StarwoodGuy: Southern South America With Starwood Hotels Days 9 and 10 Sheraton Hotel and Convention Centre Buenos Aires

The next morning I woke up early and headed down to the gym. It was a change after being at the basic Four Points and the deluxe, but not business focused, Palacio and Tambo del Inka properties where I had been the only one in the gym during my workouts. Now back in a big city in a business focused property, the gym was busy at 6:00am. Fortunately it was extensive with plenty of weight and cardio machines all overlooking the pool. I worked out for two hours before showering and heading to breakfast in the Club Lounge.

The Club Lounge (and the hotel in general) looked like many of the large Sheraton towers built in the 70’s and 80’s. It was a long narrow space along the windows with the food at the wall and the seating aimed at showing you the amazing view from the high 22nd Floor. The views from the Club Lounge were stunning, the staff was excellent, and the food for breakfast as well as snacks throughout the day and dinner were all very good. They have sandwiches, cake and cookies, and cheese and breads out from 5:00 pm till 8:00 pm, but hot appys are only served from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

After breakfast and some work I headed out to explore in a different direction, this time heading to some of the older churches, the beautiful banks, and the government building along Plaza de Mayo. It is amazing how they have integrated new building right into the old ones. Thee more I walked around in the heat with beautiful parks and trees, the smell, the look of old and new, I kept getting a sense of being back in Australia, where modern towers meet older buildings in Sydney and Melbourne. After an hour or so around the main areas and shops I headed down towards the water and into the new development. Here I thought of Hamburg immediately and the reclaimed Haffen Stadt, but in Buenos Aires not just low level building along waterways and green spaces had been constructed, but large Miami style towers as well with pools, restaurants, Starbucks, and the Yacht Club all in this new neighborhood right along the water. I

After three hours in the sun I headed back for more sunscreen and to hit the pool. The pool deck and atmosphere seems a little dated but the view over the tower and the station is excellent. The hotel in general shows some wear and tear in the hallways and some common areas, but the rooms and Club Lounge have been kept up very well. If I had any serious complaint in these busy summer months they could do with some extra staff doing drinks and lunch down at the pool because it was quite busy, but in the 90’s /30’s it was a hard working environment for them. I had dinner in the Club Lounge that night while working and went to bed early again.

The next day was a repeat really of the previous, workout, breakfast, walk, this time to the Zoo (skip) and through the cemetery (a must). The Zoo at only $13.00 US was well priced, but as per many TripAdvisor and other posts it did seem a little dingy, and in the heat most of the animals were laying in the shade, which I should have been doing as well. I explored a little more of the neighborhoods before heading back to the pool again and then to the Club Lounge, needing to get to bed early since I was up at 4:45 am the next morning.

I had read many times of the beauty of the city but I was not adequately prepared. Buenos Aires is truly one of the most dynamic and stunning cities on the planet. I highly recommend a visit. Sophisticated and expensive in comparison to other countries in South America, it offers a great deal. Perhaps with this comes a little pretense, it is not as realized or friendly as other places with the large hustle and bustle feel clearly present, but it was an amazing city to see and explore. The Sheraton was wonderful as well located close to everything but not right in the loud area, rather on the edge close to the water, station, and green space. If you need a little more opulence the Luxury Collection Park Tower is attached to the Sheraton, with upgraded amenities. If you would like a more basic experience really in the heart of town pick the Sheraton Liberator but it may be noisy, it was on a very busy and loud street with a basic lobby, bar, restaurant all squished together.