Best New Hotels 2008:Palacio Duhau, Park Hyatt Buenos Aires

The clever people at Park Hyatt have nabbed one of Buenos Aires’ finest palace homes on the city’s most expensive street and turned it into a breathtaking hotel. The original 1934 Palacio has been refurbished to marry Belle Epoque with 21st-century pizzazz, while a new wing has been added to provide 165 elegant rooms and suites in total. The interiors are a fascination of Travertine stone, antique Persian carpets and Poltrona Frau sofas beneath Parisian crystal chandeliers copied from originals that hang in The State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg.

We love The hotel’s Gioia Restaurant for its antipasti, Ingo Maurer chandeliers and terraced garden views, and the cheese and wine at Vinoteca.

Rooms from about $585, www.buenosaires.park.hyatt.com.