Brunch at the hotel was incredible. Incredibly expensive but worth every penny. There was a huge buffet of options: marinated vegetables & seafood, gazpacho, wide selection of cheeses & meats, fresh vegetables and a dessert bar. In addition, we ordered entrées of eggs with a truffled cream sauce and crushed potatoes swimming in butter. It was rich and delicious. I started off with two mimosas; Chris only had one.

The casual and slow-paced nature of the service didn’t bode well with us today, given we had plans to go to San Telmo to shop. Brunch didn’t start until 12:30 (this was when the restaurant opened). At 2:30, we had to skip out on Chris’s entrée, homemade pork sausages. He was too full anyway to enjoy it. While I appreciate the culture of a slow meal, the go-go-go part of me was getting antsy. I mean, you can only eat and drink so much. The waiter was extremely apologetic and we received a complimentary bottle of wine for our troubles. While we didn’t actually feel “troubled,” I wasn’t going to turn down a bottle of Malbec.

Our next stop was San Telmo for the Sunday artisan fair. There were so many booths and shops to visit. Lots of antiques. Lots of art. Lots of leather goods. We bought a cool leather wine bottle holder and magnets for our mothers. I really enjoyed walking around and seeing all the available goods. Just like every artisan fair in the world, you start to see the same stuff over and over. But, it was still fun to walk around and soak up the surroundings.

One of the best parts of the fair is the variety of musicians around playing music. Of course, my favorite part was seeing tango dancers in the street. Yes, they were “older” but they could still tango better than anyone that I know. Given that I don’t really know anyone who tangoes, I’m easily impressed.

Finally, we reached the end of the market and found ourselves in the Plaza de Mayo and the Casa Rosada, where Eva Peròn made her addresses to the people. Iconic. (See Chris’s previous post for a little history lesson on Eva Peròn)

Back at the hotel around 7ish, we showered up and planned our last two days in Buenos Aires with the help of our concierge. He also helped us find a great empanada restaurant, El Sanjuanino, a couple of blocks from our hotel.

EMPANADAS, I love you. We had the house wine and EIGHT empanadas. There are two kinds of empanadas: fried and baked. I enjoyed both; Chris’s fave was the fried (of course). We had a variety: beef, chicken, and corn. Our favorite, hands-down, was the chicken. And, these things are cheap as dirt. Our dinner, including wine and tip, was a whopping $26 USD. I can see us going back again before we leave. The house wine was smooth and delicious.

Let me take a minute to talk about our hotel, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. I’ve stayed at quite a few hotels in my life and this is one of the best. Luxury is king here. Service is phenomenal – daily turn-down service, extremely helpful concierge, accommodating wait staff, and eager bellhops that never let me open a door (I think that I’ve only had to open the front door twice so far). Robes, slippers, daily fresh fruit, little snacks, and free bottled waters are just a few things that add that extra special touch. The next time I visit, I’m going to make sure that I factor in one day where I just stay at the hotel to enjoy the spa and three restaurants.

We lost our room key somewhere in Buenos Aires and let the front desk know. They called us the next day to tell us that they reviewed the surveillance tape from the time that we left the room until we returned and did not see anyone else enter our room. That made us feel that much more secure, even though we never felt unsafe in our hotel or our surrounding barrio. It also made me realize that they are watching all the times that I’ve picked a wedgie or danced in the hallway.

The hotel is beautiful. There is an art gallery and jewelry store (although I haven’t been there yet – don’t need the temptation) and a florist. The décor is modern with classic touches and loads of art. I highly recommend it!

Looking forward to Day Four!

-kb