Craft Hotel

Class: First

Style: Cutting edge

Rooms: 10

Everyday in Buenos Aires, the cafés fill up early, the dog-walkers wrangle a dozen barking canines through the park, and another boutique hotel opens its doors to the public. All are stylish, and every manager is eager to please — so what sets one of these establishments apart from the ever-increasing competition? In the case of Craft Hotel, it’s all about the concept, the scope, and location, location, location. Okay, okay — so the location is in Palermo Viejo, like most of the city’s best boutiques. But Craft sits on the edge of a lovely green park, literally just steps away from many of the city’s coolest eateries and bars. As an extra perk, the hotel provides complimentary bicycles to guests during their stay. And the concept? Craft Hotel, as the name implies, is serious about art. There’s no generic photography or watercolors here — the artwork throughout the hotel was created by Fabiana Barreda, a local artist whose video installations and romantic photography are well-known in Buenos Aires. Her works add creative character to an interior that’s largely white and minimalist with the occasional rustic wooden door or black and white tiled floor. The result is fresh, contemporary, and warm — this doesn’t feel like another cookie-cutter boutique. As for the scope – Craft is small, containing just ten rooms that fall into categories called ‘Park,’ ‘Hip,’ ‘Song,’ and ‘Craft.’ True, the rooms could always be a little larger, but the décor is impeccable. Hues of spotless white, mint green, earthy ochre, and cheerful apple-red feel whimsical and modern, and each room comes with a flat-screen TV, free wireless internet access, and an iPod dock. The Park room comes with a cute balcony for two, but it pales in comparison to Craft’s crowning glory, the rooftop terrace. Up in the treetops, it boasts a 'mirror pool' (you can't really swim in it) and a row of cushy chaise longues that are protected from the sun by billowing white canopies on hot summer days.