Located in the ultra cool Palermo area of Buenos Aires, Home Hotel is right in the middle of one of the most sought after neighbourhoods in the city. Surrounded by achingly hip boutiques, design shops and cafes, and with nearby restaurants and bars that wouldn’t be out of place in London, Paris or New York, the hotel is an iconic part of the stylish lifestyle here.
Home Hotel is the brainchild of UK record producer Tom Rixon and Argentine PR Patricia O’Shea and opened in 2005. It is truly a boutique hotel in every sense and the owners’ clear design vision has helped create the intimate 20 room space. Using plenty of glass to let in the beautiful Argentinian sunshine, as well as quirky retro pieces such as the 1950’s vintage Scandinavia chairs and sofas in the lobby, the hotel mixes old and new just like the city of Buenos Aires seems to do so well as a whole.
However, the different elements of the hotel means that it never feels small. On arrival, I was whisked to their basement spa and offered cucumber infused water and a glorious hour long massage, which made my jet lag vanish in a second.
Taking brunch by the pool was a fabulous treat – brioche with sweet dulce de leche butter, a shot glass of scrambled eggs, fresh strawberries, juices and homemade yoghurt. And the outdoor space is truly a garden with a riot of grasses, wild flowers, native ‘palo borrachos’ trees that provide some welcome shade, as well as fruit trees and climbing plants. Lounging by the pool you feel truly secluded, as if you’re in some private secret space.
The cocktail bar which is in the restaurant and overlooking the lush garden, is also worth mentioning. The award-winning barman, Daniel Biber, created a bespoke cocktail for me which I would happily travel back for – a honey, peach and jalepeno martini. I named it the Bee Sting and hope it’s now officially on the menu!
Bed time doesn’t come until the early hours in Buenos Aires as the city parties hard and late – clubs don’t even start getting busy til 1am. But when I did finally sink in to bed, I had a wonderfully uninterrupted sleep. As well as being light and airy, the room had the hotel’s signature quirks with a strong patterned wallpaper and bright lime green adorning the room, which was designed with a mixture of wood and polished cement. Custom made natural products in the bathroom and a huge monsoon shower made the stay comfortable.
But the genius of Home Hotel is in the small touches – a bespoke guidebook with the owners’ personal recommendations to the local areas, customised maps, cosy llama wool blankets – all these add up to make a truly memorable stay.
I hope I’ll be coming Home again soon…
www.homebuenosaires.com/
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