Youkali Kultur :: Kungur Suite

Predictions

1) Unless the currency is revalued (of the same order of likelihood as the paternity suit for Anna Nicole Smith's baby being settled amicably and to the satisfaction of all parties) BA will continue to be a red-hot tourist destination.

2) For the foreseeable future, demand for hotel rooms will continue to exceed supply in BA's most fashionable barrios. [Reader is thinking: duh, Nostradamus.]

3) If we're right about '2', we haven't seen the end of the 'boutique' hotel boom in neighbourhoods such as Palermo Viejo. With the occasional exception, these hotels will continue to be overhyped and overpriced. And, again supposing we're right about '2', they will continue to enjoy full occupancy most months of the year.

4) The boom won't last for ever. Then there will be casualties. BA hotel's will have to adjust to the strange world of 'competition'. Instead of operating as a quasi-cartel they will have to learn to attract guests by virtues other than simply being the only lodging in the area that isn't booked up.

5) Some bright spark will open up a small chain of mid-sized hotels, with a fixed price of $100 for a well-designed double room. Instead of blowing their entire budget on antiques, bamboo and stuff made from marble, they will invest in nonsense like staff training. These hotels will have excellent communal areas, including bars which serve the best cocktails in town and draw in non-guests. Restaurants they won't bother with - BA is packed with good restaurants. This chain will market itself not as being part of a global trend but - gasp! - as a collection of very good hotels.

Miscellaneous Hotel Reviews

Mansíon Vitraux
A reader requested some info on this fairly new boutique in San Telmo. We haven't had a chance to visit it and there's nothing on TripAdvisor. From the website we have gleaned the following. It's not a mansion. It has 15 rooms, some of which look quite pretty. The rates include 'ilimited' [sic] access to the spa. Said rates are extortionate for a boutique hotel in this part of town - $220 minimum for a double.

Mansíon Dandi Royal
'Would you like to go back in time?' asks the website, an offer which would certainly appeal to George W Bush but one which we'll pass on. This is a hotel devoted to tango: the music (which is piped in through mysterious sound vents throughout the premises); the dance (classes and milonga outings are part of the package); and the fin de siècle associations (art nouveau bumps and whorls everywhere, shiny floors and spangly chandeliers). If George Orwell had conceived a Ministry of Tango he would have imagined it to be something like this. But we really dig this place. The staff, facilities and services are all excellent; the passion for the project shines through in everything, and the promotional deals (particularly in the off-season) are fantastic. Still - for tangueros or would-be tangueros only.

Youkali Kultur :: Ruwenzori Suite

Youkali Kultur
Named for the wrist-slittingly sad, and wonderful tango by Kurt Weill, Youkali used to be Boquitas Pintadas, the wildiest, most wacky hotel in town. Now, under its new German owners, it's... still the wildiest, most wacky hotel in town. We like this comment from the online guestbook: 'It is the first time in my life that I see that the presentation in the website is identical with reality.' The majority of BA hoteliers should be forced to read and reread that sentence until the threepenny (geddit?) drops. Your guidebook will probably be telling you something like, 'Youkali is a meeting place for artists, film directors and writers.' This is only half true, slightly offputting, and travelhackspeak for 'I couldn't get myself comped there but it looks pretty cool.' Cocktails and dishes in the modern German restaurant are outstanding.

Juncal Palace
A serious omission from our Budget Hotels piece for which we were upbraided by friend Dan Perlman, among other things author of BA's best food and wine blog. Dan was kind enough to send us this:

Clean, well kept, with friendly desk staff. Someone on staff must speak English because their website is in both English and Spanish, but I've never run into that person, though they do respond to reservation inquiries from the site. Rooms small enough that you really do have to step outside of your room to change your mind. Private baths, but also small. No frills at all unless you count watery coffee available in the lobby in the mornings. On the other hand, a single runs about $25 a night. Great place for someone who literally wants nothing other than a decent and safe place to sleep and doesn't want to spend much.

Thanks, Dan. We're not sure what they're putting in the coffee of this mythical English-speaking staff member but it sure ain't just water. Here's just one of his or her gems: 'The space including the reception, the lounge and a small bar, allows a fluid circulation through a well-balanced layout of openings. It is a comfortable space for the guests to meet and scatter.'

Enough. Time to go. If you have any questions please keep firing them our way and we'll try our best to keep you updated on BA's hotel scene. We don't like long goodbyes or poetic endings. We prefer to end in the middle of a

[Photos: Youkali Hotel ]