Fodor's Travel Talk Forums - 10 Days in Argentina

Hi,

We were in Argentina in Jan and Feb this year and had a get time. We did:
BA 2 nights,
Mendoza, which we loved, 3 nights, Iguazu Falls, 2 nights,
Ushuaia, 2 nights,
12 day cruise to Antarctic,
BA 1 night.

I would have liked another day in BA, but more than that we would have gotten bored I think. I would definitely do at least 3 and maybe 4 days in Mendoza, if you love good food and wine that is a must do. If you want to do the boat rides, you probably need at least a full day and a full morning or afternoon in Iguazu Falls, but since we were going on to Ushuaia we had to leave that second morning.

Here is part of my trip report on what we did and how the travel worked:

Fri Jan 25 -We fly overnight Houston to Buenos Aires. Continental was on time, we were lucky enough to get FF BC tickets, so the seats were comfortable and we sleep some.

Sat Jan 26 - We arrive in Buenos Aires at 11:20am. I had arranged for a private transfer to the hotel, Hotel Alvear Palace, premier room, king bed, breakfast, 2 nights. The room was very nice, as was the hotel. It is well worth the money if you want a really nice place to stay. It is in a nice area for walking and walking distance to the La Recoteta. I have difficulty walking sometimes so I also arranged for a car and guide for three hours that first afternoon to see the main sights. We walked over the La Recoteta and saw Eva’s tomb then drove to La Boca, strolled around a little, saw a couple doing the Tango in the street, an impromptu parade and shopped for a painting at the many stalls. Next we went to Cathedral and the “Pink House.” We finished up with a drive through San Telmo and on Avenida 9 de Julio with a view of the Obelisk and Opera House. It was a pleasant way to see sites and gave us a feel for what we wanted to do the next day. Back at the hotel, Jet lag was catching up with us so we walked around the block and found a side walk café that was serving, it was only 6:30pm. We had a hot sandwich and a drink, went back to the cool comfortable room and died!

Sun Jan 27 -We went back to La Recoleta for a photo session and then took a taxi back to San Telmo Quarter Antique market. We walked around the market and checked out some of the shops, beautiful things. Then walked through the area just enjoying the sites and sounds, great fun. At some point we got some ice cream and realized how hungry we were. We took another cab (very cheap!) back to the Hotel. We got back in time for the last seating for the Sunday Brunch - it was great, one the best meals we had in Argentina and the restaurant was beautiful. We then wondered over to a Mall near the hotel, can’t remember the name, but it was pretty up scale. DH was looking for something for his computer, but this wasn’t the place for that. We went back to the room as I was tired of walking and relaxed and worked on our pictures for a while. Later we ordered something from room service and went to bed. We have a very early morning for our flight to Mendoza.

Mon Jan 28 - The hotel sent us an early room service breakfast and we checked out. The Guide that picked us up on Sat met us a 5am and took us back to the airport. We flew Lan’s 6:15am flight to Mendoza out of AEP. The flight was on time and we arrived in Mendoza at 8am. I had arranged a package with Grapevine Wine Tours Ltd. So we were meet by our driver for the day, who actually was our driver for all the things we did. We first went to Finca Adalgisa. I love this place. We stayed here for three wonderful nights. Our room was not ready, but they took our luggage and fixed a nice breakfast for us. Refreshed and now awake we headed out for the day’s adventure, tour of Aconcagua National Park andthe high Andes. We followed the old trans-Andean railway, very scenic, though the Uspallata valley to the Park. This route is known as the Seven Tunnels. We visited the Incan Bridge, Las Bovedas monument and Cerro de los Siete Colores, seven colors mountain. We had lunch at an out door bar-b-que place in Uspallata. Argentina’s idea of bar-b-que is very different than Texas’ but it was good. We then returned to the Hotel and took a much needed nap. The hotel has a wonderful wine tasting room. The hotel is really part of an wine estate. They bottle a wonderful Malbec, in fact, it was our favorite, but it is only available at the estate. At about 7pm we head to our first wine tasting at the hotel and have a grand hour or so. We should have just made this dinner, but now, after a bottle of great wine we take a taxi to a small local Italian restaurant where we have more wine and a very nice pasta. It started to rain while we were eating and we couldn’t get a taxi to get back to the hotel, so someone at the restaurant took us back to the hotel.

Tues Jan 29 - We loved this day! We did a Private Wine tasting tour with Grapevine Vine. We visit 4 wineries in the La primera zone sub regions of Agrelo and Perdriel home of Malbec. First to Bodega Alta Vista(French) tasting Single Vineyard Malbec. This is an old winery and the tour was very interesting. Then to Bodega Lagarde (Traditional) for 1942 semillon and boutique champagne. We went out to the vineyard and learned a bit about the different vines. We also had a barrel tasting here. It is a very small winery with good wines and the wines are shipped to Texas. Next we headed for a tasting and a gourmet lunch at Bodega Ruca Malen. The lunch was outstanding! I would say it is a must do if you are in the area. Well, now it is sometime after 2 and we have had at least a bottle of wine a piece since we started this morning( the tastings are very, very generous!) We go on to our last winery at Bodega Tapiz for tastings from vintage barrels, tanks and bottles. I am having knee problems at this point and the tour has lots of stairs, so they set us up in the lobby and conduct the tasting there. Since we don’t go the “cellar” we just taste some of the various wines, but that is OK, as we don’t really need to Taste anything else at the point! Back to the hotel for another much needed nap! That night we head over to Club Tapiz for a very nice dinner and some more good wine! Actually this was one of the places I had tried to stay. It is very nice, but I really liked the atmosphere of Finca Adalgisa.
Wed Jan 30 - This day is a lazy one. We go into Mendoza with our driver, he has found a store that has what my husband is looking for his computer. He leaves us and we wonder around the plaza a bit then take a hair raising taxi ride back to the hotel. We have another great meal at La Bounogne, where we do their wine tasting lunch. This is another must do, We send the afternoon swimming and enjoying the Finca. It is truly a great place to stay. I was a bit worried at first since it was my third choice. The other two couldn’t give us all three days. That night we had the next to last of the great meals we enjoyed in Argentina. We went to Mallmans 1884. Their food is really good, much of it is cooked in an open air oven in the courtyard. The restaurant is located in an old winery in Mendoza that dates to the 1880's hence the name. We loved our time in Mendoza. I wish it was not such a long trip from the US! But tomorrow we move on.

Thurs Jan 31 - We flew on the Lan 8:45 flight from Mendoza to Buenos Aires. We had about a four hour layover in Buenos Aires AEP. Then we flew to Iguazu Falls on Lans 2:40 flight. After another uneventful and on time set of flights we arrived at 4:25pm. We stayed at Iguazu Falls Sheraton, in a falls view room with breakfast. There is a lot mentioned on this board about the view not being worth it. Well for us it was. The park closes at 6 and the sun doesn’t set till 9 so we sat in our room by the big picture window and had our evening drinks and enjoyed the view and watched as the sunset and changed the colors of the mist and the clouds. It is really a nice view too. We got to the hotel by 5, so we had time to do the upper circuit. Most of the people were gone by now, so we had the walks and view sites to our selves, another advantage to staying in the park.
The restaurant menu didn’t appeal to us and we didn’t really want to sit in the bar restaurant, so we ordered room service and enjoyed the view while we ate. A great way to end a long travel day.

Fri, Feb 1 - We arranged for a Half day morning tour of Brazilian side. Yes, we did get visas before we left and were glad we did. They were stopping all traffic at the border and making everyone show their paper work/passport. We had to have our passports stamped, so I am also glad we got our yellow fervor shots before we went too. In my opinion, it is well worth the money to see the Falls from Brazil. There is no comparison of the two views and you really don’t get the true feel for the water force and volume unless you get out into the Devil’s Throat on the catwalk on the Brazilian side and look up and into the horse shoe shapped area the is the Throat. It is truly awesome! That afternoon we took the train to the catwalk and walked to the over look of Devil’s Throat on the Argentina side. It is a great view, but you are looking over the falls and down so you don’t really see the whole picture of the height and depth of the falls. By the time we got back off the train it was almost 5pm, so we do the lower falls circuit. Both the Upper and the Lower Circuits are beautiful, but I think the Lower Circuit is more fun. We again had it all to our selves and had a great time getting drenched at the bottom of one of the falls. We exited the trails with the ranger as he was checking to see that everyone was off the walks. Again we chilled out watching the falls as the sun went down, then we had a good pizza and drink in the bar for dinner. Our late afternoon, plus one full day and 2 nights was enough for us. The only thing we didn’t do was the boat rides. I couldn’t do the steps-they are very step and narrow.

Sat Feb 2 -This day began the part of the trip that brought us to Argentina in the first place! We headed to Ushuaia to meet up with the Polar Star, an ice breaker that would take us to Antarctica. We had another all day travel day, but this one was not as smooth as the first one. We left the hotel about 8:30 for our 9:50 Lan flight to Buenos Aires AEP. This flight was as flawless as the last three. We arrived on time at 11:40. Our Aerolineas flight to Ushuaia was to leave at 3pm. So we found some lunch and other wise killed time waiting for boarding time. The Ushuaia flight was scheduled to depart at 3....at 4 they finally took us to the plane. They boarded from the front and the back so for a while there was a nice cross breeze. They got everyone boarded and then closed the doors! At this point there was no A/C. We sat there for nearly 40mins absolutely melting! Finally we left! Needless to say we were almost 2 hours late getting to Ushuaia. As we were deplaning they told us our luggage would be on the 10pm flight. The head winds were to strong to bring the extra weight of the luggage because Ushuaia was at the max range of the plane...... comforting! Ok so now it was 7:30pm, we headed to the Hotel Los Yamanas, about 2km from town on Channel. We checked in and had some dinner. The hotel was very nice, I was pleasantly surprised. We had a “suite” on the fourth floor with a to die for view of the Beagle Channel and the snow capped Mountains beyond. About 10 we got a taxi back to the airport and waited till nearly mid-night for the 10 pm plane to finally arrive, but at least our luggage was on the plane. We headed back to the hotel and bed!

Sun, Feb 3 - We made arrangements for an afternoon navigation(2.5hrs) in Catamaran of Beagle Channel at the hotel. Spent some time exploring the beach in front of the hotel and kinda getting things organized for the cruise departure the next day. Then we headed into town to explore and do some shopping. It was cool and the wind had been steadily increasing since the night before. We went over the check in for the boat ride and learned the harbor had just been closed due to the wind conditions. So we went to the taxi stop and arranged with a driver to take us to Tierra del Fuego National park for about $50US. The park has some nice easy walking trail and pretty view points. All in all a pleasant afternoon. We had a nice dinner at the Hotel. By now the wind was howling! We later learned that it reached 80m/hr that night.

Mon, Feb 4 - This morning the sun was out and it was cold because the wind was still blowing a gale. We walked on the beach and got the bags packed again. Had lunch at the hotel-they have a nice restaurant. About 2pm took a taxi to the dock. The Polar Star was there and ready for us. We were the first to arrive so we got settled in, explored a little and watched as the rest of the passengers board. We weren’t supposed to sail till 8pm, but the wind was still blowing hard and the ship had permission to sail at 6pm for Antarctica.

<12 Day trip to Antarctia>

Fri Feb 15 - We arrive back in Ushuaia and spend the morning walking around town. We visit the prison museum and finish up some shopping. We have an afternoon flight on Aerolineas to Buenos Aires which again is almost 2 hours late arriving then we wait about 40 minutes before we can board. I will never fly this airline again, it is terrible! We get to Buenos Aires in time for dinner. This time around we are staying at the Four Seasons one night delux king with breakfast included(we can see the River from our room). i wanted to try both hotels and to be in two different areas so we could explore more on foot. Of the two we liked Alvear better, more class and better food, though tere are several nice places to eat right beside the Four Seasons. Each part of the country is so different We have dinner at Piegari which is right across from the Hotel. Very good food and big severings.

Sat Feb 16 - Buenos Aires We sleep in and have a nice breakfast. We then get out and explore the area around the hotel and walk over to Florida Street, shopping along the way. I find some nice sandals and some other small leather items. Our main objective is Bettine Rizza at 547 Paraguay St just off Fla St. We want to order some leather items. She has lots of samples to try in the shop and we order a vest for me and a jacket and vest for my husband. She will ship them home for us. It is mid afternoon and HOT so we head back to the hotel for swim.
Our flight home is at 11:50pm and we have a late check out. After the swim, we pack up and put the luggage in storage and go to the bar for cocktails. Later we have dinner at the hotel. Our driver picks us up about 8:30 for the airport. The flight check in is the worst we have ever had! We get our boarding passes with no problem. BUT... Our driver looks upstairs and tells us to wait a minute while she goes upstairs to check on something. We look up and see a huge line wrapped around the balcony railing. You guessed it...the guide comes back down and says that is the security line...there are only two people checking boarding passes for the entry into the security check area! The guide wants to stay with us, but we see no reason for this plus it is very hot in the building so we get in the line and send her on her way. She has been really nice guide
It is now about 9:15pm. We stand in line for the boarding pass check(till just two people checking), then stand in line for the security check, then stand in line for immigration and stand in line for another baggage hand search at the gate. We sit down to wait to board. It is now 11:45 and they are starting to board the plane. The temperature must have been in the high 80's. There is not a dry stitch of clothing on us or anyone else for that matter. Fortunately the planes A/C is going full blast so once we board we finally cool off and have an uneventful flight home.

Hope this helps in your planning. If you do any side trips fly on Lan and get the tickets as early as possible. We got ours 10 months out(March). By July the cheapest seats were gone and the fare was double what we had paid in March.

Argentina is a lovely country. We felt very safe and the people were most friendly.