mmb23

My husband and I are thinking about an Argentina trip in 2009 (probably in April or May, I still need to research the best times). We'll only have 9 days in country, and I'd love advice on what to include on our first trip to Argentina (& S. Am!)

First a little bit on us: we're 30-something city dwellers who love walking, food, and wine, and our trips tend to alternate between big city and wilderness adventure (London/Paris/Barcelona vs. rural southern Mexico, Costa Rica, western Canada. We're in decent shape and I have a solid grasp of basic Spanish (probably an intermediate level.)

We'd like to do 4 days in BA, at least, and then visit second place. We tend to prefer slower-paced trips and I'm not a big fan of flying in the middle of a trip (though I know it may be unavoidable here.)

What second location would you recommend? With only 3-4 days, I don't know if Patagonia is doable. Igauzu? Mendoza? Or just stay in BA and take side trips? Spend a few days at an Estancia?

I'll also mention that we'd rather not rent a car, if that matters.

I appreciate your ideas and thoughts--there are so many great places to visit in this country that it's a little overwhelming!

yestravel

I'd suggest that u visit Iguazu Falls and spend the rest of the time in BA. Four days will barely gie u time to scratch the surface in BA. U can do day trips from BA if you find the need to leave the city. We spent about 8-9 days in BA and never were at loss for places to go or things to see. We had thought that we would do day trips to Colonia and/or the Tigre, but never wanted to give up the time in BA. We spent 2 nights at Iguazu and thought it was spectacular. We also apent some time at 2 different Estancias, but that paled in comparison to our visit to Iguazu. U don't need a car to do any of these things.

avrooster

I just about agree with yestravel.

The Iguazú Falls are a must for a first time visitor to Argentina.

Stay for 2 or 3 nights at the Sheraton and try to also visit the Brazilian side (but you may need a visa).

There is a lot about Iguazú, both here and on http://tinyurl.com/nw9f4

Save the rest for BA and for day trips from BA, such as Tigre, Colonia and/or http://tinyurl.com/3xna57

Have a great time in our country.

flintstones

That time is perfect for SALTA the rains finish and the sun shines, the Salt flats are white as snow and the plants green, all over-
The food id great and the History, the wines, the weather... You can find some review from people who came and never regreted.
Warm regards,
Flintstones

rowlesjr

If you are planning so stay in BA for more than 1 night I suggest renting an apartment. It is more personal and i find it comforting to have a whole place to relax in. I have rented with BA Stay 3 times and have had a very easy time in the city. here is a link to the place i stayed at...it might be available if you book in advance...the landlord was very helpful as well as the BA staff.
http://www.buenosairesstay.com/basta...mp;carpeta=ing

good luck on your trip

jr

sameden21

Another option is going to Mar del Plata, a beach town south of BA, which is known as the birthplace of Havana Alfajores - a spectacular Argentine cookie with dulce de leche.

There are estancias around Mar del Plata where you can see pick-up polo games and less touristy areas.

sameden21

And you can take a bus to Mar del Plata, it is much shorter than to Iguazu and Salta, where I would recommend flying to.

drdawggy

I agree with posters who have suggested a stay in Buenos Aires with a side trip of 3days/2nights or 4/3 to Iguazu Falls. A day trip to an estancia near Buenos Aires or a trip to Colonia, Uruguay are also possible if you want another adventure outside of Buenos Aires.

The Sheraton enjoys the best location in Iguazu, since it is the only hotel inside the national park.

In Buenos Aires...as 30 somethings who enjoy wine you might like the Miravida Soho, a newly opened, small boutique hotel with a great wine and tapas bar....Wine Spectator recommends the wine and the hotel...and owners/managers of wineries in Mendoza often stay here when in Buenos Aires. The hotel is located in trendy Palermo Soho.

mmb23

Thanks for all the great suggestions. Dr.D, I was indeed looking at smaller hotels/B&Bs yesterday and saw the property you mention. I have a question about the Palermo Soho location. It looks like it's a great place to be based so you can walk to dinner/nightlife, but how easy is it to get to the city center and main sights? We live in a big city without a car, so we're fine using public transit, but am wondering about the logistics.

Thanks again to everyone for weighing in; I'm having so much fun at this early stage of trip planning.
Best,
Melissa

drdawggy

There is a subway stop at Plaza Italia on Santa Fe....Plaza Italia is also a hub for city busses....so public transportation is very much available just a few blocks from Plaza Soho...

Taxis are plentiful and relatively cheap (though not as cheap as last year or two years ago...sigh)...Cost to Recoleta from Palermo Soho about 12 15 pesos..to downtown...16 to 20 ( divide by 3 for dollar amounts).

avrooster

mmb23: we usually take with a grain of salt recommendations made by one-time posters who don't say anything else about their trips.

yestravel

In terms of getting aroudn BA, we also live in a big city and walk or use public transportation. We split our stay between Palmero Soho and Recoleta and found them both easy locations for getting anyplace in the city. We really did walk all over BA...enjoyed stopping and checking out the sites or shops, stopping for breaks in a bar or cafe. I think we took a cab a couple times in the day and the subway only once. We did take cabs at night and in general had no trouble getting them, either called for us by the restaurant/hotel or flagging down a radio taxi ourselves. At first we were a bit hesitant about doing that since everyone advises against doing that, but we had no probelms.
Also agree about staying at the Sheraton as it makes it very convenient for visiting the Falls. We would go out in the am b4 all the crowds showed up, come back to our room or pool and then visit again in the afternoon.

mmb23

I love to hear that you walked all over--we really prefer walking to all other modes of transit and love cities where we can really cover a lot of ground on foot.

I also appreciate the suggestion of splitting neighborhoods; that might give us a couple different perspectives.
Thanks!

bookwrm85

I have been helping someone plan a trip to Argentina and have done a bit of searching around for the best things to do...I found a helpful video about Mendoza, if you're still curious...

http://www.tripfilms.com/Travel_Vide...oza-Video.html

Tripfilms has been great for quick video references about different destinations...it's pretty useful to be able to see where you're going beforehand!

Happy travels

bailey6325

bookmarking

yestravel

Splitting our stay in BA worked well. We started out in Palmero Soho in a B&B for 4 days, left BA for about 5 days and came back and stayed in a hotel in Recoleta at the end of the trip. I always like having the time spent staying in a neighborhood instead of just "visiting" it. I know u said you'd prefer not to fly some place in the middle of your trip. However you may find it more reasonable to rent an apt for the length of your entire stay. Apt rentals are very well priced in BA and it could actually cost you less to do that. You could use an apt as a home base and leave most of your belongings at your apt while you traveled to Iguazu or wherever else you decide. Also be aware that international flights depart from EZE and internal flights from another airport. Just another option to consider.

mmb23

I'm just starting to think about the apartment option; I will say that I love a good B&B owner or hotel staff, when they can provide insights and ideas, but I do love the idea of more space, a kitchen, etc. I'll look at some of the apt links on the forum and see what I find.
Thanks for the info/ideas!