JPT24

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to get some advice (accomodations, food, things to see & do) and suggestions for our upcoming trip to Argentina and Chile. Here's the itinerary so far:

Arrive in Buenos Aires Nov 19
Fly to Mendoza Nov 23
Fly to Santiago Nov 26
Depart for Los Angeles Nov 28

My husband and I are in our early 30s, active, enjoy all that big city's have to offer, do NOT like tourist traps or touristy restaurants, and want to make the most out of our time. While we are trying to follow a budget, we are more than willing to spend a little extra for the experience.

A good friend recommended the Faena hotel in BA. While it looks extremely nice (the architecture and design resembles a lot of hotels & restaurants here in our native LA), it is very expensive. We were thinking of staying 1 or 2 nights max at this hotel due to the exorbitant cost. We would like to spend just 1 day touring the city to see famous plazas, locations, etc. Also, are there any good day trips that we should look into? I saw on another forum that some people have gone to Estancias. I've also noticed that other travelers stay in apartments or bed & breakfasts...any thoughts here? We would love to see a tango show plus dinner, but would prefer to avoid any cheesy touristy types of shows. I also read about a famous coffee shop called Cafe Torino (or something along those lines) that was recommended. We enjoy city nightlife, so we would also be interested in visiting some local lounges/bars; where should we go?

Our time in Mendoza is already planned. We are staying at Hotel Villagio and doing a 2 day wine tour with Ampora Wine Tours (we LOVE wine!). The hotel and wine tour came highly recommended. In fact, if you look at Trip Advisor reviews, everybody rates Ampora as the best! They have also arranged our hotel for us and provided wonderful restaurant recommendations. So far, they have been top notch in terms of their service.

As far as Santiago, the only recommendation we have received is to go to Astrid and Gaston for dinner. What else should we do while in Santiago, what should we see, where should we stay and what other restaurants are recommended?

Thank you in advance for your help and time! It is appreciated, especially when planning a trip as important as this since it is our very overdue honeymoon!

Scarlett

OK... my opinion..
The Faena is something else.. it is an Ian Shrager hotel so it is amazing to look at but in my opinion, you will be paying a huge amount to stay in a pretty but dull area , one of the most expensive areas and the hotel really has no "Buenos Aires" soul to it ..

Not to mention, Puerto Madero is about as touristy as you can get, ( if you don't count San Telmo) with lines of over priced tourist trap restaurants lining the river walk.

My suggestion would be to stay at either the big more familiar hotels in Recoleta ,
Four Seasons, Hyatt ( Palacio Duhau ) , or one of the really nice boutique hotels in Palermo, Home Hotel is one that everyone likes.


1. The Park Hyatt Hotel
http://buenosaires.park.hyatt.com/hy...tels/index.jsp
Located in Recoleta on Avenida Alvear, this is the Hotel Palacio Duhua. There is Fine Dining, an Art Gallery and the Oak Bar as well as a lovely Spa.

2. The Four Seasons Hotel & La Mansion of the Four Seasons Hotel
http://www.fourseasons.com/buenosaires/
Located in Recoleta, this is a grand hotel. Marble lobby, a very nice restaurant and bar as well as the Mansion, a 20th century French mansion in addition to the main hotel building.

3. The Alvear Palace Hotel
http://www.alvearpalace.com/v2/home.php
In the heart of Recoleta, this grand hotel was built in 1932, is decorated in French style, and is a favorite of politicians and movie stars.
The Lobby Bar, the Alvear Tea and La Borgogne are all favorites of locals and visitors. Very luxurious hotel.

4. The Sofitel Hotel
http://www.sofitel.com/sofitel/fiche...che_hotel.shtm...
In the Retiro neighborhood, near Recoleta, is the Sofitel Hotel. It is an Art Deco building with the most luxurious furnishings and decorations.
The neighborhood is home to beautiful art galleries, boutiques and wonderful architecture. Le Sud is the restaurant that locals enjoy also.

5. The Faena Universe Hotel
http://www.faenahotelanduniverse.com/

1- Home Hotel
http://www.homebuenosaires.com/
Palermo Boutique Hotel - Trendy, Popular, Fun

2. Bobo Hotel - in Palermo
http://www.bobohotel.com/
Bobo= 'Bourgeois Bohemian" .
Rooms have names like Classic or Minimalist, some are very small, but they are all very contemporary.

3. Art Hotel
http://www.arthotel.com.ar/
Recoleta Boutique hotel with art on the walls, a library, and a living room as well as small but very nice guest rooms.

4. ArtSuites Hotel in Recoleta
http://www.artsuites.com.ar/
Two rooms to a floor, each with a kitchen and living area plus bedroom and bath. Balcony and daily maid service with breakfast included.

5. Legado Metico
http://www.legadomitico.com/
New with good word of mouth so far.

6. Five Cool Rooms
http://www.fivebuenosaires.com
In Palermo Soho, definitely cool . There are actually 16 rooms..trendy, young clientele.

7. Mine Hotel
http://www.minehotel.com/homeeng.htm
Very nice, boutique hotel

8. Miravida Soho
http://www.miravidasoho.com/hotel#/f...courtyard1.jpg


I would skip the B&B idea but renting an apartment is good, you can get all sorts in any neighborhood.
look at this website for ideas
www.buenosaireshabitat.com

Pretty much wherever you go here in town, you will be near cafes and shops etc. You just want to find a neighborhood that appeals to you.. I live in Recoleta, there are some huge parks here, a few of the grander museums and the Hippie Feria each weekend, great beautiful boulevards with grand old buildings and good shopping and eating.

Palermo is more mixed, grand and funky, the Botanical Gardens and Zoo are there, many great restaurants and cafes and shopping is good... too good

San Telmo is the Sunday flea market and tango dances in the Square and shopping and eating..

Palermo Soho is full of bars and nightspots, but then , the whole city is .. people generally go to dinner around 9 or later, often nightclubs don't start til around 2 am and most go until morning, when the sun is up again :- )
Palermo Hollywood is full of good restaurants too and has a bit of the charm of the "old" Buenos Aires with the low buildings and cobblestone streets.. which are found all over town.

ok... hope this helps ... at least you have some more ideas ..

JPT24

Scarlett - WOW! Thank you so MUCH for your suggestions! It sounds like you hit the nail on the head in terms of what we are looking for. We will definitely be going with one of your hotel recommendations. Would you also be able to recommend some great restaurants and where we should go to see good tango? We will be swaying away from the touristy areas you mentioned above (thank you for pointing these areas out!) We are very excited to visit Buenos Aires and we both very much appreciate your help and suggestions!

MarnieWDC

SCARLETT---What a fantastic summary & hotel reference. I have saved this for future reference and for friends. Quite a resource. Well done !

Warm regards from WDC, ~Marnie

Scarlett

I am glad it was helpful, Marnie, you can give me plenty of information too !
Just think, you will be here soon !

Tango- if you want to see a show, look it up in a guide book or ask here.. we don't go to the Tango shows. I might someday but just haven't .. but you might enjoy seeing a not fancy, not glitzy (Las Vegas review type) show at Cafe Tortoni.
It is a small venue, tango, tango music, fun.

Then you could go all out and go to the Faena Hoteland Universe ( Philippe Stark) on Puerto Madero and see Rojo Tango with a steak dinner... expect to spend a lot on this one.

http://www.faenahotelanduniverse.com/

Soooo many restaurants.. I will come back with a list, it is late, my husband and the dog are looking for me lol

Carmen123

Just a humble addition in light of Scarlet amazing list. Not to be missed-Cafe Tortoni historical rather than glitzy.It was built in 1858.Make sure there is a tango show on when you want to go.The other dining suggestion is la Estancia not too far from the shopping on Calle Florida.
Have a wonderful belated honeymoon !!!

teach2travel

If you want to visit one of the markets, I suggest Feria Mataderos or the one at Recoleta cemetary. Feria Mtaderos was one of my favorite experiences in BA. It is in a regular neighborhood. I only heard English once the whole day.

In front of Recoleta cemetary there are many craft vendors set up. I got some wonderful gifts there.

From the Casa Rosada, its fun to ride the subte 2 stops to Cafe Tortoni. It's easily walkable, but the subte cars on that line are original and old advertisements are being restored to the platforms.

One suggestion for an estancia is El Ombu. The experience isn't touristy. It's more like visiting friends in the country than visitng a gaucho show.

I'm sure you'll love Argentina.

Scarlett

Yes, and the Feria de Mataderos has gauchos who do races in the afternoon.. quite exciting , music, dancing.. very good feria.

The Hippie Feria in Recoleta on weekends is fun and getting bigger and bigger ! Yesterday while walking the dog in Plaza Francia, we were treated to some great music by a band that had set up in the grass, with a little art show along the sidewalk.
Pup was fascinated with the idea that all those people were sitting on the grass, waiting for him to come sit with them.... it was almost impossible to explain to him that it was not a good idea
lol

JPT24

I appreciate all the wonderful suggestions from everybody! This is really helpful. Now onto Santiago, Chile - can anyone offer up some equally great recommendations on what we should do, see, eat, hear, etc? We will be flying to Santiago on Thurs Nov 26 and departing late on Sat Nov 28 back to the States. We have about 2 1/2 full days in Santiago, and figured we would spend at least one day taking a tour to see most of the city. Any thoughts, suggestions, etc?

Huentetu

Two days is a very short time, especially if you are liable for the reciprocity fee at US$131 each. You can, however, in most big hotels get the room without the 19% sales tax as tourists. Win some, lose some!
This is a very nice small hotel in Providencia:
www.meridianosur.cl
There is a hop on/hop off bus which does a good overview of Santiago:
www.turistik.cl
Or there are many other tours which you can book through your lodging; to Valparaíso, to a vineyard, up into the Andes.
The city is easy to walk and has two tree covered hills right in town, the Cerro San Cristobal and the Santa Lucía.
The option for restaurants is huge, but if you like fish and shellfish (a Chilean specialty) then you should go to Azul Profundo in the Bellavista area, or Robinsonia in Providencia. Both have a good atmosphere and excellent fish. Bellavista is a lively area at night, with many bars and restaurants, and it is one of the oldest neighbourhoods in Santiago.
You might like to have a look at this website:
http://www.allsantiago.com/

JPT24

Huentetu - thank you so much for your reply! We were not aware of the reciprocity fee. I can't believe how much it is. Do you know if it required or if there is a way around it? That's a lot of money to spend for only staying 2 days.

I appreciate your suggestions on where to stay and eat. The allsantiago.com website you sent is very helpful as well.

If you think of anything else, please feel free to let me know!

mlgb

Yes if you are a US citizen it is required. It does last for the life of the passport.

I am surprised you would fly all the way to Santiago for a few days, also.

Huentetu

You pay the fee arriving at the airport in Santiago but not at land borders. The trip by bus over the Andes from Mendoza is spectacular, but I would not do it there and back for a 2 day visit. The discount on hotel bills for tourists (most big hotels) really doesn't offset the cost of the fee if you are staying one or two nights.
The fee is the same amount charged to Chileans for visiting the USA as tourists, which is why it is called a reciprocity fee. Only a handful of nationalities pay it and the amount varies according to what Chileans are charged. Canadians pay one dollar more!

owlwoman

If you're coming from AR into Chile, I don't think you have to pay the fee. We flew from Ushuaia - Puerto Arenas, they did not have to pay the fee. I believe it's only for international arrivals. So, going from Mendoza - Santiago, you should be ok.

JPT24

I am slightly confused now. Huentetu indicated that the fee is paid when you arrive at the Santiago airport, however Owlwoman said she did not have to pay it. Owlwoman, how did you get around this? We are flying from Mendoza so perhaps being on a domestic flight is the way to get around it? Mlgb - we would love to stay longer in Santiago but we are taking the maximum amount of vacation days possible and have to get back to work right away. Plus it is nearly a full day of travel for us.

Huentetu

No, owlwoman is wrong. If you arrive at the international airport in Santiago on an international flight (whether from Atlanta or Mendoza is irrelevant) you are liable for the fee. This is the only point in Chile where you would pay it. Since owlwoman did not fly into Santiago but Punta Arenas, she did not pay the fee.

owlwoman

Sorry for confusion, I guess we did not pay the fee since we did not fly into Santiago.

The rules also seem to differ by airport in AR too, sometimes we had to pay a local departure fee when we flew, other times we did not (within AR).

Anyway, I guess if you want to avoid the fee, take the bus from Mendoza - Santiago, it is a beautiful ride, we did a day tour to the border when we stayed in Mendoza.