The Oasis Clubhouse is, first and foremost, a very exclusive private member’s club. When it opened, it became an overnight sensation, and getting on its guest list became as popular a sport as polo for in-the-know Porteños. (There were even rumours that most attempts for memberships were turned down with a standard auto response by email: ‘Sorry – it’s not you, it’s us.’)
Unmarked outside, you have to be invited or booked in one of the three bedrooms to be given the full address (right in the middle of Palermo Soho, the city’s chicest barrio, with the best indie boutiques, restaurants and bars in South America). There are lounges indoors and outdoors and a fairy-lit backyard with ivy-covered walls and a swimming pool that just cries out for a cocktail party. The Clubhouse is a gorgeous lofty building, with an industrial-style lift leading up to two bedrooms – one large and one enormous. A third is poolside on the ground floor. All are incredibly bargainous.
Weekends are lively, particularly the Sunday afternoon party and barbecue with DJ Peter Panik. Lounge evenings on Tuesday and Friday feature varied live entertainment, from upbeat dance happenings to candlelit, poolside poetry renditions by opera singers from the Colon Theatre. If it sounds a tad pretentious, it really shouldn’t – this is essentially a very sophisticated, grown-up (no children are allowed) boutique hotel with great staff, in the coolest part of the most exciting city in the world.
What’s hot?
- Being instantly invited to some of the most exclusive parties in the city
- The well-stocked help-yourself kitchen in the basement
- Full-sized Kiehl’s products in the bathrooms
- The price
What’s not?
- This isn’t the place to be if you’re looking for an early night. Parties can go on quite late.
- Much of the poolside area is shaded in the afternoon
Need to Know: The Oasis Clubhouse
Number of rooms: 3
Check-in/check-out times: 3pm and 11.30am
Room service: No
Swimming pool: Yes
Spa: There’s no separate spa area, but treatments available on request.
Dogs welcome: No
Eating and drinking: There’s an open-air asado every Sunday. As you’d expect in a country that takes the art of the barbecue very seriously indeed, the grilled steaks and sausages are utterly delicious. There’s also Jamaican jerk chicken and pork with rice and peas (and Jamaican rum punch). There are some innovative cocktails on the list, but it’s the classic margaritas and bottles of Argentine fizz that really make the grade. On Wednesdays the Clubhouse hosts a dinner cooked by a well-known visiting chef. Recent dinners have included dishes from some of the most celebrated restaurants in the city, including Osaka (the Peruvian/Japanese fusion restaurant) and Cocina Verde (known for their raw food specialities).
Near to? The Clubhouse is on Costa Rica, in the epicentre of Palermo Soho’s boutiques, bars and restaurants. The area is not served by the metro, but taxis are relatively cheap and plentiful.
Getting there: It's just over 30km to the international airport, Ezeiza - or around 45 minutes by taxi.
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