Salta & the Northwest - Argentina - page 214

Balcarce 252. & 387/400-0000. www.alejandro1hotel.com.ar. 167 units. $112 (£76) double; fr om $225
(£152) suite. R ates include buff et breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free park ing. Amenities: Restaurant; bar ;
lounge; indoor pool; exercise room; sauna; business center w/free high-speed Internet; meeting rooms;
room service; laundry service; dry cleaning. In room: A/C, TV, minibar, hair dryer, safe.

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Hotel Solar de la Plaza Finds This absolutely charming hotel used to be the
residence of one of Salta's well-known families, Patron Costas. The four rooms in the older
part of the building w ere the actual bedr ooms of the family members. They hav e been
meticulously transformed into comfor table hotel r ooms while r etaining their old-world
feel—hardwood floors, J acuzzi tubs, and wr ought-iron floor lamps (handmade in S alta).
The rooms in the newer wing sport the same decor but with a slightly mor e modern feel,
including marble pedestal sinks in the bathrooms and writing desks made from local wood.
Service is gracious and refined, and the public areas are incredibly elegant, from the rooftop
pool with its adjoining sun deck to the attractive restaurant serving regional specialties with
a nouvelle twist. The English-speaking staff can arrange many outdoor activities, including
hiking, horseback riding, and bird-watching at the nearby Patron Costas ranch.
Juan M. L eguizamon 669. & /fax [phone]. w ww.solardelaplaza.com.ar. 30 units . $210-$220
(£142-£149) double; $230 (£156) suit e. Rates include continental breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking.
Amenities: Restaurant; bar; lounge; small out door pool; exercise room; sauna; business c enter; limited
room service; Wi-Fi. In room: A/C, TV, minibar, safe.
The Sheraton Salta's first fiv e-star hotel lacks imagination but tr umps on location.
The design could be described as v ery Sheraton-esque—bland but luxurious. A plain,
cream-colored facade hangs o ver a dar k lobb y of stone walls, cor duroy seating, and
cobbled stones. Bright, terra-cotta hallways lead to an anticlimax, as the spacious r ooms
are some what colorless and sterile. N evertheless, they hav e all the cr eature comfor ts
expected of a Sheraton. What really stands out here is the view. The hotel is a U-shaped,
seven-story building cut into the side of a hill overlooking the city (a 10-min. walk from
the center). Every room offers a vista of the Andean precordillera, and the city 's rooftop
hodgepodge of terra-cotta tiles, church spires, and bell towers. Guests can admire all this
from a large outdoor pool ar ea with wooden decking and a gener ous-size Jacuzzi.
Av. Ejercito del Nor te 330. & 387/432-3000. www.starwoodhotels.com. 145 units. $145 (£98) double;
from $265 (£179) suit e. Rates include buffet breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Restau-
rant; bar; lounge; casino; out door pool; exercise room; sauna; Jacuzzi; business c enter; meeting rooms;
room service; laundry service; dry cleaning; Wi-Fi. In room: A/C, TV, minibar, hair dryer, safe.
Expensive
Casa Real Hotel & Spa Value Rooms at the Casa R eal are very spacious and
comfortable, with big pictur e windows (some overlooking the mountains), large-scr een
TVs, and firm, comfor table beds. B athrooms are also large and v ery clean. The hotel
boasts a decent-siz e exercise room and a good-siz e indoor pool, as w ell as an attractiv e
restaurant and bar. The staff is friendly and can help arrange transpor tation and tours.
Mitre 669. & 387/421-5675. www.casarealsalta.com.ar. 80 units. $110 (bp]74) double; from $130 (£88)
suite. Rates include buff et breakfast. AE, DC, MC, V. Free parking. Amenities: Restaurant; bar ; lounge;
indoor pool; ex ercise room; sauna; business c enter w/free high-speed I nternet; meeting r ooms; room
service; laundry service; dry cleaning. In room: A/C, TV, minibar, hair dryer, safe.
Gran Hotel P residente This contemporar y hotel has attractiv e guest r ooms
splashed in r ose and apple gr een, with spar kling white-tile bathr ooms. The chic lobb y
features black-and-white marble with Ar t Deco furniture and leopar d-skin upholster y.
The pleasant international r estaurant is located on the upstairs mezzanine, and ther e's a
spa with a heated indoor pool, a sauna, a fitness r oom, and a solarium.

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