The thoughtful guide to Buenos Aires, Positive Luxury

Combine the architecture of Paris with the sub-culture of Berlin and throw in a fiery dose of Latin passion and you have South America’s most sophisticated city: Buenos Aires. We’ve pulled together our Positive Luxury guide on where to stay, eat and shop.

WHERE TO STAY

Owners Patricia and Tom are modest to have named their renowned bolthole Home. By scouring local flea markets, championing crafts and collecting original wallpaper, they have created a space that is as welcoming as it is beautiful. Home’s green creds are impressive too; the garden is a refreshing pocket of wildlife, filled with jasmine, ferns and hummingbirds, and solar panels heat the swimming pool.

Tread a little deeper into the city’s hippest neighbourhood, Palermo Hollywood, and Palo Santo offers boutique digs with an eco-twist. Built according to LEED design principles, over 800 plants hang down from the eight-storey townhouse and an 18-meter fountain runs through its core.  Hand-picked furniture is mostly from local designers and bikes offer a greener way to see the city.

WHAT TO DO

Buenos Aires is world famous for its street-art and locals take great pride in their decorated walls. Get under-the-skin of the movement on a Graffitimundo tour, a not-for-profit that works in close collaboration with artists. After contemplating surrealist scenes by Gualicho, take a stroll along Calle Lanín in Barracas. In 1990 artist Marino Santa Maria began to transform his street into an open-air gallery, first by painting his own home and inviting others to decorate theirs. Today 35 houses are adorned with mosaics and paintings.

For more traditional culture head to Avenida de Mayo. Book a tour (or even a tango lesson) in Palacio Barolo, a neo-gothic, neo-Romanesque palace designed by Mario Palatino in 1923 and inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy. Across the street, Café Tortino is thought to be the oldest coffee shop in Argentina.

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