Palacio Duhau - Park Hyatt Buenos Aires is the quintessence of all that is elegant about Buenos Aires, a magnificent city with Latino dazzle and more than its fair share of beauty. The aristocratic 1930s Duhau mansion, which the owners styled on a chateau near Paris, has lavish interiors with art works and gleaming marble floors that blend effortlessly with the tasteful contemporary design and subdued colors of the new areas.
Located between Alvear and Posadas, two elegant tree-lined avenues in the smart Recoleta district, it shares a terraced garden with its newer half, the modern 17-floor Posadas Building. So there are two lobbies: One is spacious and modern, and the other is classical and to be preferred for VIPs who can duck public scrutiny by taking an elevator directly to their suite. There is also an underground passage linking the two buildings, which has rotating exhibitions by local artists and, a must for anyone with a sweet tooth, the Patisserie Duhau with its shelves of blissful cakes and chocolates, and to-die-for macaroons.
The best views are from the Park Suites in the Posadas Building, as they look onto the graceful rear facade of the Palacio and the beautiful gardens, which are one of the property’s USPs—lush urban gardens are like gold dust in Buenos Aires. All the Deluxe and Park Executive Suites on this side have dining rooms, and many have balconies. There are room-to-room and room-to-suite connecting options, and for large families or groups traveling together it is possible to privatize entire floors. We liked Room No. 1707, which has corner windows looking out on the river port and the gardens of the Papal Nunciature, a walk-in closet, a large bathroom with twin sinks, and connects with Room No. 1708. All rooms have bathtubs and showers, and all suites have double sinks.
The original four-floor Palacio is a real showstopper with its old-world glamour, and it is possible to buy out all its 23 guestrooms and suites, including the three Specialty Suites: The Duhau, the Boudoir and the Alvear, with their dedicated butler service. If you’re talking celebrity clients then you must consider the Belle Epoque-style Duhau Suite on the top floor, which has bulletproof windows, a wrap-around terrace, a living area with Persian carpets and a dining room for eight. And it can connect to a King Balcony room. Our choice for honeymooners would be the 1,108-square-foot Boudoir Suite with French doors that open to a small private courtyard just made for romantic candlelit dinners.
General Manager Leandro Livschitz (leandro.livschitz @hyatt.com; 011-541-151-711-200) told us that after the nine-month pandemic closure, leisure and business bookings picked up fast, with many return guests, and thanks to their strong relationship with the trade, especially with U.S. and Brazilian luxury travel advisors. September to March is the peak season and, Livschitz said, in late November and December, the city and the hotel fill up for the annual polo championships, so it is essential to plan well ahead for this time of year. Booking tip: For well ahead, the rule of thumb here is four to six months. Livschitz also said that for those who prefer to avoid the extremely hot summer months, February and March are considerably cooler.
The Ahin Wellness & Spa has two private suites with tubs, two individual treatment rooms and a hydrotherapy room. Manager Paula Esquivel ([email protected]; 011-541-151-711-2141) told us the most popular treatment is the 120-minute Afflora Ritual consisting of a modelling body treatment and a Swedish massage. The sauna, the indoor pool which changes color, and the 24-hour fitness studio complete the wellness facilities for in-house guests.
In the spring and summer months the terraced gardens are awash with azaleas and roses. All the restaurants overlook this green oasis and tables spill outside in the warmer months. Breakfasts, afternoon teas and dinners are served in the Los Salones del Piano Nobile restaurant, where you step back into another era. The signature Duhau & Vinoteca Restaurant is more relaxed; it is a family-style experience with a menu featuring a range of cuts of Argentina’s totally addictive beef and excellent wines. It also has the country’s only cheese cellar, which is the perfect way to round off a meal of local flavors.
Currently there are two Executive Sous Chefs, Julian Galende ([email protected]) and Matias Rouaux ([email protected]), who can provide expert advice on exclusive dining arrangements, as they can on private Vinoteca wine and cheese tastings guided by a Duhau sommelier — a delightful and relaxing way to bond with the Argentine’s very fine and varied wine and food culture. The Oak Bar is perfect for light lunch snacks and after dinner drinks. This was formerly the study of the original owner, who shipped the old boiserie panels from a medieval chateau in Normandy and whose walk-in room safe is now the wine cellar with over 7,000 local and international crus.
Cross the garden and you find yourself a thousand miles away from meats and cheeses. Because in the Gioia Botanical Cuisine in the new building everything is based on vegetables, cereals, pulses, algae and fungi. The stylish and delicious menus, from breakfast to dinner, change every season and are guaranteed to delight even the most voracious carnivore.
All restaurants can be booked in advance, as can transfers, through the Duhau concierges ([email protected]) who are a mine of knowledge on the city, and can set up tours and guides both in the capital and out of town. For example, a tango night in a milonga dance hall where porteños (as those born in Buenos Aires are called) dance into the small hours. And yes, it is possible to do Iguazu Falls in a day. But ask the concierges to arrange a private car and guide. And for a more bucolic immersion, take their advice for a day on a cattle ranch admiring the horsemanship of the gauchos and sitting down to massive plates of spit-roasted beef ribs.
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