-suite hotel boasts an enviable address right in the heart of the action, surrounded by trendy Palermo Soho's 24-hour buzz. It also boasts acres of space in each of its 21 suites - from 38 to 80m², depending which one you choose - with lots of homely touches like a separate living room, cable TV, CD-MP3 players, fresh flowers and even a kitchenette in case you are overwhelmed by the multitude of restaurants outside your door. You could comfortably settle in for a week or more, and if you're travelling with children the Senior Suites are ideal (many of the neighbourhood’s cooler hotels refuse to take children). It's a modern, five-storey building with the sophisticated, sleek design of an upscale apartment block: contemporary furnishings, parquet flooring, waterfall showers. You're well looked after, with 24-hour room service, multilingual desk staff, and a duty guard to ensure the premises are secure. Behind the lobby is a small garden with tranquil fountain and palms; topping it all is a glorious rooftop sun deck with loungers and bird's eye views over the city. You're steps from chic boutiques, restaurants, cafés and clubs abuzz with BA’s fashion- and media-elite; and it's a short ride to the zoological and botanical parks in Palermo proper. HIGHS

  • Spacious suites with stylish furnishings including flat-screens, leather sofas, modern lighting
  • Flexible eating options: free buffet breakfast, on-site café/bar, en-suite kitchenette with bar-stool seating and room service
  • Families will love Palermo's lush parks, the downtown Children's Museum and the on-demand babysitters who speak English, Spanish and Italian
  • Business travellers will appreciate the free WiFi / ethernet connectivity throughout the hotel and the concierge service
  • In the heart of BA’s trendiest barrio with cobblestone streets and chic shops; a good base for city explorations

  LOWS

  • Though stylish, rooms are a bit stark and formulaic, lacking the panache of other boutique hotels
  • Not many common areas for hanging out (besides the sunny rooftop)
  • It's a shame there's no pool, nor a gym yet (though one is promised)
  • Rates are pretty high (though perhaps not when calculated per square metre)
  • The immediate vicinity is short on green space and greengrocers (the nearest is a five-block hike)
  • We advise you to check the cost of any extras (e.g. room service) to avoid misunderstandings on check-out

  ROOMS Choose from 5 types of suite offering a range of sizes and views. The cheapest, which are dubbed superior suites (superior to what, we wondered?) are still quite spacious at 38m², with a living area separated by double doors from the kingsized bed, and a separate kitchenette and bathroom. These are disabled accessible. Moving upwards, junior suites get a larger living room with a CD-MP3 player and a 29" flatscreen TV in addition to the smaller TV in the bedroom (both receive cable channels); plus either a small balcony or a large (14m²) terrace facing the garden. Senior suites come with an additional bedroom, which can be used as an office (there is a desk) or bedroom (as it has a sofabed), there is a 2nd sofabed in the living room, and a 2nd bathroom, bringing the space up to 58m². Their small balconies face Honduras St which means they can be noisy. If you want serious terrace space, go for the penthouse, whose floor-to-ceiling windows open onto a huge patio with wooden decking and city views. Minimalist décor features vibrant red or lime-green accent walls as well as softer aqua and sky blue paired with neutral tones. Durable leatherette sofas, cushioned benches and parquet floors soften rooms which otherwise feel a bit spartan. All 21 suites have individually controlled heating and air conditioning, flat-screen cable TV, free WiFi, CD players, digital safe and good quality bedding. Bathrooms are sleek with hair dryers, waterfall showerheads, custom-blended bath soaps and lotions, and bathrobes in the larger suites. EATING A breakfast buffet is set in the lobby café: fresh fruit, cereals, pastries and breads, sliced ham and cheese, yoghurt, as well as freshly-squeezed juices, coffee, premium teas and hot chocolate. It's not a bad selection, though you might get bored after a week; we ordered scrambled eggs in addition, which seemed to be free of charge. Kids will love dipping traditional Argentine cookies (alfajores) into a submarine, made by melting a bar of chocolate in hot milk. You can have breakfast delivered to your room for an additional charge (about US$7). At weekends a variety of teas and food is offered; enquire about weekly wine tastings. You can take coffee in the large lobby any time. Throughout the day, you can raid your minibar for snacks and drinks, or rustle something simple up in your kitchenette, which has microwave, electric kettle, mini-bar and crockery, but no hob/stove. The lobby café (open from 4-11 pm) serves hot drinks, juices and smoothies, wine, champagne, beer and spirits, as well as a small selection of sandwiches and pastries. The same menu is available for room service. Good restaurants abound in Palermo Soho. However, most don’t open their doors until 9 pm. Best book a babysitter for smaller children. ACTIVITIES

  • At the hotel: catch up on e-mail in the hotel lobby; get a massage (US$40) or practice yoga; relax over coffee or a cocktail in the café/lounge; there's a spa across the road for treatments
  • Shop: boutiques of local and international designers are concentrated in an area approximately six blocks square surrounding the hotel
  • Museum-hop: the Evita (Peron) Museum, MALBA-Collecion Constantini (contemporary Latin American art) and world-class Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes are educational; the Children’s Museum (where kids can pretend to run a TV studio or extract a tooth) and hands-on science museum (where "It’s forbidden not to touch") are fun
  • Hire a bike, rollerblades or a boat: tour the sprawling Parque Tres de Febrero, home to the Japanese garden, zoo and a spaceship-shaped planetarium
  • Take in a movie: Most cinemas show English versions of the latest animated films; Cine Los Angeles specializes in children’s movies
  • Get your licks in: BA has some of the world’s best artisan ice cream in flavours for the whole family - from brownie-flavoured dulce de leche (caramel) at Persicco to Mousse de Café Cognac at Bris, both in Palermo
  • Take a tango lesson; then dine at 10 pm with the rest of the portenos (Buneos Aires residents)

  More information and booking at i-escape.com »

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