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Argentina
Buenos Aires is one of the most remarkable places I have ever been. It's clean, classy, safe, and dirt cheap. The leather bags are at least 400 pounds cheaper than what you would buy on the high street.
Also they have miles and miles of shops on Florida and Avenida Santa Fe where you can buy anything for one third of the price in the US or UK.
We stayed at the art hotel in Recoleta which was a boutique hotel with contemporary art in the foyer, free internet access, great rooms and wet room bathrooms.
Beware the fake taxis in Buenos Aires. Because we'd been there for four days we realised that if they don't have a proper meter in the right hand corner and photographic id on the back of the driver's seat then don't get in. We used a taxi which charged us three times the price of a journey from the airport. We refused to pay and threatened to call the Policia!
If this happens to you get to your hotel and ask the concierge to translate... avoid at all costs.
Otherwise, BA is one of the safest cities in the world and the people are very nice. Palermo is great and so is Recoleta. Avoid San Telmo if you have to. Use taxis rather than buses as they are very cheap and the metro is great for getting around centrally. In taxis from the Newbery internal airport it should cost you no more than $14 and to the international around $50.
Try and go to the best steak restaurant in the Palermo area called La Cabrera, it's economical but BOOK AHEAD as it gets very busy.
Various.. please email me if you want any tips neillhenderson@hotmail.com(no spam)
Beware some of the tango shows in Buenos Aires that are recommended by your hotel. Bar Sur in San Telmo and Mandera Tango in the port area of BA are a rip off and are tourist traps.
For example, they will try and give you a poor seat with a bad view for you to upgrade to the 'VIP' area. They include a poor dinner with horrible house wine then con you to have a photo taken with two of the tango dancers who they say appear in the show then you never see them again.
They'll also offer you a cocktail for 40 pesos which is three times the price of any cocktail anywhere else. Bar Sur charges 210 pesos per person for the dinner and show in one of the tightest floor spaces in BA. Then the drinks are double the price of anywhere else in BA. If you want to see tango choose very carefully.
Looking to stay at an Argentine home? well, maybe not inside their home, but how about in their guesthouse?
Few vacation rentals in Buenos Aires offer what this beautiful and comfortable cottage does. Completely renovated with air conditioning which you will need on summer days, an outside BBQ grill for preparing the perfect Argentinean barbecue, a small swimming pool and paths that lead to tea gardens. Located in an area called Adrogue, in the south suburbs of the city of Buenos Aires.
Spotlessly clean, very well catered.
A typical Argentinian parilla. Order the bif de chorizo, which is basically a sirloin (nothing to do with the sausage!). You'll get one big enough for two; order potatoes (papas) any way you like (natural - boiled; fritas- chips). Bottle of Malbec or a Qulimes beer.
Follow with a helados (ice cream) and coffee. In June it set me back 40 pesos - including tip.
Definitely no fancy stuff here, this is a local restaurant full of portenos. Although tourists do know about it. Fantastico, I thought!
Stroll down the street to Bar Seddon afterwards. In fact, San Telmo is full of interesting bars, cafes and restaurants.
Avenida Defensa 858, San Telmo.
Subte: Independencia
Buquebus offers ferries to/from Buenos Aires and Uruguay (Colonia, Montevideo) in combination with coach transportation within Uruguay. Very easy to book online, very reasonable rates (my roundtrip ferry/bus fare was less than $100). The ferry is comfortable, as are the buses. For pictures and full description go to www.travelmusings.net
The Cocker is a recently opened boutique hotel in San Telmo. It is located on Av. Juan de Garai between Defensa and Bolivar, one block from Parque Lezama (and the wonderful Bar Britanico - as seen in The Motorcycle Diaries!) It's perfectly placed for trips to the local antiques market in Plaza Dorego (2 blocks) and is truly in the heart of all that historic San Telmo has to offer (parilla, tango, bars, cafes). The hotel itself is beautiful - restored from a complete wreck by its two proprietors over the course of 18 months. It's stylish and modern but sensitive to the building's original character. We stayed in a room with a private roof terrace ($80 per night) which proved a fantastic place to spend a soothing evening drinking a Quilmes (or two!) listening to the heartbeat of city life. Aidan and Ian (the owners) were extremely helpful, arranging transport for us - even a trip to Uruguay! The name (in case you were wondering) stems from Rocco - their pet cocker spaniel.
458 Av. Juan de Garai, San Telmo
www.thecocker.com
San Telmo is a great place to stay if you're on a budget in Buenoa Aires. It has real character and there are some cheap hotels and loads of parillas to eat argentine steak in. Avoid the touristy cafes around the main square (with the exception of the wonderful old pub on the corner) as they are over-priced and the food is average.
Instead, head down any of the roads off the square and into any of the restaurants flooded with locals. The food and atmosphere are amazing and exceptional value for money. Also the San Telmo antiques market is a bit of a must (Sunday mornings I think), and you should get to see some tango there too.
Only Uruguayans eat more beef per capita than the Argentines so it stands to reason they'd know a thing or two on the subject.
La Celeste, a parilla set in the cobblestone alleys of trendy Palermo Viejo serves an excellent steak dinner with all the fixings, including a decent Malbec for 30 pesos. Plus there is a table soccer game in the outside patio to help you make room for dessert.
Medrano 1475, Palermo Viejo. Tel: 4822 1112
www.lacelestemvd.com.ar
A chorizo sausage in a bread roll - great street food, and you can pay less than 50p for it.
Lots of small fast food places on Lavalle and Florida
A good cheap place to eat and very good quality is "Siga la vaca" (follow the cow) at the far end of Puerto Madera.
Av Alicia M de Justo 1714, Puerto Madera
It's an agency that provides apartment rental in BA - well worth it if you are staying in the city for more than seven days. As with most capitals, hotels are expensive here and you get greater freedom having your own place, as well as it being more cost affective.
It's a brilliant restaurant serving an all-you-can-eat buffet and parillada (BBQ). The deserts are amazing too - so save some room. Extremely popular throughout the day because it's such good value. In the evenings, be prepared to queue.
Av Alicia M de Justo 1714, Puerto Madera
There are thousands and thousands of taxis in Buenos Aires. They are very, very cheap, reliable and safe. During our three week stay we occasionally took the metro and the bus (el collectivo), both of which were cheap and efficient but the taxis were in a class of their own. Not once were we taken out of our way and the drivers (always happy to chat) invariably used their meters.
It was completely unnecessary to negotiate a price in advance, and quite the opposite of what we'd been led to believe. We were told never to hail them off the street, but we always did. I have never felt safer than I did in Buenos Aires.
A place to go and dance tango or just to look at people dancing 'for real'. Unlike most of other tango places, that do shows 'for export', it is rough and ready (in a barely-converted warehouse) and full of young people. Lessons also available, including some for same sex couples.
Sarmiento 4006. Tel 15 5325-1630. Buses: 168-92-151-160-36 Subte A estación Castro Barros y Subte B estación Medrano.
A fun art hotel run by two Germans in the colonial San Telmo district. Each room is decorated with works by different artists. Its modern restaurant serves kitsch cocktails and there are art events, poetry readings and DJ parties on weekends. Prices range from $30 to $50 a night.
Estados Unidos, 1393; Tel: 4381 6064; www.boquitas-pintadas.com.ar/
A four day conversational spanish course for only £22.
Classes are actually held while walking around the city, learning about its culture and history.
Chipa is a Paraguayan snack. If you catch a train to or from the Retiro stations you'll hear loads of people selling it - "chipa, chipa, dos por un peso" - if you get it when it is warm, it is fantastic. And if you get the chance, try chipa guazu too - made with egg and sweetcorn.
Outside Retiro train stations
Basically it's a landfill just behind Puerto Madera (three blocks behind, going away from the city and towards the Rio de la Plata). It's been a landfill for many years now and giving various plants, trees and lots of different animals the chance to grow there. If you want to go for a quiet walk, away from the hussle and bustle of the city, this is the best place to go. It's got water and many different species of butterflies and plants, lizards and birds. It's probably the biggest green space I know of in Buenos Aires that you don't have to walk too far to get to.
Avenida Corrientes, follow the avenue down to Luna Park then on to Puerto Madera, and just keep walking - you can't miss it. There are two entrances at both ends each entrance is about 2km apart and then you can enter, absolutely free.
Pippo specializes in pasta but the real attraction is the clientele itself, loud and gesticulating Porteños in their natural environment.
Montevideo, 341; Tel: 4374 0762
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