The Cocker, Argentina

Ingeniously restored art nouveau townhouse with sprawling roof top garden in bohemian San Telmo, where tango rules

i-escape logo
i-escape logo

Ingeniously restored art nouveau townhouse with sprawling roof top garden in bohemian San Telmo, where tango rules

Once home to Buenos Aires’ elite, San Telmo was abandoned after a yellow fever outbreak in 1871. Aristocratic mansions became conventillos (tenements) for immigrant families.

Gentrification began in 1970, but the neighbourhood was still a patchwork in 2005 when two Brits rescued the run-down townhouse and spent a year restoring art nouveau elements, including a three-storey wall of paned glass with extravagant wrought iron flourishes.

Today, this laidback guest house - which passed to new owners in 2008 - is the complete antithesis of a standardised city hotel.

Five imaginative rooms make shrewd use of space while showcasing the previous owners’ artful personalities. Three open to a rambling roof garden with cosy niches.

Enjoy luxe features (Egyptian bedlinen, free wi-fi) along with the kind of personalised advice about nearby restaurants, shops and tango salons that you’d expect from a trusted friend.

The Cocker, Buenos Aires, Argentina is a boutique guesthouse with 5 rooms with doubles costing from US$90 for bed and breakfast.

Click here for the full review and to book more boutique hotels and apartments in Argentina at:

i-escape logo

The leading destination for fashion, beauty, shopping and finger-on-the-pulse views on the latest issues. Marie Claire's travel content helps you delight in discovering new destinations around the globe, offering a unique – and sometimes unchartered – travel experience. From new hotel openings to the destinations tipped to take over our travel calendars, this iconic name has it covered.