Conventillo de Lujo

Conventillo de Lujo (http://www.conventillodelujo.com) is not located in the city center. That’s what I like about it. I don’t like touristy places.

You can read all about this guest house from their website. Here are my pictures and some reviews.

Exterior:

Tango couple at the entrance

Tango couple at the entrance

Past the reception, you’ll see a common area and kitchen. Dance studio is next to the common area.

The kitchen is well-lit. How?

… because it has glass ceiling!

A better picture:

Conventillo de Lujo

Conventillo de Lujo glass ceiling


Photo credit: http://conventillodelujo.com/photogallery.htm

Tree in courtyard

Tree in courtyard

You can tell this kitchen used to be an open-air courtyard because there’s a tree growing in here.

Pactising tango

Pactising tango at the studio (next to the courtyard)

Door to patio

Door to 4th floor terrace.

Gateway to my room on the 4th floor (there’s a lift in the building). Amy painted the walls. She said the walls were not flat, instead of making them perfect, why not just paint them in beautiful colors? I couldn’t agree more.

Open the terrace door, you’ll see this:

I’ve requested for a quiet room, away from all the noise. So, Amy put me in the only room on the terrace. Perfect!

See the fuchsia door at the end? That’s my room.

All rooms were named after tango dances. My room is “Milonguita”.

It’s a very basic room.

I love the wood floor and the beams in the ceiling. It has a cottage feel, so cozy. πŸ™‚

A desk, fridge, microwave on one side; tv and closet are across from the bed.

Private bathroom is a luxury in guest houses. You’ll know once you start booking for a month of hostel accommodations.

Two cute parrots outside my window. Awwww… so cute. Yes, they are fake, but they are forever loyal and won’t fly away.

View from the terrace.

Stairs to solarium.

Wouldn’t it be nice to read a book while soaking up the sun here? πŸ™‚

Terrace view from solarium. Many bbq parties have been held here.

And this is where I have my morning tea.


I love vintage furniture. This chair is made from the seat of an old tractor. Designed by Amy.

Amy turned her family’s old Singer sewing machines into tables.

I wanted to ring in the New Year in style. So, initially I’ve booked a room at Mansion Dandi Royal, a more posh hotel that’s dedicated to tango fanatics. Then, I thought that didn’t feel right. I really just want to have a cozy place. Conventillo de Lujo might be too quiet for a lot of people, but it’s perfect for me. I’m so glad I canceled reservation at Mansion Dandi Royal. πŸ™‚ Always follow your heart.

Trash. Kids. Soccer.

Breezy night. Amy and I went out for some fresh air and to watch kids playing soccer right outside the hostel.

Amy:”Oh, you see what I mean? This is what I don’t like. There are garbage bins and yet people threw trash bags in the middle of the road!”

Amy:”The cars are going to run over the garbage and it’s going to be dirty everywhere.”

Me:”Amy, there are two more bags over there…”

Amy and I (smiled at each other):”Oh…”

The kids were using the trash as the soccer goal. πŸ™‚

“Goal!!” A kid looked at us and shouted happily. I clapped.

You just need one ball and all the kids in the neighborhood can play. Isn’t soccer the best sports ever?

Would I be able to experience this if I had booked a hotel at the city center? πŸ™‚

Litter and Trash Pick Up

Three trash pick-ups a day and there is still litter on the streets. Amy expressed her sadness towards irresponsible street littering in Buenos Aires. She is very proud of her country, but not proud of Argentines’ littering habit.

Buenos Aires Trash Pick Up

Buenos Aires Trash Pick Up

Well, no fine for littering? Three time clean-ups per day? Meaning if I throw a piece of paper on the street, and it would “miraculously” disappear after a few hours? I might just start throwing garbage on the roads too.

She also feels upset about ugly wall drawings everywhere.

πŸ™

First Purchase of Argentine Wine

On my way back to the hostel, I stopped by a supermarket.

I always like to check out grocery prices at local supermarkets and watch what people buy. Freaky, I know.

I checked out the wine section and glanced through the wine labels. Most wines were local wines from Mendoza (top producer of wine in Argentina).

Did you know that Argentina is one of the largest wine exporters in the world?

I asked a sales associate for wine recommendation.

He pointed at Saint Felicien and told me that’s his favorite.

Saint Felicien Wine

Saint Felicien Wine

That’s probably one of the most expensive bottles on the shelf. So, I told him I was looking for a less expensive option.

(74 pesos = approx. $17. It wasn’t expensive. But because of comparison to other wines on the shelf, somehow I felt it was expensive. Can someone explain this bizarre mentality?)

Choosing wine

Choosing wine


This sales associate spoke perfect English and he was from Portugal. He chose a bottle of Trapiche for me.

He even modeled for me. I didn’t ask him. Really!

Wine model

Wine model

Trapiche

Trapiche

Ah! $31.45 pesos (USD7.3), that’s more like it. Either the wine was cheap or I was being cheap. πŸ˜›

This is the winner!

P/s: I shared the wine with Amy later that night, and she loved it. We even paired it with today’s lunch! See! Don’t let the price fool you! I’m in Argentina; one of the largest wine exporters of the world. πŸ™‚