After the cruise I stayed in the 5-star Palladio Hotel. which is part of the so-called MGallery, a collection of boutique hotels under the umbrella of Accor Hotels (a French multinational hospitality company). According to Wikipedia, MGallery is positioned between Mercure et Sofitel. Looking at both the Palladio and the Sofitel in the Recoleta neighbourhood of Buenos Aires, I consider Palladio a superior hotel experience. The Sofitel room was bigger, but the overall hotel experience was far superior in the Palladio.
Booking gave the Palladio 9.5 (Excellent) from 1447 reviews, as compared to the Sofitel which scored “only” 8.8 from 377 reviews (pre-cruise I stayed in the Meliã in Recoleta and that scored 8.6).
First impressions
The hotel is situated on Avenida Callao, one of Buenos Aires’ most prominent thoroughfares that grew up in the mid-19th century as Buenos Aires expanded beyond its colonial centre. Different sources indicate that it was named after the Peruvian port city of Callao, commemorating Argentina’s historical ties with Peru, and its fight for independence in the early 19th century. Wikipedia writes that the avenue was explicitly named after the Battle of Callao, the final battle between Spanish and Peruvian forces.
Initially, the avenue was a quiet residential area, but as Buenos Aires grew, Callao became a critical east-west artery, connecting neighbourhoods like Congreso, Recoleta, and Balvanera. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Avenida Callao underwent significant changes during this period, and it became renowned for its eclectic mix of architectural styles, including French Neoclassical, Art Deco, and Beaux-Arts. Callao runs through the Congreso area, home to the Argentine National Congress, and as such, it has often been a site for political demonstrations and rallies. By the mid-20th century, Avenida Callao had become a bustling urban corridor with office buildings, hotels, etc.
I understood that the area was safe, and that one could walk to cultural landmarks such as El Ateneo Grand Splendid (the famous bookstore), and the Recoleta Cemetery.
It always a nice sign when a porter takes your luggage from the taxi, and a doorman welcomes you in to a very spacious and elegant reception area.
It’s wonderful how the above sentence is rooted in history. We have luggage which dates back to the 1590s, and meant literally “what has to be lugged about”. Even better is Johnson’s definition, “any thing of more weight than value”. Of course baggage came from the Old French bagage or “baggage, (military) equipment”. Porter is obviously a “person who carries” and dates from the late 14th century, but stems from the Latin portare “to carry”. But even in the late 12th century a porter was also a doorkeeper or janitor, as “one who has charge of a door or gate”, or even more specifically “one who guards the gate of a bridge”. American English also has bell-hop, as an “attendant in a hotel who carries guests’ luggage and performs other services”. This dates only from 1906, but has the advantage of the obvious link to one who “hops” into action when a bell is rung.
The room
Above we can see the wonderful views that some of the rooms have over the landscaped Plaza Rodríguez Peña (named after the 18th century Argentina politician Nicolás Rodriguez Peña).
Of course my room had a view over the back of the hotel, but the room itself was very nice. It had all the usual features, e.g. free bottled water, coffee machine, decent sized wall-safe, etc., but (and I shout)
the wi-fi was absolutely world class, the best I’ve every had in a hotel.
The only criticism I had was that the rooms were not made-up until late in the afternoon.
The bathroom
The bathroom was also very comfortable, although you needed an engineering degree to understand however the tap worked in the shower. Surprisingly the towels, etc. were fine, but not 5-star quality.
Breakfast
Unlike the bath towels, the breakfast was excellent. Freshly pressed orange juice, and three cortado doble. Nothing better to start the day.
It was the only place I’ve ever seen with four different “butter” spread options, namely.-
- Manteca saborizada con azúcar (Sugar flavoured butter)
- Manteca Saborizada con Sal (Butter flavoured with Salt)
- Manteca (Butter)
- Queso Crema (Cream Cheese).
Late lunch
Out all day visiting tourist attractions in the city, I tended to return late afternoon and just take one main meal a day. The salads (Caesar and salmon-cheese) were very good, and the Tarte Tatin with peaches and not apple was outstanding.
In addition the service was impeccable, and the prices very reasonable.
