Living the High Life at CasaSur Art Hotel in Buenos Aires

CasaSur Art Hotel Lobby

The CasaSur Art Hotel is tucked away on Callao Avenue in the Recoleta barrio of Buenos Aires. The entrance is small and charming, looking more like an apartment building than a huge, intimidating hotel with scary guards out front. However, as soon as I got out of my taxi, a bellboy rushed to my side to help with my bags. I was greeted at the desk by Verónica, who I found to be a seemingly permanent and pleasant fixture at the front desk, always ready to help.

During my quick check in, I was given literature on the hotel, information about the free city tours and a welcome letter signed by the manager, Mariano, inviting me to have a free drink at the on-site restaurant. I double checked with Verónica–the letter and free drink are presented to each and every guest at the hotel, so it wasn’t just a schmoozing attempt to help win me over. While I chatted with Verónica about all the hotel had to offer, I noticed the other employees greeting guests as they came and went. I initiated all my conversations in Spanish, so all the employees followed suit, though I noticed that even the bellboys spoke English and were able to help travelers with their questions.

Bedroom side of the suite.

A friendly bellboy named Gastón escorted me to my room. As I was raised to carry my own things, clean up after myself, and overall be independent, I often feel uncomfortable and even guilty when employees try to do things for me. However, all the employees at CasaSur were very approachable, and they maintained their professionalism without giving me flashbacks to my childhood when any tall man in a suit would make me want to hide.

I started chatting with Gastón in the elevator, and saw that he only paused for a second when he realized that I was the travel writer staying at the hotel. His surprise was clear, but his demeanor didn’t change at all. I was greatly relieved that he did not call me Señora after showing me around my suite and wishing me a pleasant stay. Thank you, kind bellboy, for not making me feel like an old lady nor a child.

12th Floor Balcony overlooking Callao Ave

Onto the room– I’ll quote my exact words that I felt the need to say aloud the second the door was closed: “This. Is. AWESOME”. Upon entering, I was immediately struck by the scent of fresh flowers, not aerosol spray. There were no fewer than three vases of freshly cut flowers spread about the suite. The bedroom area featured an LCD TV, mini bar, security safe box, a desk facing a window with a 12th story view and – oh yes- a king size bed with plenty of pillows. There was also a bathroom with a rain shower and very modern bath fixtures. I’ll admit it, it took me a second to figure out how to turn on the sink. The shower had great pressure and was spacious, though I should note that the design caused issues with water getting on the floor. Nothing too serious, a stepping towel on the floor took care of the small puddle. The bathroom was fully stocked with robes, toiletries and extra towels. I fully inspected the white surfaces for signs of a lazy cleaning, but I didn’t find a thing. While crawling around on the ground, all I found was toilet paper rolls folded into a perfect point and sealed with a CasaSur sticker and several pairs of slippers, which I immediately put on.

The bedroom area would have impressed me enough, but I had a whole second room to explore. The second half of the suite had a lot of the same stuff: a TV, mini bar, and a bathroom that was so artsy the faucet situation once again eluded me. This bathroom was also spotless and offered several more towels and toiletries. My only complaint was that if you aren’t careful with the crazy faucet, you will get sprayed due to the water pressure and shallow sink. I may or may not have splattered water all over myself and the mirror. No further comment on that.

Spa beds and Jacuzzi on a large balcony.

The room also had a comfy couch covered in pillows, a little table with two chairs and an espresso machine, complete with four varieties of coffee. Still not impressed? Well, I forgot to mention the two balconies. The smaller of the two faced Callao Avenue and held a table with two chairs. The larger one had two spa lounge chairs and a jacuzzi. The bamboo and white curtains flowing in the wind gave the whole thing a very zen feel.

I could have lived inside my suite, but I did eventually venture out into the hotel. In the basement there is a salon/spa as well as a gym and “Relax Room”. The spa offers some basic health and beauty care as well as massages–those were all for an extra charge and by appointment, so I skipped that area. The “gym” consisted of only some free weights, a treadmill and an exercise bike, both facing a big TV. The equipment was new and in good shape, but nothing too impressive. Of course, I never once saw anyone using them so you are not likely to have trouble getting access to them.

Playing around in the Jacuzzi. My favorite photo from the trip.

The Relax Room had the whole romantic lighting thing going on. The music was slow and quiet, though not exactly my taste. I had no idea a ballad version of “Like a Virgin” existed, but I can now assure you that it does. When you enter the room, there are two spa lounge chairs in front of a shelf containing plenty of towels and bottles of water as well as robes. I noticed some of the robes had missing belts–not sure how to explain that. Who steals a belt? Behind a curtain there is a massage table and to to the right of that was a large jacuzzi. The whole area had plenty of fresh cut flowers as well. The jacuzzi could easily hold eight people without anyone bumping into each other, but I always had the whole thing to myself. There were two buttons at the edge of the pool, one to turn on the jets and the other to turn on this big shower head thing that created a sort of waterfall.

The Relax Room is really great for pampering, but it has a really practical use as well. There is a bathroom complete with shower within the area. Verónica explained that the shower is for guests whose check in/out time does not line up with their travel plans. So, if you arrive around 11am, 3 hours before your check in time, and you are feeling grimy from your terrible flight, CasaSur will gladly store your luggage and escort you to the Relax Room where you can clean up and de-stress. That goes for departure day as well. You can check out, store your stuff, explore the city and hit up the shower once more before moving on your way. I’m sure any weary traveler would agree with me when I say that this is a huge plus. I checked out at noon but spent one last blissful hour in the Relax Room reading in the jacuzzi.

Art hanging in the lobby.

Later in the evening I headed down to the lobby to visit the restaurant for some dinner. It was then that I took a chance to get a good look at the lobby. I had walked right past it before, but at that moment I noticed the wide variety of flowers and types of art. The walls were tastefully decorated with paintings, 3D art, and photography. The restaurant was decorated in an equally pleasing fashion. The whole hotel feels like a mini modern art museum.

The restaurant is small, with only maybe 10 tables. Of course, the hotel is not overly large so I can’t imagine it ever filling up, though they do allow reservations if you are on a tight schedule. The menu was not overwhelmingly large but seemed to have a decent amount of options for picky eaters. The appetizers were the main downfall for me, seeing as there was only one option without meat. However, I had plenty of other things to choose from for my meal. The prices were surprisingly reasonable for a hotel restaurant. I scanned the menu and found the main dishes ranged from $25-70 pesos, wine was sold by the glass or the bottle, and there were several types of liquor as well, usually between $15-$50 pesos.

I ended up ordering a Lobster Risotto with a glass of DOC Malbec wine. The portion was decent, by no means huge, but certainly not tiny. I was pleased to find that they did not skimp on the lobster at all. The waiter also brought me a tiny bowl of shredded cheese and fresh ground pepper–something you will be hard pressed to find in Argentina, normally the sad little salt shaker sits on the table by itself, missing its mate. For dessert I ordered 2 scoops of ice cream (Crema Americana and Dulce de Leche) with an iced orange cream coffee. The presentation of both items was quite impressive. When the ice cream arrived in a cone bowl I couldn’t understand how it could be so perfectly balanced. I discovered the magic– a layer of dulce de leche was serving as a delicious glue between the cone and the plate. To be honest, the coffee was only okay, but the ice cream was divine. The restaurant also had very attentive waiters, another rare find in Buenos Aires.

Ice Cream and Iced Orange Cream Coffee

When it came time to sleep, the thick curtains provided complete darkness and I was in no way disturbed by the busy street below. I was offered a wake up call, but the room had an alarm clock (with ipod dock) so I managed on my own. It was difficult to get out of my comfy bed in the morning, but I was motivated by the free breakfast being served downstairs. The spread was modest but not disappointing. There were several bowls of fresh sliced fruit as well as a stand of fruit you could easily grab on the go. Several different types of bread sat in a basket next to various spreads and of course there were medialunas available. If you are looking for a hot breakfast, they have bacon and eggs on hand as well. I stuck to breads and fruit until I realized there were Coco Puffs next to the pitchers of milk and orange juice. You are welcome to as much food, coffee, and juice as you’d like and the waiters continuously sweep through the dining room to make sure your beverage is never low.

Overall, my stay at the CasaSur Art Hotel was wonderful. Other than the few very small things I have already mentioned, I could only come up with one negative point to touch on. During my 24 hours at the hotel, the Internet rarely worked. The hotel is set up with free wi-fi, but I was only able to connect once. A couple of other rooms had complained about the problem as well. The router was right outside my room, so I heard someone working on the issue multiple times. Argentina is prone to Internet outages, so I have a hard time blaming the issue completely on the hotel, but had I needed the internet I would have been more annoyed. The hotel does have a business room with a computer for any guest to use, though, so had there been an internet emergency I would have been covered.

Luxury on the Cheap

This is definitely a luxury hotel, and is not for travelers on a tight budget. That being said, this is still a really reasonably priced 5-star hotel. The rooms range from $200-$350 a night, more or less. Not bad at all.  However, I made note of several things during my stay and have some tips for those of you who like to treat yourself but still maintain your frugal habits.

• Book the basic room. The basic rooms are much smaller but they still have comfy beds, LCD TVs and balconies. Plus, you’ll still have access to all the perks of the hotel.
• Use the Relax Room. If you get a basic room, you won’t have your own jacuzzi. However, if you head to the relax room you may very well feel like you do. Remember, the fancier rooms have private jacuzzis, so you won’t have much competition for the one in the Relax Room. Also the Relax Room has free water. Tap water is perfectly safe in Argentina but those bottles of water in the mini fridge might be calling your name, so grab some bottles for free while you chill out.
• Shop next door. The shop owner next door is a genius. He has clearly stocked his convenience store with items identical to those in your mini fridge, right down to the travel Pringles cans and American candy bars. If your will power isn’t the greatest, stock up here before settling in room with that pricey but oh-so-tempting mini bar staring you in the face.
• Take advantage of the breakfast. Breakfast ends at 10:30, do not miss it. It’s a free meal, plus you can stock up on snacks for later. As I mentioned, there is plenty of unsliced fruit that is perfect for storing for a later snack. They also have plenty of bread and individual yogurts. I’m not saying you should fill a duffel bag with the goodies, but there is nothing wrong with taking a little extra.

Star Ratings (all ratings are out of 5)

Comfort: 5 stars

Location: 5 Stars

Service: 5 Stars

Price: 3 Stars

Overall: 4 Stars