Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt

The Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt in Recoleta represents the best of traditional and brand-new Buenos Aires, with a fabulous art collection and one of the most serene gardens in town.

• The sophisticated Park Hyatt service that can’t be beat
• The spa with its subterranean swimming pool
• The tiered gardens between the Palacio building and the Posadas tower

Though the palace side of the hotel, which faces Avenida Alvear, is a restored mansion built in 1934, the newly constructed adjoining building (where nearly all of the 165 rooms and suites are located) features a majestic lobby awash in Bordeaux leather and travertine marble and a soaring ceiling. The gentleman’s club–style Oak Bar (a favorite aperitivo and nightcap spot of well-heeled locals), Vinoteca wine bar and cheese room and the expansive gardens have a classical feel, yet Park Hyatt’s cool brand of minimalism kicks in at its impressive underground art gallery and exhibition area, 8,000-square-foot spa and fitness studio (with an eighty-two-foot indoor swimming pool), and within many of the rooms and suites. And while the twenty-three guest rooms of the palace boast Persian carpets, silk curtains and antique crystal chandeliers, those in the modern tower have a minimalist, Asian-inspired ambiance.

Travelers who prefer contemporary decor to the traditional look of the Four Seasons or the Alvear. The Park Hyatt is also suited to families but lacks the outdoor pool of the Four Seasons.