Buenos Aires' Casa Calma Lives Up to Its Name
The city's first "wellness hotel" offers travelers an urban oasis of affordable luxury.
By Erin Schulte
Casa Calma Guest Room
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guest room at casa calma
Spacious guest rooms have sleek, modern decor.
Casa Calma Entrance
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casa calma entrance
The etched-glass windows in the lobby set the botanic theme.
Casa Calma Lobby Desk
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casa calma lobby desk
Staff at Casa Calma act as concierges, helping make reservations and book tickets or cars.
Casa Calma Dining Area
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dining area
The ground-floor dining area near the vertical garden.
Casa Calma Lobby
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casa calma lobby
The lobby\'s white and green decor takes its cue from the nine-story \"vertical garden\" that begins on the ground floor.
Guest Room
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guest room
Oversize bathrooms feature double sinks, two-person tubs, saunas, and Scottish showers.
Guest Room Tubs
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guest room tubs
Two-person tubs have built-in speakers and all-natural bath products.
Buenos Aires is hot, it's sexy, and it's vibrant – and at the end of a long day exhausting yourself with tango lessons, shopping excursions and marathon-length steak dinners, a soothing respite is exactly what you'll be looking for. Enter Casa Calma, the city's first spa and wellness boutique hotel.
Though it's (conveniently) located in downtown's Centro neighborhood near some of the city's busier thoroughfares, each of the hotel's 18 guest rooms is a quiet oasis from the bustle. The clean white and green décor takes its cue from the lush “vertical garden” that climbs nine stories from the lobby to the top floor.
Oversize rooms are outfitted with a Scottish shower (which alternates cold and hot water jets) and a two-person whirpool tub with built-in speakers; premium rooms also have an in-room sauna – an unusual perk. The extremely comfortable king-size beds are indulgently outfitted in down comforters and several layers of pretty pillow and blankets; rooms also have an iPod dock and large plasma-screen TVs. In-room massages also are available.
If you're hungry when you get in or when you wake up, you're in for a treat. Casa Calma's chef concocts delicate carafes of juices made from herbs and exotic fruits native to Argentina; these are available in the dining area near the garden or in-room. The breakfast is not to be missed and caters to any morning whim, be it for ham, cheese and eggs, or sweet croissants and dulce de leche served alongside yogurt in a glass bottle.
Boutique properties can sometimes lack the amenities of larger luxury hotels, and spa hotels can at times feel sterile. Neither is the case at Casa Calma. The staff is unobtrusive, professional and act as de facto concierges, making reservations, hiring cars or providing directions and advice. A sleek new Mac with free wi-fi is available in the lobby for guests. The in-room mini bars feature espresso machines, local Malbec wines and upscale treats like foil-wrapped Argentine caramel cookies. As a final reminder that you're getting plenty of pampering for your dollar, when you turn in for the evening, you may find a plate of chocolate-covered dates on your bedside table.
Casa Calma
Suipacha 1015
Buenos Aires, Argentina
+54 11 5199 2800
info@casacalma.com.ar
Rooms from US$245-$260
casacalma.com.ar