6. - Alvear Palace Hotel
Built during the Belle poque, it is now a symbol of those days. It has eleven floors, five basements, as well as soberly decorated reception rooms and restaurants. The rooms are done in the intermediate styles between Louis XIV and Louis XVI, and some of them contain famous pieces of French decorative art.

In 1984 a group of Argentinean businessmen took over the management of the hotel. The original style was matained but a complete renewal and a sophisticated technological update was carried out.

The hotel has 210 regular rooms and 125 suites smartly decorated in Louis XV and Empire style. It has a business centre, health club and you can enjoy the finest cuisine in "LOrangerie, Jardn DHiver" and in the only "Relais Gourmand" in Argentina: "La Bourgogne", with its exquisite French cuisine, the work of the unparalleled French chef Jean Paul Bondoux.

In 1993 the Alvear Palace Hotel was elected member of The Leading Hotels of The World". A new period started and the challenge of a permanent search for excellence was assumed.. It is located at Avenida Alvear Nr. 1891.

7. - Avenidas Quintana and Alvear
These elegant Avenidas, running parallel to each other, show a strong European influence, mainly Parisian. And the visit is worthwhile. They have traditional mansions and high class high rise apartment buildings, as well as international brand name boutiques showing the products of, for example, Armani, Ralph Lauren, Versace, Ermenegildo Zegna, Hermes, Kenzo, Escada, Nina Ricci and Louis Vuitton.

Some of the haute couture fashion designer houses have even decorated their show rooms with furniture pieces brought from their main offices abroad.

The area was chosen by the traditional families to build their homes. For this reason you will find mansions dating back to the end of the XIX century and the start of the XX century. Amongst the principal houses you can find the lzaga Unzu mansion (at Cerrito Street Nr. 1455); the one that belonged to the Ortiz Basualdo family, today occupied by the French embassy at Cerrito Street Nr.1390; and the so called Palacio Pereda, today holding the Brazilian Embassy at Arroyo Street Nr.1130.

8. - The Village Recoleta Complex
It is an entertainment and recreational centre, opened in 1999. It has modern movie houses, bookstores, music stores, theme bars, restaurants, pubs, a food court and a parking garage. It is located between the Vicente Lpez, Junn and Uriburu Streets. We recommend its visit during the night, as well as almost all other places of interest in town.

9. - Buenos Aires Design
This area is very popular with tourists because it is surrounded by public gardens, museums and cultural centres. It is also an interior decoration centre with everything you may wish to enhance the good looks of your home. On its two levels "Buenos Aires Design" holds over sixty commercial outlets with the most important designer brand names, as well as sixteen gondolas that follow the trends of the architectural trade.

This proposal is complemented by an impressive terrace of three thousand square metres (square yards), where you will find twelve restaurants that offer a variety of gastronomical delights, from a typical traditional Argentinean "asado" barbecue roast pit to a "Hard Rock Caf".

It is located on Avenida Pueyrredn 2501. It is open Mondays through Saturdays between 10 AM to 9 PM, and Sundays between Noon and 9 PM. The restaurant terrace is open to the public Sundays through Thursdays between 11 AM to 1 AM (past midnight), and Fridays, Saturdays and on the eve of holidays from 11 AM till 3 AM. (Past midnight).

10. - Monument of France to Argentina.
On occasion of the centenary of the Revolucin de Mayo in 1810, the French community donated this monument, which was placed in the centre of the Plaza Francia, between Levene Street and del Libertador Av. It is an allegory to the glorious friendship of France and Argentina. Notable are the bronze bas-reliefs and the figures of red granite and marble sculpted by the famous French sculptor Peynot. The Plaza Francia is a very nice place, with old river banks that end up on Libertador Av, and part of a very attractive green park to wander around.