After entering the beautiful art nouveau building and being greated in the most hospitable way, we immediately felt at home. The Cocker is an amazingly designed hotel, with kind and helpful staff in an extraordinary way. They make you feel at home, both in the hotel, in San Telmo (the neighbourhood) and in Buenos Aires. Fresh flowers throughout the house. We were on our honeymoon, and found it a perfect start. The rooms are all individually designed, and ours featured a bathroom on top of the bed (!). We had a small private terrace which we couldn't use, unfortunately (because of the cold: the first snow in BA in 90 years). We felt sorry we had to leave, but felt well rested from our wedding and ready to start our travel through Argentina!

This guest house is a gem. From the street, the property is unimpressive, but from the moment you climb the marble staircase, the charm of The Cocker becomes apparent – this is a guesthouse with tons of atmosphere: an old mansion restored with lots of love and attention to detail. The lobby is beautiful, and the guestrooms are all unique, comfortable and absolutely delightful.

The Cocker is located in San Telmo, near the amazing antique shops on Av. Defensa and within a few blocks of Parrilla 1880, my favourite steak house, located at no 1665 on Av. Defensa. Staying in San Telmo allows for a quieter, more chilled-out base in a frenetic city, whilst keeping the Plaza de Mayo and the major attractions of the City Centre within easy walking distance.

The only drawback is that the spiral staircases would present a formidable barrier for anyone who has difficulty in climbing stairs. Also, all of the rooms have wet rooms, which I loved, but may not be to everyone’s taste.

Surprising find in San Telmo, lovely grand piano and huge fur- covered sofa in the lounge. The bedrooms are on various floors separated by spiral staircases so be careful if you have lots of heavy cases. We had two double beds in our room, with a curtain for privacy (we were travelling with 2 girls aged 11 & 14). Tastefully decorated, lovely bedlinen but there were no cupboards so all our cases got in the way for our 5 day stay. Will & Agnes couldn't have been more helpful, giving us a map with all their favourite restaurants on (which we tried and agreed with) organising transport, helping with translations and giving us ideas of places to visit. Make sure you eat late at night as breakfast is only from 9am, which can be a drawback if you have kids or want an early cup of tea. Overall we were really happy here, but tea/coffee facilities and a cupboard would have made all the difference.

I’m currently travelling through Argentina with my wife after a very pleasant four night stay at the cocker. Overall, while I agree with some of the points below – Buenos aires is a ‘shabby-chic’ rather than European style holiday spot, our hotel experience was more in line with what we expected from other postings. Our room, 12-16 was gorgeous, decorated in blue fabric, and peaceful and secluded, opening onto the quiet roof space (four stories up and well back from street level). Will and agnes, the caretaker innkeepers were more than helpful with our city tour, and gave great restaurant tips. The Cocker is an inn rather than a hotel, something we prefer when travelling, and very personal and individual – definitely not a Hilton type establishment. If you’re looking for the experience of staying in someones lovely design magazine home it’s the place for you. Everything about our stay was perfect, and we look forward to our return visit at this charming, comfortable inn.