Dear members,
We already booked our South America vacation from October 26 to November 11, traveling from Buenos Aires to Rio and require your kind assistance on the following matters:
1.Ferry BA to/from Montevideo. What is the difference between the first and the second class?
We booked 2 hotels in Montevideo: Axsur Design and Cala di Volpe Boutique. We still can’t decide which one is better. It just came across the web, that Axsur location and safety is not the best.
Bus to/from Mendoza. We definitely need the most luxury accommodation (first class). Which bus company should we take? How far in advance we should do it?
2.Trips/sightseeing/activities in Mendoza. I know that we have to have wine tour and mountain tour (including Aconcagua and Puente del Inca). We need the name of a knowledgeable guide with a good command of English
3.Guided tour of Buenos-Aries as well as recommendations as to the sightseeing, shops and restaurants.
Other things we would be interested in - names of good restaurants (not necessary the most pricy, but with excellent food and service favored by locals, shops, tango show recommendations, etc.
It would help if you can provide descriptions (possibly websites/links for the events, venues, etc.).
Best regards
From Buenos Aires to Rio
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On Buquebus, first class grants you access to the upper open air deck.
The hotel Cala di Volpe in Montevideo is located in a safe at all times area, facing the rambla, the beach. Axsur is a new hotel, but at night (or daytime) do not walk around Ciudad Vieja, and never alone.
Andesmar is the best bus company we used when in Argentina. www.andemar.com . www.omnilineas.com is good for timetables etc. if you can, book a couple of weeks in advance to be on the safe side. Although we seemed to be able to get seats ok a couple of days in advance for most routes. Make sure you book Ejecutivo or Full Cama seats. Some routes also have suites.
I was a bit underwhelmed by the wine tours in Mendoza when compared with those in say Australia or NZ so can't really comment on which tours to use.
We really enjoyed the tango show at Cafe Tortoni, one of the oldest establishments in BA. As it is 4 years since we were there, I hesitate to comment on restaurants but I am sure others will.
As for things to do in BA, I suggest you do a little of your own research first. The destinations section of Fodors is a good starting point or this which I just stumbled across http://www.fodors.com/news/starter-kit-to-argentina-6153.html
I stayed at Cala de Volpe about three weeks ago. It's kind of bland and not very close to the city and the area it is in is also bland. However, it's not far from a shopping centre and from there you can take a bus into the city. The bayside walk the rambla is also very close. An Uruguayan friend of mine, who lives in the neighbourhood, nonetheless didn't advise walking around at night, take cabs.