One of my new favorite hotels. This one has it all — central location, great restaurant and bar, adept and friendly staff, beautiful pool, and appeals to both modern and classic design lovers as it has two buildings — one in each style.

Galloping bronze horses adorn the entrance to the hotel

One enters the Four Seasons with a sight of five bronze galloping horses. Smiling attendants greet you and whisk you into the elegant white marble-floored lobby with jewel-toned velvet settees, stunning sapphire-blue chandeliers in the style of Dale Chihuly, and a backlit reception desk created of semi-precious stones in hues of electric-blue.

saphire-blue reception desk

Vivid-hued lobby

I loved our gorgeous adjoining rooms — one with a lovely pool-view; the other with a larger bathroom and walk-in closet — as the space included a portion of the hallway which made it feel more suite-like.

pool view guest room

lovely bathroom

pool view from my room.

The location is in the upscale neighborhood of Retiro, with easy walking distance to the numerous sights in Recoleto. And while some on Trip Advisor lament the nearby highway, I did not find this in the least undesirable.  Quite the opposite, actually, as it provided easy access to many things, including the airport and a daytrip out of the city.

love the floors of the Pony Line

Pony Line bar interior

Elena — which serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner — is one of the top restaurants in the city. The space is modern and attractive; the food delicious, and with the current exchange rate an absolute bargain for comparable quality in other international city high-end restaurants. Pony Line is a trendy cocktail lounge, and quite popular with a late-night local crowd. The polo-motif space is lovely with it’s comfortably-chic leather seating areas and stable-style interior walls. Libations and food are both excellent here — be sure to try the chorizo sliders and the famed dry-aged Prime burger with crunchy onions and homemade pickle relish and aioli.

Floria Atlantico speakeasy bar.

The street across from the hotel sports several excellent restaurants — we loved both El Mirasol (for steak) and Piegari (for Italian.) Within a couple blocks are two excellent wine bars: Floria Atlantico — which is a basement speakeasy within a flower shop — and it’s sister bistro next door, Brasero Atlantico.

Brasero Atlantico wine bar

We made use of the concierge to plan a couple of our days — it was an excellent choice. Augustina, a delightful young Porteño, enthusiastically recommended excellent itineraries based on our interests, including sights and restaurants within both walking and taxi distance. She also arranged an English-speaking driver to take us to two areas north of the city that had been recommended to me by friends —  San Antonio de Areco and Tigre.  We had considered driving ourselves as there are several car rental agencies within a block of the hotel, but we were happy to spend a bit more for the comfort, convenience, and excellent local knowledge of our driver, Nicolás Sansalone.

exterior of the French mansion building of the hotel.

I would happily return to Buenos Aires to enjoy another stay at the Four Seasons.