Two of my closest friends recently went to Buenos Aires and stayed at Home in the vibrant, laid-back neighborhood Palermo Hollywood. They called the hotel—close your eyes—“kick-ass”: spacious, wallpapered rooms with mid-century vintage furniture and zero pretension. Even though it’s in the city, the outdoor spaces (where they were just as comfortable with a book or cocktail) are secluded and unexpectedly lush, filled with trees, ferns and jasmine. All 17 rooms are different, including the two apartment-style lofts with kitchens.

My super discerning pals also rave about Casa Felix, just a few blocks from the hotel. As in “I want to eat there every night” raving. It’s not a restaurant—more like an underground dinner party with friendly strangers. San Francisco expat, chef Diego Felix, and his photojournalist girlfriend Sanra host a dozen or so people in their home—an intimate, modest space and quaint, enchanting outdoor patio—for locally sourced spreads spanning five courses, many hours and lots of Argentinian wine. The pescetarian dinners draw on indigenous South American herbs and produce, and are prepared from whatever he picks up at the market that day—say, pink oyster mushrooms or oca.