External Reviews
The Guardian, UK: Step through grand oak doors into a tiled 1820s patio. Each of the 12 large rooms has its own access from one of three courtyards. The design sets crystal lamps and antique tables against aubergine walls, white linen and tall doors. Bathrooms are modern, service is friendly, and superb parrillas are just a block away. A short walk through belle époque splendour takes you to San Telmo.
Unexplored by most tourists, Monserrat is filled with neighbourhood charm that will make you feel you are really in Buenos Aires
Features
- City Hotel
- Great Neighbourhood
- Historic House
- Sunny Garden
- Child Friendly
| La Cayetana - Buenos Aires, Argentina | |
Sustainability Scorecard
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From $100 USD Per Room Per Night
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Good For You
Tucked away behind the bustle of Avenida de Mayo is the historic neighbourhood of Monserrat, and the quiet La Cayetana. Unexplored by most tourists, Monserrat is filled with neighbourhood charm that will make you feel you are really in Buenos Aires, where you’re able to experience this city as the locals do.
Buenos Aires is a city of contradictions, with beautifully restored colonial facades jeek-by-jowel with crusty old storefronts and abandoned homes. This imperfection is part of what makes the Paris of the South so charming. La Cayetana’s huge wooden doors open to an elegant tiled patio that lead through to an airy, glassed-in lounge and breakfast room, and a delightful garden. Eleven elegant and comfortable rooms share this sensitively restored 19th century family home, run by two local women who are only too happy to help you get to know their city.
There’s no restaurant here, so you’ll have every chance to explore the neighbourhood cafes and eateries, while the owners, native porteñas both, will help you get into the city’s rhythm, arranging tango classes, tickets to shows and city tours, in short doing all the can to help you feel part of this amazing city for as long as your stay lasts.
You’re within easy reach of major attractions like the Avenida de Mayo’s theatres, San Telmo’s antique stores and tango halls, and close to the subways that take you to Palermo.
Good For Argentina
Between the various backpackers, the grand old hotels of Recoleta, the business chains and the ultra-modern joints of Puerto Madero, this kind of small-scale neighbourhood B&B is hard to find - which is a shame, because old homes like this epitomize the traditional Buenos Aires barrio.
The passionate owners have done their best to preserve the old family home’s character while incorporating all the essential modern comforts. Although constructing a green hotel in the midst of this crazy, smoggy city is a fanciful notion close to impossible, the owners do their best not to waste energy, and the small-scale operation, with just 11 guest rooms, maintains a relatively modest footprint. One room is fitted out for disabled travelers.
HighsService: Silvina and Estela, along with their excellent staff, make helpful, knowledgeable and warm hosts. Charm: La Cayetana is a beautifully restored old family home that offers a window into Buenos Aires’ history that few hotels here offer. The quiet garden and patios make a delightful refuge from the busy streets. Location: If a real Buenos Aires barrio is what you want, you’ve got it. Local vegetable shops, hardware stores and cafes front the narrow sidewalks, and there’s hardly another tourist in sight. |
LowsLocation: This is not the place to be if you want lots of duty-free shopping and glossy bars and cafes. This is a real porteño Barrio, and it may not suit everyone’s taste – ask your hosts or advice before wandering around at night. |
Rooms
There are eleven rooms at La Cayetana, arranged around two colonial patios and a garden, in keeping with the home’s original floor plan.
All rooms have a private bathroom, central heating and air conditioning, as well as a ceiling fan. There is wifi Internet throughout the rooms, as well as in the hotels’ common areas. Many of the rooms can accommodate three guests.
All the rooms are tastefully decorated, some with an elegant mix of modern and antique touches. Some have extra beds on a second level. The master and executive rooms are highly recommended – they are spacious and open out onto the patios, and each of them boasts unique flourishes such as an old claw-foot bath or beautiful wooden French doors.
Food
Breakfast is included with the rates. Each morning you’ll find traditional sweet croissants – called media lunas – as well as toast, cereals, fresh juices and tea and coffee laid out in the salon. In fine weather, you can breakfast in the little garden. Bacon and eggs are available on request, and late check-ins will find their hosts more than happy to prepare breakfast afresh.
The lodge has a kitchen which guests are free to use, though it’s doubtful you’ll take up the offer with the range of excellent, affordable restaurants Buenos Aires boasts. But for families and groups, or solo travelers, the kitchen is a spacious place to prepare meals, or enjoy some great takeaway empanadas at the end of a day’s adventures.
Features & Facilities
- Sunny garden with a traditional Argentina parrilla, or barbecue, which is lit up on weekends.
- Communal lounge with flat screen TV
- Wifi Internet throughout the hotel
- Telephone and fax in the reception/loungen
- 24-hour concierge
- Communal kitchen
- Airy patio with lounges
- Tango and Spanish lessons can be arranged
- Warm and friendly hosts who are happy to arrange tours, theatre tickets, trasnfers and restaurant reservations.s
See Local Info for more.
Local Info & Activities
The neighbourhood of Monsterrat, and the calle Mexico, are full of history. Just a few blocks east you’ll find the old National Library, where Argentine’s literary legend Jorge Luis Borges was once director. In the same direction you’ll hit the cobbled streets of San Telmo, with its tango bars and antique stores. To the north you’ll find Avenida de Mayo with the lovely Teatro Avenida and the famous Café Tortoni, as well as the host of Spanish bars and restaurants that characterize this neighbourhood.
Tango:
You can see a show at any number of nearby cafes – the legendary Café Tortoni and 36 Billards are just on Avenida de Mayo – or go the full hog and head to one of the glitzier dinner shows. Your hosts will always be happy to recommend entertainment, and make bookings for you.
If you fancy a turn on the dancefloor yourself, the hotel can arrange for you to take an individual class in La Cayetana’s patio, or head to a local group class. There are plenty of milongas in the neighbourhood – Niño Bien on Thursday nights is one of the best.
Theatre:
Head to a ballet, opera or contemporary dance show at Teatro Avenida, an intimate, velvety old theatre just six blocks from the hotel. You could also soak up some of the neighbourhood’s traditional Spanish flavour with a flamenco show at Avila.
Beyond the immediate
Cafes:
Buenos Aires’ cafes are part of its soul – you’ll soon discover your favourite, but be sure to visit Café Tortoni on Avenida de Mayo, with its stained glass skylight and marbled columns. The chocolate con churros – a sugary local pastry – is the house specialty.
Sustainability
This hotel’s sustainability is based in its sensitive conversion of an historic home, dating from 1840, into a small-scale bed and breakfast which does its best to conserve energy. The hosts and owners work hard to make sure their guests experience the real Buenos Aires, beyond the main tourist traps. The choice to preserve the home rather than demolish it, as so many others have been, is a credit to the vision of Cayetana’s owners and a gift to visitors to BA who want to experience something different.
Getting There
The hotel is happy to arrange an airport pick up for you from Ezeiza – a 60 peso ($20) fare. If you are pulling in at Retiro station after traveling by train or bus from other parts of the country, you can get to the hotel in a cab for less than $10.
The Good Travel Company can help you to book flights to Buenos Aires or can build this hotel into a custom made itinerary for you. Contact Us for details.
Visit our Transport section for flights, hybrid car rentals and train bookings.
Rates & Bookings
Included in rates:
- Continental buffet breakfasts, and all taxes.
Prices are per room, irrespective of the number of guests, and several rooms fit three or more people. Prices are quoted in US dollars.
- Standard room - $100 ($120 from Jan 2008)
- Executive suite - $120 ($140 frm Jan 20082
- Master suite - $150 ($180 from Jan 2008)
booking & cancellation policy
Cancellations 15 days prior to a confirmed booking will be charged 20%; with 14 days’ advance notice or less, 50% will be charged and cancellations with 7 days’ notice or less will be charged in full.
Want to avoid cancellation fees? Visit our Insurance section for information on travel insurance.