Hotels in Buenos Aires & Santiago

Looking for 4-5* hotel recommendations for before and after cruise. Looking for interesting and walkable location.

Any suggestions?

In Buenos Aires both the modern Alvear Art (downtown area) and traditional Alvear Palace (Recoleta) are great options. Some call the Alvear Art a near-five star or 4.5 star luxury hotel. The venerable Alvear Palace makes many a "best hotels in the world or the Americas list and is a five star hotel by any definition. The Park Hyatt Palacio Duhau (I have only gotten a drink there) and the Four Seasons are other five star options. Five star luxury hotels tend to be concentrated in Recoleta, one of the posher areas of the city. The Faena is an exception, located in newly developed Puerto Madero. I don't care much for Puerto Madero. It lacks the character and ambiance of more established neighborhoods.

Four star options are less concentrated and tend to be either boutique or chain hotels such as the Sofitel (Retiro, downtown area), Hilton (Puerto Madero), Fierro (Palermo Hollywood) or Legado Mitico (Palermo Soho).

We stayed at the Hilton in Puerto Madero and loved it. Great location near hop on hop off bus stop and within walking distance to great restaurants and lovely promenade on the water. The hotel was modern, clean and the exec floor had an incredible view. Breakfast was delicious each morning. Gorgeous pool area. Stayed before and after our cruise. Quick taxi ride from hotel to port. Concierge at hotel very helpful. Made restaurant reservations for us.