Luxury Travel Advisor - December 2007 - (Page 27) ACCESS: SUGGESTED DINING Cabaña Las Lilas (Villaflor in Dique 3; 54-11-4313-1336): A restaurant with as much seating outdoors overlooking the port as there is indoors. Lunch and dinner begin with a complimentary tapas platter. La Cabaña (1967 Rodriguez Peña; 54-11-4814-0001): This elegant steakhouse offers beef steaks and international cuisine, in a setting quieter than that at Las Lilas. Osaka (Olga Cossettini 1553; 54-11-4313-0200): This is regarded as the best sushi in the city. The restaurant is owned by a Peruvian, so there’s also ceviche on the menu. Café Tortoni (Av. de Mayo 825; 54-11-4342-4328): Built in 1848, this is a must for its decaying grandeur, billiards and live jazz and poetry readings. We say it’s an ideal stop for a mid-afternoon coffee break. TANGO 101 Tango shows are dinner-theater or cabaret experiences, where professional dancers perform choreographed vignettes with a small orchestra and a singer or two. The best are Esquina Carlos Cardel, in the Abasto quarter, and Michelangelo, in an old cellar in the Bohemian San Telmo quarter. Milongas are neighborhood dance halls, often with a live orchestra or guitarist and a singer. Suggest Club Gricel on Mondays, El Beso on Tuesdays, La Ideal on Wednesdays, Milonga del Niño Bien on Thursdays, La Viruta from Fridays to Sundays and Bar Sur on Sunday afternoons. Tip: Dancers from Hotel Faena + Universe’s tango show, “Rojo Tango,” teach in the hotel’s La Prairie Spa by appointment. 27 BY EVELYN KANTER The opulent Hotel Faena + Universe (www.faenahoteland universe.com), in the booming Puerto Madero section of Buenos Aires, is as much an experience as it is a place to sleep after a night on the town at one of the city’s ubiquitous tango salons, shopping for exquisitely supple leather clothing or dining on legendary Argentine steaks and wine. Created by Argentine fashion impresario Alan Faena and French architect Philippe Starck, this hotel is, admittedly, not for everybody—certainly not for clients most comfortable with traditional hotel ambience. The universal theme here is hip, edgy, theatrical and romantic. There’s even a touch of decadence. Décor is almost exclusively in rich reds and blazing whites, punctuated by lots of mirrors and crystal chandeliers. Miles of floor-to-ceiling velvet draperies in deep red hide some of the internal brick walls and frame every window; they open and close electronically, as do the blazing-white Venetian blinds. Furniture, including leather armchairs, tables and headboards, is white, offset by red carpeting (even the cabinet drawers and closets are lined in red). In some rooms, glass-walled bathrooms are closed off by yet more red velvet draperies. Home theater equipment is hidden inside custom-designed, rotating etchedmirrored consoles; there are no doors to open or close—just spin the unit around to hide or use the electronics. The bright and airy room décor contrasts with the dimly lit lobby corridor, which is lined with restaurants, shops and a huge outdoor heated swimming pool, one of the few in Buenos Aires. There’s even a spacious outdoor garden, similarly hidden from street traffic by tall brick walls. There is nary a front desk nor a concierge here. Instead, at the time a reservation is made, each guest is assigned an “Experience Manager,” a combination concierge/personal assistant/butler/guide who looks after every aspect of your clients’ stay. These personal assistants are ready to help fulfill your clients’ needs before their arrival. For added ease, guests are given a cell phone to use within the hotel for a one-touch connection to their Experience Manager. Chief Experience Manager Ariel Pippo (apippo@faenaexpe rience.com; 54-11-4010-9221) and his staff of six can organize an Antiques Experience, including visits to flea markets, galleries and shops in the nearby San Telmo arts area; a Polo Experience at some of the world-famous Argentine polo matches; or the opportunity to snap pictures in and around the city with famed photographer Aldo Sessa followed by a visit to Sessa’s studio and workshop. Pippo has arranged a sunset helicopter tour of the city for one guest as a surprise engagement gift to his girlfriend, and managed to get an advance copy of a hyped novel, having it shipped to a guest elsewhere in the country on the day of publication. When we asked for tango milonga suggestions, Pippo had a typed list delivered to our room, accompanied by a handwritten note offering to call a taxi when we wanted to leave the hotel. We spent our days at the hotel lazing in the living room- FAENA’S PRESIDENTIAL SUITE’s bedroom is bedecked in rich, red tones and textiles, from lampshades and carpeting to curtains and candles. December 2007 | LUXURY TRAVEL ADVISOR http://www.faenahotelanduniverse.com http://www.faenahotelanduniverse.com
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