Casa Lucia, Meliá Collection
by the TopOfHotel team
Casa Lucia is a night inside a freshly restored 1929 Art Deco building in central Retiro — period design, a fireplace club bar, and one of the longest Malbec lists in Buenos Aires.
Casa Lucia is a night inside a freshly restored 1929 Art Deco building in central Retiro — period design, a fireplace club bar, and one of the longest Malbec lists in Buenos Aires.
In-Depth Review
Rooms and decor
Picture walking into the lobby and finding high ceilings, Art Deco plaster moldings and mosaic floors so well preserved it feels like you have stepped into golden-age Buenos Aires — that is the first impression Casa Lucia, Meliá Collection hands you. The structure is the historic Mihanovich building, raised in 1929 and one of the city's finest Art Deco landmarks. It was a Sofitel before Spain's Meliá restored it fully and reopened it in late 2024 under the Meliá Collection line. The 142 rooms and suites run to warm gold and emerald-green tones, dark wood, velvet and classic table lamps, feeling more like a pre-war Porteño apartment than a chain room. Some — especially floors 5–7 on the Plaza San Martín side — come with wrought-iron balconies you can step onto in the morning to watch the big trees in the square. Courtyard rooms inside the building trade the view for real quiet and suit light sleepers better. Beds are soft, suites and up get marble baths with a separate tub, and plenty of reviews praise the cleanliness and the fresh, just-opened scent.
Food and amenities
The heart of a stay here is the downstairs club bar, which Meliá built to feel like the guests' living room — a warm library with a working fireplace, soft leather sofas and low amber light. The detail reviewers keep returning to is the Malbec list, one of the longest in Buenos Aires, with hundreds of Argentine bottles old and new. The sommelier knows every vineyard and steers you to your budget, whether you order by the glass or work through a flight. The main restaurant serves an à la carte breakfast leaning on local ingredients, fresh pastries, dulce de leche croissants and eggs to order. One floor down sits the spa and indoor pool — genuinely hard to find this central — with treatment rooms, sauna, steam room and 24-hour fitness. It is not a sprawling beach-resort spa, but it is complete and clean enough to actually unwind in after a day on foot in a city this large.
Location and getting there
The Retiro setting is another real selling point. Step out the door and it is roughly a 3-minute walk to Plaza San Martín, the big central park ringed by historic buildings and green shade. From there you can walk to Av. Florida, the old pedestrian shopping street, the Microcentro business district and the Casa Rosada without a car. For longer trips, Retiro station and the Line C metro are about 6 minutes on foot, connecting to Recoleta for its cemetery and restaurants, Palermo for cafes and nightlife, and San Telmo for the Sunday market and tango bars. The in-city Aeroparque (AEP), used for domestic flights and Uruguay, is a 15-minute taxi. Ezeiza international (EZE) runs about 50 minutes to an hour depending on traffic. For a first-time visitor who wants a base they can explore on foot and connect from easily, Retiro is one of the safest and most charming answers in the city.
Things to know before booking
Straight talk to help you decide. The most common theme is that Casa Lucia only reopened in late 2024, so parts of the service are not fully dialed in — some reviews mention slow WhatsApp replies, long check-ins on busy days, or small requests (an extra pillow, a room change) needing a follow-up. The staff are warm and clearly trying, but the back of house is still a hotel finding its feet; if you expect the precision of a Park Hyatt or Four Seasons in Recoleta, set expectations accordingly. Price is the next point: starting around $360 a night is high next to some 5-star rivals a short distance away in Recoleta, so a tighter budget has to weigh how much a 1929 building is worth. Choose your room carefully too — units facing the main street on the square side can catch traffic and weekday business noise, so light sleepers should ask for the inner courtyard. Finally, a few guests find the à la carte breakfast thin on choice next to the full buffet at a typical 5-star, so big morning eaters may leave a little hungry.
Our take
Having read through the real reviews from opening day to now, Casa Lucia, Meliá Collection delivers on what it sells — a 1929 Art Deco landmark in central Retiro, careful design, the longest Malbec list in the city, and a spa and indoor pool that are scarce in Buenos Aires. If the trip in your head is walking back from Plaza San Martín to sip Argentine wine by the fireplace, then heading up to an Art Deco room with a wrought-iron balcony, nothing else here matches it. If you want the polish of a hotel that has been open for years, or a value-focused 5-star in Recoleta, other options may fit better. Overall we give it 9.1/10 — best for couples and design-minded luxury travelers who love historic hotels and do not mind a property still finding its rhythm.
Score Breakdown
Assessed by our editorial team from data and real guest reviews
The Honest Verdict — pros & what to know
- The Mihanovich building from 1929, which Meliá restored and reopened in late 2024 — the plaster moldings, mosaic floors and Art Deco entrance hall preserve the detail of Buenos Aires' golden age throughout.
- Central Retiro location: about a 3-minute walk to Plaza San Martín, with Retiro station and the Line C metro roughly 6 minutes away, so trains reach the rest of the city easily.
- The downstairs club bar has a real fireplace and a Malbec list that reviewers call one of the longest in Buenos Aires — a good place to settle in after a full day of walking.
- An indoor pool and spa that are hard to find this central, open from morning to evening, with treatment rooms and a sauna.
- Warm gold-and-emerald room design with soft beds; many reviews single out the cleanliness and the fresh, just-opened scent of the rooms.
- It only reopened in late 2024, and some reviews say plainly that parts of the service are still finding their rhythm — slow replies on WhatsApp, or check-in that drags on busy days.
- Rates start in luxury territory (around $360 a night and up), higher than some 5-star hotels a short distance away in Recoleta; whether it feels worth it depends on how much you value a 1929 historic building.
- Rooms facing the main street on the square side can pick up traffic and weekday business-district noise — if you sleep lightly, ask for a room on the inner courtyard instead.
Who It’s For
Match Score by travel style
Amenities
Location & Nearby Spots
Insider Tips
- Ask for a floor 5–7 room on the Plaza San Martín side if you want a wrought-iron balcony and a view over the square and its big trees — but request an inner courtyard room instead if you sleep lightly, since it is far quieter.
- Head down to the club bar before dinner and order Malbec by the glass from the long list; the sommelier can recommend to your budget, and prices beat most wine bars in town.
- Use the indoor pool and sauna before 10am, when it is emptiest and the calmest.