Location and Property
We are located in Palermo on a surprisingly quiet street a block away from the pedestrianized Charcas Boulevard with its shady cafés and the palm fronded square of Plaza Guemes, home of the impressive Guadalupe Church. A block the other way brings you to Santa Fe Avenue, one of the city’s main shopping streets and home of the upmarket Alto Palermo shopping centre. Within 500 yards you have the subway and several bus lines that can deliver you efficiently to most of the touristic destinations in the city. Unlike much of Palermo, whose rehabilitation has largely been the work of the last decade, this area has historically been a smart residential and professional address and it retains a typical porteño character.
As its name suggests, The 5th Floor covers the fifth and sixth (top) floors of a building that was constructed at the beginning of the 40’s. Built as the principal residence of the building’s original architect it was his ‘Petit Hotel’ with flourishes of Art Deco style evident in its stained glass windows and award winning marble staircase. Subsequently purchased by the Abuchaem family some 45 years ago, it remained the home and work place of this dynasty of psychiatrists until the end of 2012, when we started its restoration. Unique amongst accommodation options here, it gives the visitor a glimpse into the lives of the city’s grand families, during Buenos Aires’s golden era. At the same time, full modernisation of its facilities and infrastructure assure the comfort demanded by today’s traveller.
In addition to it’s high ceilinged, airy rooms, guests benefit from a spacious living room and bar area (with honesty bar and a shady terrace), and a dining room leading onto a sizeable and very sunny Andalusian terrace, with the obligatory parrilla (BBQ). If the heat gets too much the terrace can be covered with a protective awning and in the event of chillier weather efficient outside heating warms it, making the space comfortably available throughout the year.
Surrounding Area
The 5th Floor is just ten minutes walk to the boutiques and restaurants of Palermo Soho and five minutes on the bus to the nightlife of Palermo Hollywood but retains the relative tranquillity of a more established “barrio”. The immediate vicinity also offers plenty of entertainment. Attractions within a few blocks include:
Charcas Boulevard and Plaza Guemes provide a wide range of bars, restaurants, cafés and ice cream shops. Our favourites include La Pharmacie for traditional Argentine fare and Velvet for a plate of rabas (calamari) and a beer.
For your shopping needs, head to Alto Palermo Shopping packed full of upmarket Argentine clothes brands and usefully including an English language bookshop, mobile/cellphone shops and DHL.
For a quieter stroll try the Botanical Gardens . Designed by BA’s most important landscape gardener Carlos Thays, the Botanical offers a quiet oasis and is often the host of small outdoor concerts. The Evita Museum is one block the other side and its pretty patio restaurant provides the perfect lunch spot. Alternatively, your visit may coincide with one of the large exhibitions that take place at La Rural, further down Avenida Santa Fe (http://www.larural.com.ar). These encompass everything from agricultural shows, horse shows and wine and food exhibitions, to art, design, fashion and film events.
If you feel less energetic, just catch a film. Cinemark Palermo is a few minutes walk and its 10 screens mainly show English language films (subtitled in Spanish).
