The Vibe: Contemporary classic.
The Area: A revamped dockside area, Puerto Madero is BA’s youngest, greenest neighbourhood. Its converted redbrick buildings contain upscale steakhouses popular with tourists and business lunchers. Sleek skyscrapers house multinational corporations and high-value apartments and the Alvear Icon. The hotel is within walking distance of San Telmo, the CCK cultural centre, the excellent Fortabat Art Collection and the sweeping Puente de la Mujer by Santiago Calatrava.
The DNA: From the outside, the gleaming 32-floor Alvear Icon looks quite nondescript, but inside it is all classic contemporary luxury, an homage to the sister Alvear Palace Hotel, one of Buenos Aires’ grande dames. There is an onyx-walled lobby, lots of polished marble, brass fittings, solid columns and high ceilings. The magnificent city skyline and the river beyond can be enjoyed from the large windows of the stunning Crystal Bar from the 32nd floor, possibly offering the city’s best views. A floor lower, the main restaurant offers a tapas-style approach, serving up small, beautifully presented plates of pickled mullet fish, smoked duck, black pudding croute, foie gras – all relatively uncommon on BA menus – and larger mains such as pastas, grilled lamb and tender steaks. At Sunny Yard, a stunning restaurant guests can enjoy breakfast, lunch and a complete afternoon tea service. Glitter is South America´s first deluxe glatt kosher restaurant and Milk & Co, a trendy kosher dairy bar. The 30-floor extensive Wellness & Beauty Spa features an indoor heated pool with a retractable roof, sauna, steam bath and Scottish shower and treatment cabinets, as well as a complete fitness center.
Suite-Me-Up: The bright, spacious rooms and suites are located on the lower 17 floors and feature vintage-style lamps, beautiful photographs and prints of old Buenos Aires.. Luxurious white marble bathrooms come with jacuzzis and a shower box. Rooms on the western side have views over the city; on the other side, the view is of a nature reserve and the River Plate.
✅ free Wi-Fi • size matters: 159 rooms & suites (45-140m2) (484-1,507 sq ft) • hotel opened: 2017 • architecture: PfZ Arquitectos • bathroom amenities: custom • parking possible on-site (charged) • no pets allowed • 24-hour front desk • wheelchair accessible
