80 years ago,
the Hotel Playas had the only fuel dispenser in all of Pinamar
.
Even also the only supply.
And while all around was flying sand and newly fixed dunes, the family of Jorge Bunge, an Argentine engineer and architect who had trained in Germany, invited the first tourists to come to this spot to tell them -and also convince them to invest in-
the dream of this seaside resort full of pine trees as big
as a city that it is today.
Elsa Shaw, the granddaughter of this professional, shows
Clarín
some black and white photos of the white building's façade, which today
remains practically the same
.
"They told us that we had to make changes, that instead of four stars it would become a five, but we didn't want to, because it is part of a legacy with a lot of history," she explains.
"Figure in the Wind" by Mariano Pages, at the entrance to Playas. Photo Germán García Adrasti / Special Envoy
The hotel did change over the years.
An outdoor and heated pool, a spa area, a gym, new furniture, sculptures and even an intimate and elegant restaurant were added by renowned chef Dante Liporace.
Molusca, in Playas, is a replica of his homonymous restaurant located in Palermo Chico, which he adapted to offer vacationers a
gourmet experience
according to the tastes and -why not- the needs of those who spend the day between dunes and sea .
The hotel pool.
Photo Germán García Adrasti / Special Envoy
At the end of the 1930s, Bunge formed a partnership with
Valeria Guerrero, who owned the dunes
, to build a tourism project in the area.
In the 19th century, the area belonged to Martín de Álzaga until, upon his death, the land passed into the hands of
his wife, Felicitas Guerrero
.
But in 1872 the young woman from the aristocracy is the victim of a femicide, so her properties go first to her father and then to her brothers.
Bunge began fixing the dunes, planting pine trees and other trees, and realized that he
needed a hotel to start spreading the project and selling land
, where other people could build their houses.
It could be said, with a concept that was unthinkable at the time, that Bunge's was a brilliant "marketing strategy."
Elsa Shaw, descendant of Bunge and keeper of family history.
Photo Germán García Adrasti / Special Envoy
The first to arrive at the hotel, inaugurated in November 1942, were the workers, who also needed a place to sleep and the right wing of the building, "the chicken coop", was reserved exclusively for them.
It was so difficult to get there that the company Pinamar SA
bought its own bus to bring investors
along roads that were barely tracks.
The rooms continue to be a journey through time: they retain the same layout, wooden floors and some original doors.
This is not the case with
the view of the sea
, which at that time was one of the great attractions, and today it was
covered by the buildings
.
Playas received Giordano, Mirtha Legrand and Badía.
Photo Germán García Adrasti / Special Envoy
Unlike the Old Hotel Ostende, which had been built by a Belgian company in 1913 and abandoned years later due to inclement winds and dunes,
the Hotel Playas had no major problems
.
“No floods, no fires, no problems with the sand, because the dunes in the area were already fixed.
Yes, it was quite an adventure to get there and the power and water cuts were constant, ”says Shaw.
His mother, Cecilia Shaw,
led the hotel for about 35 years
, the woman recalls.
“For a long time, until the 80s,
it was the only hotel in the area
.
It was the place where the dances were held and where the first film was shown ”, she affirms and tells that in the 70s well-known figures stayed, such as Mirtha Legrand, who“ was already a star ”, with her sister Goldie.
Tradition and comfort, in one of the hotel rooms.
Photo Germán García Adrasti / Special Envoy
The designer Roberto Giordano was also at the Playas, “when he was doing
his first fashion shows
” and the announcer Juan Alberto Badía also stayed several times at the hotel, when he was doing his
season on the coast to do radio
, Shaw recalls.
Only in the dunes.
An old photo of the hotel.
Courtesy Hotel Playas
One of the great attractions of the hotel, in addition to its classic style and history, is its
artistic commitment
.
Since 2017, a dozen sculptures by renowned artists illuminate the entrance and internal patio of the building, such as "Venus fragmenting" by Marta Minujín, "El hombre del Delta" by Lucio Fontana or "El gato" by Carlos Alonso .
Pinamar. special envoy
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