Hotel Etoile

The staff were friendly and professional, and the restaurant with tango shows is a real plus at a decent price. The rooms are very spacious and comfortable, and I also liked the pool and sauna. But the place is falling apart. The rooms are old, with stained carpets and a bad smell from the toilet and bedroom, especially around the carpet between the beds. Breakfast used to be really good, but now it’s bland and awful, with very limited choices. The juice tastes extremely artificial, and you have to pay a lot extra for each decent morning drink. It’s a shame, because this used to be a grand hotel. I’ve stayed here for the past four years, but I won’t be back. They need to stop skimping on breakfast and put some money into the expensive service. I wish you all the best and hope you step it up.

The pool and sauna are on the 14th floor, with fantastic views of the sea and the cemetery, but tiles are missing from both the pool and its roof. You can get monthly or daily membership for the pool, sauna, and gym. A day pass for non hotel guests costs 350 pesos. First impressions were okay, and it’s well located for tourists, though the place needs modernising.

Recoleta is a great central spot, and taxi drivers can get you back there even with just a little basic Spanish. The decor is dated, and breakfast gets a bit repetitive after a few days, but the staff were amazing and helpful right through to the end. My friend had a stroke while we were there, so I had to stay on a few extra days while he recovered. They did everything they could to help, including offering me a reduced room rate while I looked after him. That really touched me.

The staff are excellent. Breakfast could use more healthy choices, and the beds would be much better if they were bigger. It’s a nice hotel, though I wish the Jacuzzi were working.