When Design Suites opened in 1999 it was the first real urban boutique hotel in Recoleta. Situated bang in front of the Palcio Pizzurno, which houses Argentina’s Ministry of Education, it’s essentially a new-age concept eyeing up a historic sight.

The lobby ‘mirage pool’ will have you aching for a dip, but it’s purely an aesthetic feature. Combined with a warming chill-out mix, it does, however, put guests in the ‘get your sexy on’ mood, as they say in Los Angeles. Think of this place as the original contemporary minimalist hotel, with a faithful client list; it was designed by Ernesto Goransky before he designed the Design CE Hotel just up the block.

At 50 square metres, the suites are double the size of the standard rooms, so pay the extra 40 bucks for your sitting room and view over the Plaza Rodriquez Peña. A youthful, party crowd, many of whom are European, drink around the pool; here they discuss the modern art that surrounds them and choose the bar to head to that night.

The hotel has access to the local fitness centre’s pool – don’t go anywhere near it. Do, however, visit your local bars: Million, El Alamo and Deep Blue. Your hangover hotspot is Notorious CD Bar, a three-minute crawl across the park. Clasica y Modena is a block away on Callao for the tango show enthusiast.