My Argentine Adventure
Nov 11th, 2006, 01:40 PM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
My Argentine Adventure
I have always dreamed of seeing Patagonia. The reality was better than the dream.
Argentina is a huge country with many diverse attractions. When I initially began my planning I had so many options I could hardly decide how to organize the trip. My time was limited and I wanted to make the best use of it. I contacted a number of travel agents and asked for assistance. From the beginning Cintia Stella of Wow! Argentina proved indispensable in planning and organization. She gave me a great deal of advice which helped me craft an itinerary which would maximize my time and put me in the place where I could best enjoy my interests. Once I decided where and when I wanted to go, she offered me hotel choices, tour options, etc. I thank her for making the trip so wonderful. Her suggestions and assistance were just right. I would recommend her to anyone considering a trip to Argentina.
So here's how it went.
Who we are: Two women of a certain age, both competent Spanish speakers (she, fluent, me more like Tonto...as in "me want wine, how much that purse"
in good physical shape. My friend is an adventurous, flexible person who will try anything once. She is the ideal travel companion. Widowed at a young age, she is determined to make the most of life and her optimism is a very positive force when things aren't going right. My DH hates to travel so I am very grateful for her willingness to go.
Our budget: about $1000 per person not counting international air or shopping.
How we did it: She flew American and arrived a day ahead of me. She spent the night at Argenta Towers and said it is a comfortable, tourist class hotel, very conveniently located to Florida St. She arrived in time to see the last performance at the Teatro Colon which she said was just fabulous. I was very sorry to have missed it. Cintia arranged tickets, pick up and dinner for her.
I flew Delta ATL-EZE. The flight down was full. The FAs were very professional and attentive. My seat was a non reclining exit row next to the bathrooms. Good leg room, lousy view. The food was so so. Although the plane was over two and a half hours late, Cintia had a staff person at the gate to meet me. (She also arranged to change our flight to Bariloche to accomodate the delay.) Another staffer met me after I went through passport control and the driver met me as soon as I got to the Meeting Point. He was a polished, well dressed gentleman. He was bilingual but indulged my wish to speak only Spanish. The car was clean as a whistle. He drove me to the domestic air terminal where I met my friend. Security took no time and we went straight in for our LAN flight. LAN was on time, staffed with first rate professional FAs and very clean. Plus they gave us nice little snacks of alfadores and biscuits, all the beverages we could ask, and ran free silent tv for the entire trip to Bariloche. Our flight round trip was $US 150, again thanks to Cintia.
We arrived in Bariloche about 1630. Cintia had scheduled us for massages so we were concerned we might be on too tight a schedule. Cintia had already notified the hotel of our delayed arrival, no worries.
We picked up our rental car ($US200.) from Avis which Cintia had arranged. The desk clerk called our hotel to let them know we were on our way.
It was a very direct route to the hotel taking about thirty minutes. (Argentinians apparently take a very dim view of stopping for stop signs or adhering to posted speed limits.) Fabian came out to the car as we pulled into the drive. He took our luggage. From my first look at the hotel interior, I was in love. It is gorgeous. Very spare, clean look, highly polished floors, white furniture with natural stone and wood accents, charming. He introduced us to Alejandra, the room service and dining room server. We asked her if she would bring us a bottle of the Argentine champagne. We were escorted to our room by Fabian who told us to change into the robes and slippers provided and he would be back to take us to the massage. Alejandra arrived with the champagne before we even changed. There is a single massuese so we flipped for first turn. I won! The massuese is Suzie, who is amazing. She combines Thai, therapeutic touch, Reiki techniques, done to Mozart, with herbal oils and a clay facial mask. This fabulous treatment lasts for eighty minutes and costs $US40. That is not a misprint. It was a heavenly experience. Yes, we booked second appointments! Suzie really is in a class by herself. She invests the whole experience with spiritual components and I can't do her justice with words. Between Suzie and the excellent wine, I was very happy sitting out on our balcony looking over the lake to the snowcapped mountains while my friend had her massage. We had dinner at the hotel. I am a vegetarian, so I had an excellent ragout of local mushrooms. My friend had a fresh lake trout. Very good.
I have done a review of the Hotel Aldebaran on tripadvisor. It hasn't been posted yet, but I assume will be up in a day or so. Let me say that it is absolutely wonderful. It is a ten room hotel. The bilingual staff are first rate, very warm, professional and polished. The common areas are beautifully decorated in natural materials, gorgeous large stone fireplace and small comfortable bar. Our room was quite large, furnished in antiques and very comfortable. Absolutely top quality bed with crisp fresh linens were wonderful. The bathroom was very comfortable and nicely done. The pictures on the website are accurate. It is a wonderful, gorgeous, romantic resort and I cannot recommend it too highly. One caveat, there was no window in our room (7) and we would have liked that to give us a bit of fresh air at night. Some rooms do have windows .
DAY TWO:
We awoke to a gorgeous, perfect day and decided to set out for Villa De La Angostura for the day after breakfast. While we were having breakfast a double rainbow appeared over the mountains. Good omen! More to come.
Argentina is a huge country with many diverse attractions. When I initially began my planning I had so many options I could hardly decide how to organize the trip. My time was limited and I wanted to make the best use of it. I contacted a number of travel agents and asked for assistance. From the beginning Cintia Stella of Wow! Argentina proved indispensable in planning and organization. She gave me a great deal of advice which helped me craft an itinerary which would maximize my time and put me in the place where I could best enjoy my interests. Once I decided where and when I wanted to go, she offered me hotel choices, tour options, etc. I thank her for making the trip so wonderful. Her suggestions and assistance were just right. I would recommend her to anyone considering a trip to Argentina.
So here's how it went.
Who we are: Two women of a certain age, both competent Spanish speakers (she, fluent, me more like Tonto...as in "me want wine, how much that purse"
in good physical shape. My friend is an adventurous, flexible person who will try anything once. She is the ideal travel companion. Widowed at a young age, she is determined to make the most of life and her optimism is a very positive force when things aren't going right. My DH hates to travel so I am very grateful for her willingness to go. Our budget: about $1000 per person not counting international air or shopping.
How we did it: She flew American and arrived a day ahead of me. She spent the night at Argenta Towers and said it is a comfortable, tourist class hotel, very conveniently located to Florida St. She arrived in time to see the last performance at the Teatro Colon which she said was just fabulous. I was very sorry to have missed it. Cintia arranged tickets, pick up and dinner for her.
I flew Delta ATL-EZE. The flight down was full. The FAs were very professional and attentive. My seat was a non reclining exit row next to the bathrooms. Good leg room, lousy view. The food was so so. Although the plane was over two and a half hours late, Cintia had a staff person at the gate to meet me. (She also arranged to change our flight to Bariloche to accomodate the delay.) Another staffer met me after I went through passport control and the driver met me as soon as I got to the Meeting Point. He was a polished, well dressed gentleman. He was bilingual but indulged my wish to speak only Spanish. The car was clean as a whistle. He drove me to the domestic air terminal where I met my friend. Security took no time and we went straight in for our LAN flight. LAN was on time, staffed with first rate professional FAs and very clean. Plus they gave us nice little snacks of alfadores and biscuits, all the beverages we could ask, and ran free silent tv for the entire trip to Bariloche. Our flight round trip was $US 150, again thanks to Cintia.
We arrived in Bariloche about 1630. Cintia had scheduled us for massages so we were concerned we might be on too tight a schedule. Cintia had already notified the hotel of our delayed arrival, no worries.
We picked up our rental car ($US200.) from Avis which Cintia had arranged. The desk clerk called our hotel to let them know we were on our way.
It was a very direct route to the hotel taking about thirty minutes. (Argentinians apparently take a very dim view of stopping for stop signs or adhering to posted speed limits.) Fabian came out to the car as we pulled into the drive. He took our luggage. From my first look at the hotel interior, I was in love. It is gorgeous. Very spare, clean look, highly polished floors, white furniture with natural stone and wood accents, charming. He introduced us to Alejandra, the room service and dining room server. We asked her if she would bring us a bottle of the Argentine champagne. We were escorted to our room by Fabian who told us to change into the robes and slippers provided and he would be back to take us to the massage. Alejandra arrived with the champagne before we even changed. There is a single massuese so we flipped for first turn. I won! The massuese is Suzie, who is amazing. She combines Thai, therapeutic touch, Reiki techniques, done to Mozart, with herbal oils and a clay facial mask. This fabulous treatment lasts for eighty minutes and costs $US40. That is not a misprint. It was a heavenly experience. Yes, we booked second appointments! Suzie really is in a class by herself. She invests the whole experience with spiritual components and I can't do her justice with words. Between Suzie and the excellent wine, I was very happy sitting out on our balcony looking over the lake to the snowcapped mountains while my friend had her massage. We had dinner at the hotel. I am a vegetarian, so I had an excellent ragout of local mushrooms. My friend had a fresh lake trout. Very good.
I have done a review of the Hotel Aldebaran on tripadvisor. It hasn't been posted yet, but I assume will be up in a day or so. Let me say that it is absolutely wonderful. It is a ten room hotel. The bilingual staff are first rate, very warm, professional and polished. The common areas are beautifully decorated in natural materials, gorgeous large stone fireplace and small comfortable bar. Our room was quite large, furnished in antiques and very comfortable. Absolutely top quality bed with crisp fresh linens were wonderful. The bathroom was very comfortable and nicely done. The pictures on the website are accurate. It is a wonderful, gorgeous, romantic resort and I cannot recommend it too highly. One caveat, there was no window in our room (7) and we would have liked that to give us a bit of fresh air at night. Some rooms do have windows .
DAY TWO:
We awoke to a gorgeous, perfect day and decided to set out for Villa De La Angostura for the day after breakfast. While we were having breakfast a double rainbow appeared over the mountains. Good omen! More to come.
Nov 11th, 2006, 07:07 PM
#2
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 2,356
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Thanks cmc! I'm excited to hear about your trip, and very pleased to hear what a reasonable budget you kept. This has been one of my concerns about this trip. Sounds like we'll have no trouble!
Looking forward to next installments!
Looking forward to next installments!
Nov 11th, 2006, 07:38 PM
#4
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Ahhh~ cmc, "how much that purse" is a Universal language!
I am so glad you are posting this, I have been very patient , knowing about the toll that flight home takes on a girl
Please, do continue ~
I am so glad you are posting this, I have been very patient , knowing about the toll that flight home takes on a girl
Please, do continue ~
Nov 12th, 2006, 05:40 AM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am glad you are enjoying the report.
The drive to Villa de La Angostura was very pretty. The lake views are just magnificent. The town itself is much more charming than Bariloche. We found several small shops which carried handmade items like ruana pins, wooden salad servers, for very reasonable costs. We also found one small shop (I don't have the name but most of the shopping in Villa de La Angostura is on the main street.) which carried antique handmade vicuna ruanas. OHMIGOSH. They were gorgeous. We had lunch at Ovejta Negra which was very good and set us back about $8 US . I rarely drink at lunch at home, in fact I lead a pretty spartan lifestyle, but Argentina demanded a bit more "flair". Nearly all my meals save breakfast (no way I will ever have that much flair) were accompanied by a glass of Argentine wine. I loved it!
We then went to the port area of Villa de La Angostura. It is such a lovely part of town. It is where the boats depart for the park. I see newerworld has just posted a review of the nature walk there so I won't duplicate that information.
On our drive back to Hotel Aldebaran we decided we needed to check out the shopping in Bariloche. We spent a good half hour looking for a parking space. We knew from the signs there was a charge for parking; but, we couldn't figure out how to pay. My friend asked an elderly lady standing on the street "How do we handle parking?" She gave us a stunned look and shrugged her shoulders. We continued to discuss it between ourselves when suddenly she tapped on our window. She then told us she had thought we didn't know how to park a car. That confusion cleared up, we learned to go to a small kiosk and pay.
We did visit a number of shops but found nothing of interest other than chocolate, which quite frankly never fails to interest me. Naan had been suggested to us for dinner so we set out to find it. After about a half an hour of driving up and down one way streets (it would be only fair to mention that I was the navigator and my limitations in this capacity were demonstrated repeatedly) till we found it. There was no sign of activity, but we decided to investigate before moving on. I went in a courtyard door and to my horror the doorhandle fell off in my hand. I went up to the building door and knocked. Receiving no response I opened the door and found myself in some family's living room holding their doorknocker. The man of the house mildly smiled at me, told me the restaurant was closed for vacation and that the door handle fell off all the time. Whew. (Another point, although Spanish is full of cognates there are many false ones. Do not ever say "Estoy embarassada" unless you are pregnant.)
We left Bariloche and drove out Bustillo (the main road and the one which eventually takes you to Llao Llao peninsula). We found a small Italian restaurant, La Serena, which had housemade gnocchi and ravioli...and wine. It sits right on the lake and the views were really lovely as night fell. When we got back to Aldebaran we took a nice walk through the neighborhood before retiring to our porch for, yes, you guessed it, a bit more wine.
DAY THREE:
The next morning we headed out to see the area from a mountaintop, Cerro Cathedral. An absolutely gorgeous day with no wind and perfect visibility made this the right choice. The drive over was a bit longer than it should have been due largely to the incompetent navigator. Fortunately every turn, every side road was a picturesque delight. This area is so beautiful you simply cannot fail to enjoy any view. We went to the top on the chair lift and enjoyed watching the skiers and snowboarders. I had understood there would be hikes from the chairlift. Perhaps in a couple of weeks when the snow is gone there will be, but it was too wet and snowy for us. We decided to head out on the circuit drive towards Llao Llao. This is a beautiful ride which offers several points at which you can just park and take a walk in the woods. I highly recommend it. There is a cemetery/memorial to Argentinian mountaineers which is utterly fascinating. Definitely stop. It is not well indicated on the road but most maps show kilometer marks for attractions, hotels, etc and that is sufficient. You will have no trouble...well, unless you get a bad navigator...finding most points of interest.
From there we went on to Llao Llao. We had made reservations for lunch when we were told that unless you were a guest or had a reservation you could not enter the property. We had thought we could simply show up and enjoy a late lunch or early tea, but rules are rules and this is one to which they strictly adhere. It is a beautiful resort with absolutely stunning views. It is the only place I went where I ran into large numbers of US tourists. There were at least three conventions going on. The decision to stay at the small and intimate Hotel Aldebaran for less than half the cost was a very good one. Lunch at Llao Llao was outstanding and I highly recommend it. I think our total was about $35US that day, but definitely worth it. I tried every ice cream shop I saw in Argentina, but hands down my favorite was the Llao Llao en casera ice cream (chocolate and raspberry....oooooh my gosh....). A big surprise was the shops. They were very nice, high quality items for sale. Vastly more attractive than anything we had seen in either Bariloche or Villa de La Angostura (except those vicuna ruanas). We found gorgeous hats in leather ($35 US) for the gentlemen, jewelery, and jackets (hand woven and leather).
We continued on to Hotel Aldebaran and took another walk around the peninsula. We never felt concerned about our safety (other than that prompted by the very cavalier attitude towards pedestrians). I would highly recommend this area as a destination for a woman travelling alone. We were treated with courtesy and kindness by every single Argentinian with whom we had one on one contact. In crowds, not so courteous, lots of pushing and so forth, but hey, we weren't in a hurry, we could handle that.
I had been reading about the wonderful ferias and I knew we would not get to Buenos Aires in time to visit San Telmo's, so we asked the hotel staff for suggestions. The recommendation was the Saturday feria in El Bolson. That's where we headed for Day Four.
The drive to Villa de La Angostura was very pretty. The lake views are just magnificent. The town itself is much more charming than Bariloche. We found several small shops which carried handmade items like ruana pins, wooden salad servers, for very reasonable costs. We also found one small shop (I don't have the name but most of the shopping in Villa de La Angostura is on the main street.) which carried antique handmade vicuna ruanas. OHMIGOSH. They were gorgeous. We had lunch at Ovejta Negra which was very good and set us back about $8 US . I rarely drink at lunch at home, in fact I lead a pretty spartan lifestyle, but Argentina demanded a bit more "flair". Nearly all my meals save breakfast (no way I will ever have that much flair) were accompanied by a glass of Argentine wine. I loved it!
We then went to the port area of Villa de La Angostura. It is such a lovely part of town. It is where the boats depart for the park. I see newerworld has just posted a review of the nature walk there so I won't duplicate that information.
On our drive back to Hotel Aldebaran we decided we needed to check out the shopping in Bariloche. We spent a good half hour looking for a parking space. We knew from the signs there was a charge for parking; but, we couldn't figure out how to pay. My friend asked an elderly lady standing on the street "How do we handle parking?" She gave us a stunned look and shrugged her shoulders. We continued to discuss it between ourselves when suddenly she tapped on our window. She then told us she had thought we didn't know how to park a car. That confusion cleared up, we learned to go to a small kiosk and pay.
We did visit a number of shops but found nothing of interest other than chocolate, which quite frankly never fails to interest me. Naan had been suggested to us for dinner so we set out to find it. After about a half an hour of driving up and down one way streets (it would be only fair to mention that I was the navigator and my limitations in this capacity were demonstrated repeatedly) till we found it. There was no sign of activity, but we decided to investigate before moving on. I went in a courtyard door and to my horror the doorhandle fell off in my hand. I went up to the building door and knocked. Receiving no response I opened the door and found myself in some family's living room holding their doorknocker. The man of the house mildly smiled at me, told me the restaurant was closed for vacation and that the door handle fell off all the time. Whew. (Another point, although Spanish is full of cognates there are many false ones. Do not ever say "Estoy embarassada" unless you are pregnant.)
We left Bariloche and drove out Bustillo (the main road and the one which eventually takes you to Llao Llao peninsula). We found a small Italian restaurant, La Serena, which had housemade gnocchi and ravioli...and wine. It sits right on the lake and the views were really lovely as night fell. When we got back to Aldebaran we took a nice walk through the neighborhood before retiring to our porch for, yes, you guessed it, a bit more wine.
DAY THREE:
The next morning we headed out to see the area from a mountaintop, Cerro Cathedral. An absolutely gorgeous day with no wind and perfect visibility made this the right choice. The drive over was a bit longer than it should have been due largely to the incompetent navigator. Fortunately every turn, every side road was a picturesque delight. This area is so beautiful you simply cannot fail to enjoy any view. We went to the top on the chair lift and enjoyed watching the skiers and snowboarders. I had understood there would be hikes from the chairlift. Perhaps in a couple of weeks when the snow is gone there will be, but it was too wet and snowy for us. We decided to head out on the circuit drive towards Llao Llao. This is a beautiful ride which offers several points at which you can just park and take a walk in the woods. I highly recommend it. There is a cemetery/memorial to Argentinian mountaineers which is utterly fascinating. Definitely stop. It is not well indicated on the road but most maps show kilometer marks for attractions, hotels, etc and that is sufficient. You will have no trouble...well, unless you get a bad navigator...finding most points of interest.
From there we went on to Llao Llao. We had made reservations for lunch when we were told that unless you were a guest or had a reservation you could not enter the property. We had thought we could simply show up and enjoy a late lunch or early tea, but rules are rules and this is one to which they strictly adhere. It is a beautiful resort with absolutely stunning views. It is the only place I went where I ran into large numbers of US tourists. There were at least three conventions going on. The decision to stay at the small and intimate Hotel Aldebaran for less than half the cost was a very good one. Lunch at Llao Llao was outstanding and I highly recommend it. I think our total was about $35US that day, but definitely worth it. I tried every ice cream shop I saw in Argentina, but hands down my favorite was the Llao Llao en casera ice cream (chocolate and raspberry....oooooh my gosh....). A big surprise was the shops. They were very nice, high quality items for sale. Vastly more attractive than anything we had seen in either Bariloche or Villa de La Angostura (except those vicuna ruanas). We found gorgeous hats in leather ($35 US) for the gentlemen, jewelery, and jackets (hand woven and leather).
We continued on to Hotel Aldebaran and took another walk around the peninsula. We never felt concerned about our safety (other than that prompted by the very cavalier attitude towards pedestrians). I would highly recommend this area as a destination for a woman travelling alone. We were treated with courtesy and kindness by every single Argentinian with whom we had one on one contact. In crowds, not so courteous, lots of pushing and so forth, but hey, we weren't in a hurry, we could handle that.
I had been reading about the wonderful ferias and I knew we would not get to Buenos Aires in time to visit San Telmo's, so we asked the hotel staff for suggestions. The recommendation was the Saturday feria in El Bolson. That's where we headed for Day Four.
Nov 12th, 2006, 01:32 PM
#9
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
DAY FOUR:
El Bolson is about a two hour ride from the Hotel Aldebaran. The scenery is just beyond words. The scale is so grand, think Big Sky country, that photos really don't capture it. Not that I didn't try! We arrived and found parking near the Plaza San Martin. The feria is quite large and there is a variety of merchandise ranging from clothes to jewelery to antiques. None of it struck us as a real bargain or particularly well crafted, but the experience was fun. The public bathroom was not impressive in appearance. We noted signs out front with toilet paper and cleaner reminding all users that maintenance was a community responsibility. It was in fact quite clean. NOTE: Every single bathroom I visited in Argentina was very clean and very well maintained and free. I also found store owners and restaurant and bar owners very agreeable about allowing people to use their bathrooms.
El Bolson was the most untouristy area we visited. We enjoyed ambling around the side streets and alleys. We had lunch not far from the square. For some reason I did not record the name of the restaurant but it was reasonably good. They had a huge ice cream takeout window and inside sold a variety of meats, sandwiches, and light lunches. A good choice for us. El Bolson is famous for its homebrewed beer, so I gave it a try. A little too fruity a taste for this Corona fan, but it did grow on me. Perhaps the alcohol content was a bit higher than the Corona....
We headed back to Aldebaran for our massages. On the way we checked out Peuma Hue resort which had intrigued me when I was doing my trip planning. It is remote, set about ten miles off the main road on a turnoff roughly twenty five minutes from Bariloche. It is magnificent, but unfortunately they discourage casual visitors and we could only peer over the fence.
We returned to Hotel Aldebaran for our massages and a late dinner. Again, Suzie is simply a better massuese than words can describe. It is an amazing experience.
A last night seeing the full moon rise and the snow on the mountains. Yes, it was better than a dream.
On to Buenos Aires.
El Bolson is about a two hour ride from the Hotel Aldebaran. The scenery is just beyond words. The scale is so grand, think Big Sky country, that photos really don't capture it. Not that I didn't try! We arrived and found parking near the Plaza San Martin. The feria is quite large and there is a variety of merchandise ranging from clothes to jewelery to antiques. None of it struck us as a real bargain or particularly well crafted, but the experience was fun. The public bathroom was not impressive in appearance. We noted signs out front with toilet paper and cleaner reminding all users that maintenance was a community responsibility. It was in fact quite clean. NOTE: Every single bathroom I visited in Argentina was very clean and very well maintained and free. I also found store owners and restaurant and bar owners very agreeable about allowing people to use their bathrooms.
El Bolson was the most untouristy area we visited. We enjoyed ambling around the side streets and alleys. We had lunch not far from the square. For some reason I did not record the name of the restaurant but it was reasonably good. They had a huge ice cream takeout window and inside sold a variety of meats, sandwiches, and light lunches. A good choice for us. El Bolson is famous for its homebrewed beer, so I gave it a try. A little too fruity a taste for this Corona fan, but it did grow on me. Perhaps the alcohol content was a bit higher than the Corona....
We headed back to Aldebaran for our massages. On the way we checked out Peuma Hue resort which had intrigued me when I was doing my trip planning. It is remote, set about ten miles off the main road on a turnoff roughly twenty five minutes from Bariloche. It is magnificent, but unfortunately they discourage casual visitors and we could only peer over the fence.
We returned to Hotel Aldebaran for our massages and a late dinner. Again, Suzie is simply a better massuese than words can describe. It is an amazing experience.
A last night seeing the full moon rise and the snow on the mountains. Yes, it was better than a dream.
On to Buenos Aires.
Nov 12th, 2006, 04:56 PM
#11
Join Date: May 2003
Posts: 4,296
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
p.s. I need a massage!
p.s.s. cmcfong, I think it has never come up in our discussions, but I am a bit of a vegetarian myself, I don't really call myself one because I occasionally will consume things that I am sure you don't, but I never eat red meat. Even as a little girl, this has always meen my preference.
Totally enjoying your report, please send Suzie to Minnesota stat, gracias!
p.s.s. cmcfong, I think it has never come up in our discussions, but I am a bit of a vegetarian myself, I don't really call myself one because I occasionally will consume things that I am sure you don't, but I never eat red meat. Even as a little girl, this has always meen my preference.
Totally enjoying your report, please send Suzie to Minnesota stat, gracias!
Nov 13th, 2006, 03:47 AM
#12
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Tiff, I would send her in a minute, if you promise to return her to NC. She was amazing. As I plod through the renovation decisions, I need her! Travel safely this week and I hope the cabinet issue resolves well.
Nov 13th, 2006, 06:21 AM
#13
Join Date: May 2004
Posts: 1,267
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I am really enjoying your trip report, sounds like another AR convert has been made!
Trish, if you need any advice about AR, let me know, sorry to miss the Fodors CTG in Oct., anyway, we've been twice and will go back a third time in the near future!
Trish, if you need any advice about AR, let me know, sorry to miss the Fodors CTG in Oct., anyway, we've been twice and will go back a third time in the near future!
Nov 13th, 2006, 08:38 AM
#14
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Day Five: After breakfast we checked out of the Hotel Aldebaran and decided to hit the Feria in Bariloche before our flight to Buenos Aires. It was a disappointment, so we drowned our sorrows in chocolate and headed out for a last walk around town. On the way into the airport we saw the only wildlife of the entire trip, a lone rabbit racing across the field. We did see a great many birds, particularly raptors. We had a light lunch at the airport and headed off to Buenos Aires.
Frankly there is so much already here about Buenos Aires I won't do a detailed report of our stay. Just a few highlights:
Best meal: The champagne lunch at the Alvear Hotel
Best shoes: Mishka
Most interesting jewelry: Celadonio Ledihoy at Alvear Promenade
Neighborhood Empanada Kings:El San Jaunino, Posadas 1515
Cool sports bar: Cafe Moliere Puentales
OK lunch spot in Soho Palermo: Malarts
Highlight of visit: City tour arranged by Cintia of WOW! Argentina. It was just my friend and I with the driver and guide. Her English was excellent and she did a wonderful city tour highlighting the history and architecture of Buenos Aires. We had a coffee and sweet at Cafe Tortoni, which I loved. We got a chance to see the Boca Juniors stadium and hear a bit about them, tango dancing, and all the major sections of town. It was really excellent.
It was a great visit! I had been given some marvelous advice by AVRooster, Drdawggy, Giovanna, SharonG, Owlwoman, Igor, and a number of other considerate and helpful posters on Fodors and the very active Trip Advisor Argentina forums. I appreciate it so much and hope should any of you ever consider a visit to my neck of the woods you will allow me to reciprocate. Happy travels to all of you.
Frankly there is so much already here about Buenos Aires I won't do a detailed report of our stay. Just a few highlights:
Best meal: The champagne lunch at the Alvear Hotel
Best shoes: Mishka
Most interesting jewelry: Celadonio Ledihoy at Alvear Promenade
Neighborhood Empanada Kings:El San Jaunino, Posadas 1515
Cool sports bar: Cafe Moliere Puentales
OK lunch spot in Soho Palermo: Malarts
Highlight of visit: City tour arranged by Cintia of WOW! Argentina. It was just my friend and I with the driver and guide. Her English was excellent and she did a wonderful city tour highlighting the history and architecture of Buenos Aires. We had a coffee and sweet at Cafe Tortoni, which I loved. We got a chance to see the Boca Juniors stadium and hear a bit about them, tango dancing, and all the major sections of town. It was really excellent.
It was a great visit! I had been given some marvelous advice by AVRooster, Drdawggy, Giovanna, SharonG, Owlwoman, Igor, and a number of other considerate and helpful posters on Fodors and the very active Trip Advisor Argentina forums. I appreciate it so much and hope should any of you ever consider a visit to my neck of the woods you will allow me to reciprocate. Happy travels to all of you.
Nov 13th, 2006, 08:51 AM
#17
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 34,738
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hello, from a proud memeber of that Club! lol
Lovely report, do go into details, especially about Mishka shoes
Bon Appetit Magazine has a whole spread on Buenos Aires!! the shoe store and a lot of other places are mentioned...
Lovely report, do go into details, especially about Mishka shoes
Bon Appetit Magazine has a whole spread on Buenos Aires!! the shoe store and a lot of other places are mentioned...
Nov 13th, 2006, 09:05 AM
#19
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I expect Cintia has many, many happy customers. She made the trip so easy and smooth. OWJ, you and Igor mentioned her to me and I am forever grateful for that advice. She is a marvel.
Nov 13th, 2006, 09:16 AM
#20
Original Poster
Join Date: Nov 2003
Posts: 14,607
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Lucky magazine's November edition includes a large section on shopping in Buenos Aires. I also took the Economist list and one from Conde Nast Traveler. Mishka shoes are boots, sandals, ballet flats (Mimi would like them!) and some heels. The colors are very unusual, lavendar, green, and blues, as well as blacks and browns. They are printed with Mish in the left shoe and Ka in the right. Very cute. The one we went to was in Recoleta on Guido, I think.
