An extensive trip to Argentina lately brought me to four stunning hotels, two in the capital of Buenos Aires and two in the Mendoza area, which I don’t want to miss to share with you on my platform. They all had that individual touch that you would expect from a smaller boutique hotel but still they could not have been more different to each other. We kicked off our journey in Palermo Soho, the hipster area of Buenos Aires, where we enjoyed an 11 night stay at the fabulous Home Hotel. This amazing place is near all kind of trendy bars, speakeasies, small bakeries and great little restaurants and after some days gives you the feeling you became part of the neighbourhood. The first thing that strikes you at Home Hotel is the lush garden and its swimming pool – a most relaxing place to read a book, take some sun or enjoy your breakfast.

Talking about breakfast, you’ll get a little surprise every morning as each day they offer you a different variety of tasty components. Be it a little carrot ginger juice shot, a mushroom vegetable scrambled egg or a chocolate ganache on a spoon – all is served in tiny glasses together with all kind of breads and croissants. What a treat! The superbe team of the hotel also had the great idea to print a booklet with all their personal tips of where to shop, to eat or to go out in Palermo and most of these advices are not the obvious ones. In any case a chat with the concierges reveals ideas of what to do you would not have thought of.

Tom Rixton and Patricia O’Shea, the Argentine-British couple who run this smartest design-minded hotel, have chosen Scandinavian vintage furniture combined with 1920s French wallpaper and brushed concrete which attracts a hip international crowd, very often from the music, publishing and film worlds. Lofty suites of 45m² offer jacuzzis and terraces for a drink and most of their accomdations are furnished with 1950’s extravagant pieces.

Home Hotel, Honduras 5860, Buenos Aires +54 (11) 4779 1006 / 4777 7653

The second part of our Argentina adventure was centered around the Mendoza area, which is one of the best wine producing regions worldwide, located at the foothills of the Andes at an altitude level between 750 and 1500 metres. For our first week here we choose a more rustique place which turned out to be the best option to chill in the middle of vineyards: Finca Adalgisa. Since three generations run by the same family, this outstanding small hotel is surrounded by 5 acres of old Malbec vines, which were planted in 1916. From these grapes the owners produce their delicious wine and share it every evening at the Finca’s most romantic wine bar in addition to other home made products such as jam, olives and olive oil. Once a week guests may attend a cooking class and learn how to make Argentinian Empanadas or they may take part in the traditional asado night with all kind of meats prepared over an open fire.

The 11 rooms of the Finca are either located in the Old House or within the vineyard – we prefered the latter and enjoyed our standard room in the garden, which was comfortable, well equipped with great bedding and gave us direct access to the stunning pool area. While their standard rooms measure around 30 to 35 square meters, the Suites offer a size between 50 to 65 square meters and have an extra living room. The rural lifestyle of the Finca in combination with the atmosphere of the little village of Chacras de Corria is really hard to beat.

Only 20 minutes away from the city centre of Mendoza Finca Adalgisa is extremely well located to tour the wine route and its wineries and the receptionists at the hotel will be very helpful to organise any excursions for the guests be it a winery tour, horseback riding, rafting or mountain biking. In order to be more independent I would recommend to rent a car and drive around the region and make at least one day trip to the Andes. Within 90 minutes you will make it to the Parque Nacional de Aconcaguas, an incredible mountain area with the famous Aconcaguas (6900m), one of the highest tops in the Western hemisphere. Just be aware when visiting a winery with your car, that in Argentina there is a zero tolerance of alcohol when driving, so we booked for once an organised tour and were picked up by car in the morning and brought back to the Finca in the evening after visiting four different wineries with extensive wine tastings.

Finca Adalgisa, Pueyrredón 2222, Chacras de Coria, Luyan de Cuyo,Mendoza, Argentina, Phone +54 261 496-0713, reservas@fincaadalgisa.com.ar

In order to experience a second accomodation near Chacras de Corria we decided to move for three nights into the famous Entre Cielos, which is on a mucher higher level of luxury. It is run by Swiss owners who decided a decade ago to start a new life in Argentina and moved there with the complete family including grandparents and children. They built the whole place from scratch and inaugurated in addition to the hotel the first Hammam ever in all South America. The style of Entre Cielos is a mixture of brushed concrete combined with lively colours adding a lot of vitality to the space. The environment is totally contemporary and art lovers will certainly enjoy the many artworks on display.

Most of the six urban chic room types offer views of the pool – one special loft is “hanging” over the vineyards and offers exclusivity, unparalleled views and a sort of seclusion. The majority of the rooms have pool and vineyard views whilst a handful on the opposite side, have garden views. Despite the building being a huge concrete block, the rooms are decorated with warm and vibrant colours and with elaborate furnishings in the superior rooms. We had choosen a depluxe suite offering privacy and any comfort you may think of on two floors and overlooking the pool.

Unfortunately I could not take pictures inside the wonderful Hammam, but the experience was heavenly. The concept consists of a six stages circuit combining heat and water and a variety of massages to make sure guests get rid of their toxins and are able to totally relax. Before this Hammam opened the concept was not known in Latin America and there was quite some education needed to make locals understand what it is all about. Some of the treatments include a wine therapy such as exfoliation with grape seeds in order to establish a connection to the surrounding vineyards. Other than that guests may choose an Aromatherapy to relax and hydrate the skin through  through essential oils, enjoy facials or get a manicure and pedicure. The choice is abundant and varies from time to time.

Entre Cielos, 1998, Guardia Vieja, Lujan de Cuyo – Argentina, Tel: +54 261 524 48 90, hotel@entrecielos.com

After spending an exciting time between wineries and Andes we finally came back to Buenos Aires to spend our last three nights again in Palermo as we had fallen in love with this part of the capital. This time we choose another extremely individual place to stay: BE El Jardin Escondido by Coppola. The legendary filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola fell in love with the Argentine capital during the filming in 2008 of Tetro, a film set during the early 20th century. Coppola lived and worked in the spacious mansion and the name of the 6 room hotel is very appropriate: Due to various balconies, terraces and patios there is vegetation all over. The place feels warm and elegant with simple materials such as brick and wooden beams, fine bedding, sophisitcated lighting and opulent sofas. The striking Latin American handicrafts, such as Peruvian tapestries and the masks of northwestern Argentina, add to the sense of being visiting the holiday residence of a prosperous and cosmopolitan friend and reminds you of being at a house of Coppola.

Even though the building and place is incredible and decorated with a lot of taste and personality, I was not 100 percent convinced by the value for money. As it is quite expensive I would have expected the devices like shower and toilet in the bathroom to work perfectly, which was not the case. In addition, the gap between the bottom of the room door and the floor was so big, that one could hear every step outside the door, which did not make the accomodation as quiet as I was hoping for. Other than that, a wonderful individual place to stay.

BE Jardin Escondido, Rua Gorriti 4746, Buenos Aires, +54 11 48328830, jardinescondido@bourbon.com.ar