Buenos Aires, a city so exciting as its name, the capital of an amazing country, home to the best steakhouses in the world (sorry Japan) and also a place which has many interesting boutique hotels. While I would have loved to review more of them, my time was short and prestigious so the best and most exclusive one was quickly selected. I know it sounds stupid but when I travel to a city for the first time, I always have the urge to stay at one of the best hotels there simply because I believe that your future judgement about a city is only based on how you experienced it on your first time. For example a city I have a love-hate-relationship is Brussels (simply because I never stayed at a top notch property yet). It‘s the moment that‘s always worth the splurge. Just imagine you land at the airport, everything is new and you have to adapt to the situation first before you live like a local. If you then head to a cozy home away from home, things don‘t feel too hard anymore and you don‘t have to worry about your accommodation since it‘s just as comfortable as your home or even better.

Same when we spontaneously decided to fly to Buenos Aires instead of staying in Patagonia for another week (learning lesson: actually never plan more than a week for Patagonia). I navigated through the hotel offer for this city (since I was not yet familiar with the business there) and soon found what seemed to be a hidden gem: Hub Porteño. The pictures looked like this is the perfect place to spend the short stay in Buenos Aires, representing local Argentinan craftsmanship with European chic. When we arrived in front of the property, we were slightly impressed of the small sized building - being sure this is going to be a personal stay. When we finally rang the bell (common thing in Argentina), a young lady arrived and helped us along with the luggage. With only 11 rooms they don‘t have porters, however it‘s the women from the front desk who are here to help with the baggage. A second later, Sarah - the hotel‘s manager - rushed around the corner and greeted us in a very personal way. Passports and credit card handed over to the front desk lady, Sarah offered us a seat in the beautiful lobby lounge with a chic sofa and before we could even register, two amazing cappuccinos arrived - it was 11 am otherwise we would have had bubbles for sure :)

After a informative introduction to some cool activities we could plan while here, Sarah accompanied us for a tour through the property and then showed us our room. We were allocated a beautiful double room overlooking the green street with two cozy queen beds, a small writing desk with a Geneva iPhone Docking Station, two chairs with a table, sideboard with a television and minibar as well as a balcony that was slightly inaccessible due to the air conditioner. I liked the room style with modern and antique touches and the wooden floor was a huge plus. Of course the highlight was the bathroom - nearly the same size as the bedroom itself (normally this is a bad sign when it comes to Paris or Venice hotels) with a huge jacuzzi tub for two, double vanities and even more spacious separate shower area as well as a separated toilet with bidet. While I would have wished to have two bath towels per person, the toiletries smelled very nice, tough were not branded. Turndown service was done quite early (at around 6pm) in a very nice way along two excellent pralines. Honestly, the bathroom was so sexy, I really loved it a lot.

During the afternoons from 5 pm onwards they serve a homemade cake along with a freshly prepared lemonade - both was extremely good and is a complimentary service by the hotel offered daily. While it is served downstairs in the lobby, I recommend to take it to the terrace on the 4th floor where you can relax on cozy outdoor sofas and enjoy the city from a different perspective. So did we and could not resist firing a good Cuban cigar along with some drinks from our minibar. It was actually the best Aperitif session we had during this trip - this got upgraded by a orange sky when the sun set. We went out for an amazing dinner - it is definitely worth asking Sarah for a recommendation and one we returned we were falling asleep within minutes. Generally the beds were very comfortable with light blankets and nearly no noise - interesting since a street is directly in front of the hotel and the windows are not noise-cancelling.

Breakfast was another wow factor at Hub Porteño. Not just because it is served a la carte and you can order literally anything, also because the quality of the products is so good. I absolutely loved the buttered toast that came along our Eggs Benedict. Unfortunately the cappuccino was not the same as we had on check-in however the orange juice came in a 400 ml glass and was super fresh. Although there was just one lady servicing the breakfast, we always had full glasses and coffee. Another must-see point for lovers of beautiful hotels is the bar area which looks like from an Architectural Digest cover. All in all this hotel absolutely impresses in terms of interior design perfectly blending local touches. The management of the hotel is very good and you feel it is in good hands. Is it worth the splurge you ask? I would say if you grab a good deal around 300 USD a night it is a perfect base, considering that service at neighbouring Park Hyatt and the Four Seasons up the street won‘t be that personal and staying at the latter two won‘t feel like staying at a private mansion. I loved the fact to be at a privately managed hotel as it better represents the local spirit.