Hotel was in a less than salubrious part of town away from most gay life. Great concept and design with some very friendly and attentive staff; however a few signs off wear and tear already begining to show after only a few months of being open. Significant number of limited experience and limited english speaking staff left to run things at quieter times - not what you would expect from a 5 star hotel. Overall a nice hotel but overpriced for the service and location - the hotel owners need to decide whether to invest in earning it's 5 star rating or to let things slip...

My partner and I just got back from a week in Buenos Aires where I stayed at two different hotels (the Axel in San Telmo and the other in Recoleta) to experience BA's diverse neighborhoods. Of the two, I have to say that the Axel was our favorite by far.

The sleek hotel is somewhat conspicuous on Venezuela, an otherwise gritty avenue, but not as busy or noisy as many streets in BA. I found the San Telmo area to be less conventionally attractive than Recoleta or Palermo Soho, but we enjoyed its shabby charm (especially the street tango orchestra at the Antique Fair on Sunday).

From the moment we arrived, the Axel staff was very helpful and personable, but always professional during our stay. As you might suspect, easy on the eyes as well.

The room has a clever layout, obviously designed with an emphasis on style over substance. The peek-a-boo shower and multiple mirrors were fun, but little details like adding a digital clock (to check the time in the dark) and extra hooks (for drying swimsuits) would be helpful. Still, these are quibbles and we both enjoyed the room.

I think they've ironed out many of the glitches reported on by other reviewers, as we took advantage of both pools, the sauna, steam room, and jucuzzi; all were in working order except for the second hot tub.

The Sunday Pool Party was a fun bonus to our stay, and a fun way to meet other guests and top off the weekend.

The Axel is not luxury, but it's hip, chic, and has a real positive vibe.

The staff were polite, friendly and helpful, but it was Nicolas, a bellboy, who was always ready and capable to go beyond the call of duty to be charming, friendly and most helpful in many other capacities assisting us and other members of the staff at all times. To our way of thinking he was the star staff member. Thanks to him, his advice and helpfulness time and time again, we enjoyed the Axel and Buenos Aires ever more.

The Axel was a far out experience and a delight leaving us with fond memories of the wonderful city. But of course it is not the cheapest and yes, there were problems with the structure and execution of some aspects of the wild design, BUT... we found the location convenient and the less than posh surroundings of the neighborhood real, balancing out the experience at the Axel Hotel which seemed at times surreal!

The Axel is a gay hotel advertised as "heterofriendly". This property, only 4 months old when I was there, is both delightful and relaxing. With a staff always ready and willing to assist with tour options, sightseeing tips and restaurant reservations there was never a doubt about their meeting and exceeding my expectations. The hotel has a beautiful outdoor pool area with tiered sunning areas and an outdoor dining area. On the top floor is a small indoor lap pool, steam room and sauna plus a roof-top sunning area. The rooms are large and airy with either a pool or street view. Definitely a place I would return to again.