THE FACTS ABOUT CASAS CONCIERGE

Argentina Buenos_Aires

Superlative service is the main draw at Casas Concierge, a crenellated stone villa on Buenos Aires' patrician avenida Alcorta, which holds its own among the embassies and mansions of the city's exclusive Palermo Chico district, just a block from 'Malba', the Museum of Modern Latin American Art. The first of several super-B&Bs housed in buildings of character, Casas Concierge is aimed at well-heeled, independent visitors looking for a surrogate home. The building has no lobby, restaurant or other conventional hotel space, just three comfortable lofts, each with soaring ceilings, a king-size bed and 90 square metres of design-minded furniture, native rugs and imaginative lighting. Each has a well-appointed kitchen and dining table sufficient to host a dinner for eight (a chef is on-call if needed), a one-touch espresso-maker and a bicycle for each guest to explore the city. A first-night hamper of cheeses and cold cuts, served with a premium Malbec, along with ice cream in the freezer and a gargantuan breakfast delivered to the loft each morning, is included in the price. A concierge contacts visitors before their stay to enquire about their musical and reading tastes (guests can keep the CDs and magazines when they leave), and to arrange private sessions with antiques, fashion, food or wine experts, or even a tango performance in the apartment. WHEN TO GO Avoid the stifling summer months of January and February. ROOM TO BOOK Loft 26, for its ochre- velvet drapes, Cardón cactus-wood screens and crenellated balcony. CONTACT Avenida Figueroa Alcorta 3260, Buenos Aires, Argentina (00 54 11 4115 4620; www.casasconcierge.com). COST Lofts from US$330 (minimum stay two nights)