We stayed at the Faena for 2 nights as an indulgence to round off an incredible 3 week tour of Patagonia and what a welcoming, intimate and seductive environment it proved to be. I'd known of the Faena for a few years and had vowed to stay there having seen for myself the otherworldly interior wizardry Philipe Starck has sprinkled over the decor, coming off like Georgian Regency meets the Brothers Grimm there are thick blood red velvet drapes everywhere, alabaster unicorns heads in the restaurant, solid pewter swan head taps in the bathrooms, and huge mirrors scattered liberally throughout the public areas. Add to this real care and attention to the lighting, namely the sultry red lights glowing softly from beneath a prolific bank of black ponyskin benches which preside over the central hall, over which a walkway passes into the sumptious spa area. Every sense is catered for, the smells, courtesy of constantly burning scented candles are also rich and luxuriant, notes of mulberry and vanilla, the whole experience of walking into and around the Faena is a sensory one unlike anything I've really experienced in any other hotel where ambience is supposedly key.

As for the service, well there is no conventional reception desk, rather you are assigned an 'experience manager' who is your one point of contact for the duration of your stay, want some laundry doing? Tickets booking for the tango show? Or a reservation at the restuarant? Call your experience manager and they'll take care of it for you. We had a standard room which was really very good, no bath however, just a large glass shower partition off the main room which could be revealed or concealed depending on how you configure the aforementioned blood red velvet drapes which adorn the rooms as well as the public areas. Electrically controlled venetian blinds and dimmer switches on all the lighting indicate all conveniences have been taken into account, most importantly the bed was very comfortable with thick pillows and soft cotton sheets, the kind of which guarantee a good nights sleep followed by an irresistible extended slumber in the morning! A real welcome luxury after you've been tabbing around glaciers and mountains for the preceding 3 weeks!

The Rojo Tango company who perform the tango show at the cabaret space are absolutely unmissable, we had a table in the front row and I highly recommend that you attend the show and insist on a front row table, you will be utterly mesmirised by the footwork and display of virtuosity before you, I was absolutely rapt and that rarely happens, I've yawned my way through many a show that has failed to make an impact, but even at $200 USD per head this was worth every penny, and that price does include a 3 course meal with as much malbec or champagne as you dare consume.

The Hammam in the spa was also well worth using, a surreal marble chamber of soft blue light and hot menthol infused steam, it was exhilirating spending 10 minutes in there before having a cold shower to kickstart the system. The pool and surrounding area were also a welcome retreat from the hot city weather during our 2 days there and the fruit and flowers jacuzzi bath we had, replete with rose petals and citrous oils was a perfect way to unwind further.

The only aspect of the Faena that I was underwhelmed by was the Bistro 'fine dining' restaurant, where the food definitely does not do the surroundings justice, they need to simplify and declutter their menu, experimental/fine/concept dining, call it what you will, in my experience usually comes up short unless you have a real talent like Heston Blumenthal to execute, that being the case, steering clear of such lofty aspirations is probably advisable if you're not in that bracket as a chef and I'm afraid this was the case with the chef who presides over the food at this restaurant, the Creamed Rabbit was passable while the numerous spoons of flavoured foam that were served up between courses by way of 'amuse bouches' simply fell short of making any impact and were quite uninspired. I recommend heading out to try one of the many restaurants that litter the Puerto Madero area instead, obviously the tango show and dinner are a must but you can give the restaurant a miss unless you're happier to indulge in the interior rather than the food.

All in all though, the Faena does something that no larger hotel has done successfully in my experience and that is to bring a genuine feel of intimacy to a large space which is no mean feat, I usually prefer smaller hotels for that reason but the Faena is somewhere I would recommend with no reservations other than the one noted in this review.