Moreno Hotel

 
Walking into this hotel is like a step into the cool past. As we entered through an arched hallway, the heat of Buenos Aires dissipates. We took an old fashioned elevator to the first floor and stepped into the dark lobby. Greeted by a friendly receptionist, we received several recommendations for where we could have a coffee or lunch nearby while we waited for our room to be ready.

Moreno Hotel’s San Telmo location can’t be beat, especially if you want to go to the Sunday San Telmo market which begins just around the corner. Staying here, you’re close to the Casa Rosada and Plaza de Mayo and all of San Telmo’s shops and restaurants. The hotel is in a gorgeous Art Deco building, which was distinguished by the city government, the minister of culture and the general board of museums as a “living testimony of the citizenship memory” and “historical patrimony of the city”. The views from the rooftop terrace, especially of the San Francisco church one block away, are great.

The cage elevator zoomed surprisingly quickly past gorgeous stained glass windows, but the interiors of Moreno Hotel can sometimes show their age. Our room had a pretty balcony and lovely high ceilings, but the dark blue wall needed repainting and the bathroom tile work needed repair. A cool patchwork cowhide throw rug decorated the floor next to the king bed, and we loved the lights that dimmed and the big windows from which we could watch a big Buenos Aires rainstorm.

Service at Moreno was a bit uneven and some hot foods at the breakfast buffet were cold, though the views would be lovely if you ate outside on the terrace. The hotel was going through a refurbishment during our visit, and challenges should be ironed out when it is completed.

If your priority in Buenos Aires is to experience the sites and you want to stay in a gorgeous heritage building, Moreno Hotel is beautiful and perfectly situated.