Moreno Hotel Buenos Aires

Class: First

Style: Contemporary classic

Rooms: 39

The trouble with boutique hotels, if you had to boil it down to just one thing, is that the very same stylish modern design that’s supposed to set them apart too often ends up feeling a bit samey, a bit rootless, a bit ‘where-am-I-this morning’. That’s a problem you won’t have with the Moreno, however; this place is about as typically, forcefully Argentinian as it is possible for a hotel to be. Which means it fancies itself about half South American and half European — Thirties Art Deco meets cowhide upholstery, with a swanky bar and restaurant (serving Argentinian steaks, naturally) and even a performance venue and tango lounge (opening soon). And the neighborhood, San Telmo, is the latest Buenos Aires district to gentrify, so you can expect to be surrounded by the most tuned-in of porteños. For all the local color, however, the Moreno is no theme park. This is life as it’s actually lived in Buenos Aires, albeit in concentrated form. The suites, all 39 of them, are crisp and stylish, neither thoughtlessly minimal nor needlessly over-designed. Premium suites come with jacuzzi tubs; the rest of us book an appointment with the outdoor jacuzzi, out on the terrace, alongside a modest array of spa treatments and massage options.