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Message
10 days in Argentina Review
Posted on 6/17/19 at 8:56 pm
Posted on 6/17/19 at 8:56 pm
Trip focused on 3 locations:
Buenos Aires
Bariloche
Iguazu Falls
I'll hit the highlights and touch on things I was curious prior to my trip. I won't include items you can find on any Google search.
My girlfriend (31) and I (40) went together, no kids. I departed Houston on my 40th bday!!
Dates: Wed,May 22 - Sat,June 1
Flew direct from Houston to BA on United
Buenos Aires
May 23-May 26
Transportation
Uber was our primary mode of transportation and operates in a gray area. Not 100% sanctioned, but the app works fine. Bc it isn't technically approved, it is less efficient. Multiple times the driver would cancel and take 15 minutes to get picked up. However, it is extremely cheap. A 30 minute ride would cost $10 USD. It eliminated the language barrier through app and took credit card. Taxi is more efficient but more difficult. Uber cars are crap and be aware if you have plenty of luggage from airport, it may ride in your lap.
Money
I strongly suggest having Argentine Pesos. I received mixed advice on this topic from the Travel Board before I left. There is no place to tip when paying by credit card at restaurants and Pesos came in handy. If you elect to go the Taxi route, you will need Pesos. There are plenty of markets in BA and cash is king. Several brick and mortar stores gave discounts for cash. USD can work at times, but you will be shorted on the change most often. It was difficult to find ARS in the states as all the banks didn't carry but I found some in the international terminal in Houston. Once you in BA, find a bank and exchange big bills. Not an issue at all.
Things we Did
BA doesn't have the huge number of landmarks as Rome, Paris, London, etc. However they do have some. We spent most of our times exploring the neighborhoods and was the highlight for me. A quick Google search will list the landmarks.
Neighborhoods:
Recoletta - this is where we stayed. Recoletta Grand Hotel to be exact. Very nice hotel for the price. Everything we needed was on our block - convenience store, currency exchange, restaurants, etc. More of the "Posh" area. Walkable for the most part but only as a means of transportation - not to explore. Lots of hotels, residences, commercial buildings. Lots of green space with Japanese Gardens as a highlight. The cemetery was worth the time. Good dining and bars. Safe and clean. Girlfriend said some streets reminded her of areas of Paris. Can't confirm as I never been to Paris.
57 second video of Recoletta cemetery
San Telmo - Get lost here. Shops, outdoor cafes, Tango dancing on the streets, markets, etc. Reminded me of Florence in some aspects. Especially the market where you can find food, wine, souvenirs, meats, groceries, etc. If you want to grab a bottle of Malbec outdoors while the ladies shop, San Telmo is perfect.
Palermo - Very walkable with a ton of restaurants, shopping (of all types), bars and nightlife. We stumbled upon a huge outdoor market with all sorts of stuff. Cheap trinkets to fine handmade crafts. Another safe area with a ton of activity.
La Boca - the central area here is very artsy with street performers. Some places felt like a tourist trap but others felt very authentic. La Boca Juniors soccer stadium here and I enjoyed walking through. IT was cheap and I got caught up in the moment. Even bought a soccer scarf! The street art was awesome and some great photo opportunities. Just about 4 hours here. It didn't feel very safe. Wallet in front pocket type of place and I wouldn't recommend exploring at dark. A bit like the French Quarter perhaps.
10 second video of a street corner in La Boca
La Boca pics:
Avenida Corrientes - I only rode through this area, but my gf walked it. I would equate this with Times Square. Its essentially their theater district with ballet, opera, etc. Looked to be high end shopping. I didn't need to explore it by foot. The cab/uber rides seemed to always pass along this street and I got my fill. The famous Opera house is here. Looked nice from the outside but private event the day we could have gone. It is worth seeing - but only by car for me.
Bars/alcohol - No bars were worth mentioning as we did not go to the dance clubs and nothing unique about the places we went. They were lots of fun, but felt like you could duck into any of the several you walked by to get the same feel. Speakeasies are a thing there but the one we went into was so crowded, we couldn't get a drink or seat. Went to wine bar next door and it was better. I enjoy red wine and stayed with Malbec most times
Restaurants - Two standout, the rest were empanadas on the street (which I do recommend) or places we wondered in.
La Brigada in San Telmo. We met up with some locals I know from the States and they brought us here. Very casual. Never seen so much sports memorabilia in a restaurant - all soccer of course. Wait staff very friendly and I would just take their recommendation. They cut your steak with a spoon to show the center which was neat. Fun experience and great food.
15 seconds of serving steak with a spoon
Don Julio in Palermo - just about every person and publication mentions this place. Get reservations. We wanted to try a bunch of the menu so we grabbed a few small plates - blood sausage, goat sweetbread and others. We split a steak which seems popular as all of the tables nearby were splitting steaks. I recommend this place.
Overall
Wish we had another day or two. I was able to expense a few things as I made a sales call on a client outside of BA. That helped the pocket book, but cost me about 8 hours of vacation. We intended to have an extra 24 hours in BA before we left, but because of an airline strike we were left in Patagonia (more on this later) so we didn't get to go back. We planned to spend more time in San Telmo and visit the water front. Very cheap once you get down there as we found decent bottles of Malbec for $3.50 USD after conversion. High school Spanish and google translator got me through the language barrier. Soccer and Polo were not in season but if they were, I would have definitely made that a part of the trip.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try my best to answer while fresh on my mind. I didn’t take a bunch of pics here that are worthy of posting. More of city experiences.
Buenos Aires
Bariloche
Iguazu Falls
I'll hit the highlights and touch on things I was curious prior to my trip. I won't include items you can find on any Google search.
My girlfriend (31) and I (40) went together, no kids. I departed Houston on my 40th bday!!
Dates: Wed,May 22 - Sat,June 1
Flew direct from Houston to BA on United
Buenos Aires
May 23-May 26
Transportation
Uber was our primary mode of transportation and operates in a gray area. Not 100% sanctioned, but the app works fine. Bc it isn't technically approved, it is less efficient. Multiple times the driver would cancel and take 15 minutes to get picked up. However, it is extremely cheap. A 30 minute ride would cost $10 USD. It eliminated the language barrier through app and took credit card. Taxi is more efficient but more difficult. Uber cars are crap and be aware if you have plenty of luggage from airport, it may ride in your lap.
Money
I strongly suggest having Argentine Pesos. I received mixed advice on this topic from the Travel Board before I left. There is no place to tip when paying by credit card at restaurants and Pesos came in handy. If you elect to go the Taxi route, you will need Pesos. There are plenty of markets in BA and cash is king. Several brick and mortar stores gave discounts for cash. USD can work at times, but you will be shorted on the change most often. It was difficult to find ARS in the states as all the banks didn't carry but I found some in the international terminal in Houston. Once you in BA, find a bank and exchange big bills. Not an issue at all.
Things we Did
BA doesn't have the huge number of landmarks as Rome, Paris, London, etc. However they do have some. We spent most of our times exploring the neighborhoods and was the highlight for me. A quick Google search will list the landmarks.
Neighborhoods:
Recoletta - this is where we stayed. Recoletta Grand Hotel to be exact. Very nice hotel for the price. Everything we needed was on our block - convenience store, currency exchange, restaurants, etc. More of the "Posh" area. Walkable for the most part but only as a means of transportation - not to explore. Lots of hotels, residences, commercial buildings. Lots of green space with Japanese Gardens as a highlight. The cemetery was worth the time. Good dining and bars. Safe and clean. Girlfriend said some streets reminded her of areas of Paris. Can't confirm as I never been to Paris.
57 second video of Recoletta cemetery
San Telmo - Get lost here. Shops, outdoor cafes, Tango dancing on the streets, markets, etc. Reminded me of Florence in some aspects. Especially the market where you can find food, wine, souvenirs, meats, groceries, etc. If you want to grab a bottle of Malbec outdoors while the ladies shop, San Telmo is perfect.
Palermo - Very walkable with a ton of restaurants, shopping (of all types), bars and nightlife. We stumbled upon a huge outdoor market with all sorts of stuff. Cheap trinkets to fine handmade crafts. Another safe area with a ton of activity.
La Boca - the central area here is very artsy with street performers. Some places felt like a tourist trap but others felt very authentic. La Boca Juniors soccer stadium here and I enjoyed walking through. IT was cheap and I got caught up in the moment. Even bought a soccer scarf! The street art was awesome and some great photo opportunities. Just about 4 hours here. It didn't feel very safe. Wallet in front pocket type of place and I wouldn't recommend exploring at dark. A bit like the French Quarter perhaps.
10 second video of a street corner in La Boca
La Boca pics:
Avenida Corrientes - I only rode through this area, but my gf walked it. I would equate this with Times Square. Its essentially their theater district with ballet, opera, etc. Looked to be high end shopping. I didn't need to explore it by foot. The cab/uber rides seemed to always pass along this street and I got my fill. The famous Opera house is here. Looked nice from the outside but private event the day we could have gone. It is worth seeing - but only by car for me.
Bars/alcohol - No bars were worth mentioning as we did not go to the dance clubs and nothing unique about the places we went. They were lots of fun, but felt like you could duck into any of the several you walked by to get the same feel. Speakeasies are a thing there but the one we went into was so crowded, we couldn't get a drink or seat. Went to wine bar next door and it was better. I enjoy red wine and stayed with Malbec most times
Restaurants - Two standout, the rest were empanadas on the street (which I do recommend) or places we wondered in.
La Brigada in San Telmo. We met up with some locals I know from the States and they brought us here. Very casual. Never seen so much sports memorabilia in a restaurant - all soccer of course. Wait staff very friendly and I would just take their recommendation. They cut your steak with a spoon to show the center which was neat. Fun experience and great food.
15 seconds of serving steak with a spoon
Don Julio in Palermo - just about every person and publication mentions this place. Get reservations. We wanted to try a bunch of the menu so we grabbed a few small plates - blood sausage, goat sweetbread and others. We split a steak which seems popular as all of the tables nearby were splitting steaks. I recommend this place.
Overall
Wish we had another day or two. I was able to expense a few things as I made a sales call on a client outside of BA. That helped the pocket book, but cost me about 8 hours of vacation. We intended to have an extra 24 hours in BA before we left, but because of an airline strike we were left in Patagonia (more on this later) so we didn't get to go back. We planned to spend more time in San Telmo and visit the water front. Very cheap once you get down there as we found decent bottles of Malbec for $3.50 USD after conversion. High school Spanish and google translator got me through the language barrier. Soccer and Polo were not in season but if they were, I would have definitely made that a part of the trip.
Let me know if you have any specific questions and I'll try my best to answer while fresh on my mind. I didn’t take a bunch of pics here that are worthy of posting. More of city experiences.
This post was edited on 6/24/19 at 11:37 pm
3
Posted on 6/17/19 at 8:56 pm to kciDAtaE
Bariloche
May 26-May 30
Aerolinas Argentina EZE to BRC
Transportation
First time flying this airline and it is the main airline for domestic flights with some to neighboring countries. Seats were small but short flight. They baggage policy isn't very friendly. We were prepared so no issues, but they were charging other passengers extra fees. Doesn't look like it is enforced everywhere because we only witnessed it flying out of BA. Not on the return flights...We rented a car to cover more ground. Went with Sixt. They were expensive but very easy to work with.
Airline baggage policy
Lodging
We stayed at Llao Llao after a recommendation and price hook-up. Still expensive but one of the nicer resorts I've ever been to. Absolutely gorgeous. We stayed in the Moreno wing which is the newer side. Food was great. Breakfast was included with our rate and top notch. Several restaurants, spa, bars, pool(s), golf course, etc. Everything you would expect from a 5 star resort. Located inside the National Park, but about 30-40 minute drive to city center which is another reason we wanted a car.
Llao Llao website
(Stock photo. Not mine)
View from our bathroom
View from our hotel room
Hotel lounge
Things we Did
NATURE!!
Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi - We hiked the better part of a day.There is a 17KM road which is a loop with trail heads and look-out points the entire way. You can get as aggressive or laid-back as you want with the hikes. We picked out a few and started out on one which took about 2-1/2 hours. Can't remember the distance. We walked over 9 miles that day says the gf Fitbit.
22 second video lookout spot while hiking
8 second video lookout spot while hiking
32 seconds of hiking - apologize for low quality. Still figuring the new go-pro
Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes - We drove the 90 minute drive through the lakes district with great views along the way to Villa LA Angostura (small town with a Main St). From there we took a boat ride to explore an ancient forest with rare trees. Great picture opportunities...You can take a longer ferry from Llao Llao hotel which seems popular. Even if you don't stay there, you can book through the hotel.
City Center - You can google things here, but is what you would expect - shops, restaurants, etc. Chocolate is a big thing here and we chose to buy some at Rapanui after a recommendation. Reminded me a bit of Switzerland villages with the architecture, lakes, mountains, and overall feel. Definitely didn't feel like South America for sure,
Llao Llao - The resort itself was an experience. Normally I don't spend much time at the hotel, but we had a flight cancellation due to a strike and was forced to spend an extra day here. We decided to grab a massage, the indoor/outdoor heated pools (did I mention the weather was in the 30's-40's?), happy hours, high tea, etc. It actually worked out since we were rather active to this point. A good day to relax and catch our breath.
Restaurants
Two of my favorite meals were in Bariloche. I underestimated their food. All I heard about was the beef and empanadas when researching Argentina, but the locals kept saying I have to try the lamb. And I did - it was great. I would absolutely recommend researching a good place for Lamb.
Rincon - Really neat place with a log cabin/wood decor. I got the roasted lamb after taking the recommendation of the waiter and it was the best Lamb I have ever had. I recommend this place if you only have one meal in Bariloche
Rincon website
La Masia - You will need reservations here as it only has 5 or 6 tables. Looks like a husband and wife turned their house into a restaurant and perhaps lived upstairs. Very little English, but amazing food. Mainly Italian dishes. Not as expensive as you would think but only takes cash or Amex. Great meal to end Bariloche. Very romantic.
No website.
Overall
Bariloche was what I was anticipating the most on this trip and it delivered. Although I enjoy exploring cities, I love nature. Hiking the Andes was amazing. I would classify Bariloche as the foothills of the Andes as you aren't surrounded by the majestic peaks I saw in Peru. But perfect for novice hikers such as ourselves.
This was the off-season so we had everything to ourselves, which was great. However, we couldn't ski (which is where this place excels) nor could we do much on the water. This area is the lakes district with the road of the 7 lakes nearby which is a very famous drive in the area. Water activities in the summer appear to be as popular as the skiing in winter...and yes, we went in fall. Haha
It was very cold and wet and we got snow the last day. But it didn't damper the experience. I was aware of the climate before we left. If I were to go back, I would choose a different time of year to take more advantage of the outdoors. (I didn't have much choice on the time of year since it was centered around a work meeting in BA). But I would certainly stay at Llao Llao again - budget be damned!!
Driving back to airport
May 26-May 30
Aerolinas Argentina EZE to BRC
Transportation
First time flying this airline and it is the main airline for domestic flights with some to neighboring countries. Seats were small but short flight. They baggage policy isn't very friendly. We were prepared so no issues, but they were charging other passengers extra fees. Doesn't look like it is enforced everywhere because we only witnessed it flying out of BA. Not on the return flights...We rented a car to cover more ground. Went with Sixt. They were expensive but very easy to work with.
Airline baggage policy
Lodging
We stayed at Llao Llao after a recommendation and price hook-up. Still expensive but one of the nicer resorts I've ever been to. Absolutely gorgeous. We stayed in the Moreno wing which is the newer side. Food was great. Breakfast was included with our rate and top notch. Several restaurants, spa, bars, pool(s), golf course, etc. Everything you would expect from a 5 star resort. Located inside the National Park, but about 30-40 minute drive to city center which is another reason we wanted a car.
Llao Llao website
(Stock photo. Not mine)
View from our bathroom
View from our hotel room
Hotel lounge
Things we Did
NATURE!!
Parque Nacional Nahuel Huapi - We hiked the better part of a day.There is a 17KM road which is a loop with trail heads and look-out points the entire way. You can get as aggressive or laid-back as you want with the hikes. We picked out a few and started out on one which took about 2-1/2 hours. Can't remember the distance. We walked over 9 miles that day says the gf Fitbit.
22 second video lookout spot while hiking
8 second video lookout spot while hiking
32 seconds of hiking - apologize for low quality. Still figuring the new go-pro
Parque Nacional Los Arrayanes - We drove the 90 minute drive through the lakes district with great views along the way to Villa LA Angostura (small town with a Main St). From there we took a boat ride to explore an ancient forest with rare trees. Great picture opportunities...You can take a longer ferry from Llao Llao hotel which seems popular. Even if you don't stay there, you can book through the hotel.
City Center - You can google things here, but is what you would expect - shops, restaurants, etc. Chocolate is a big thing here and we chose to buy some at Rapanui after a recommendation. Reminded me a bit of Switzerland villages with the architecture, lakes, mountains, and overall feel. Definitely didn't feel like South America for sure,
Llao Llao - The resort itself was an experience. Normally I don't spend much time at the hotel, but we had a flight cancellation due to a strike and was forced to spend an extra day here. We decided to grab a massage, the indoor/outdoor heated pools (did I mention the weather was in the 30's-40's?), happy hours, high tea, etc. It actually worked out since we were rather active to this point. A good day to relax and catch our breath.
Restaurants
Two of my favorite meals were in Bariloche. I underestimated their food. All I heard about was the beef and empanadas when researching Argentina, but the locals kept saying I have to try the lamb. And I did - it was great. I would absolutely recommend researching a good place for Lamb.
Rincon - Really neat place with a log cabin/wood decor. I got the roasted lamb after taking the recommendation of the waiter and it was the best Lamb I have ever had. I recommend this place if you only have one meal in Bariloche
Rincon website
La Masia - You will need reservations here as it only has 5 or 6 tables. Looks like a husband and wife turned their house into a restaurant and perhaps lived upstairs. Very little English, but amazing food. Mainly Italian dishes. Not as expensive as you would think but only takes cash or Amex. Great meal to end Bariloche. Very romantic.
No website.
Overall
Bariloche was what I was anticipating the most on this trip and it delivered. Although I enjoy exploring cities, I love nature. Hiking the Andes was amazing. I would classify Bariloche as the foothills of the Andes as you aren't surrounded by the majestic peaks I saw in Peru. But perfect for novice hikers such as ourselves.
This was the off-season so we had everything to ourselves, which was great. However, we couldn't ski (which is where this place excels) nor could we do much on the water. This area is the lakes district with the road of the 7 lakes nearby which is a very famous drive in the area. Water activities in the summer appear to be as popular as the skiing in winter...and yes, we went in fall. Haha
It was very cold and wet and we got snow the last day. But it didn't damper the experience. I was aware of the climate before we left. If I were to go back, I would choose a different time of year to take more advantage of the outdoors. (I didn't have much choice on the time of year since it was centered around a work meeting in BA). But I would certainly stay at Llao Llao again - budget be damned!!
Driving back to airport
This post was edited on 6/24/19 at 11:27 pm
Posted on 6/25/19 at 8:51 am to kciDAtaE
Man, the travel board is a tough crowd. Not sure why you got the downvotes. I thought this post was incredible! Great pictures, great information, and it really piqued my interest to travel to Argentina.
Posted on 6/25/19 at 9:11 am to kciDAtaE
Amazing Trip Review! Loved the details and pictures. I know at least I have trouble getting my head around long trips to places like Chile or Argentina when comparing European alternatives.
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