maharani

Hi,
I am traveling to BA for my first visit this Friday. I've got 7 nights/8 days to work with and am female traveling solo. Would greatly appreciate recommendations as I've only just begun my research. Where to stay? What to do? Day trips?

I know it's winter there right now, but this is the only time I'll ever be able to go to BA so I jumped at booking my ticket this morning.
Any advice that can be shared would be great.

avrooster

Maharani: try to give us a little more to work with. Budget, age, what you expect from your trip, etc.

For instance, do you want a high end hotel or are you a backpacker looking to stay in hostels? See what I mean? We need more info, to be able to help you.

Our winter should not worry you too much. Today we are having what feels like a wonderful early spring day, but there is always an element of luck when dealing with the weather.

Anyway, you have chosen well. You'll have a great time in our country.

maharani

As you can tell I've done very little research so far. Am in my mid 30s with a mid-priced vacation budget, something round $1K for the week.

Was looking at the Five Cool Rooms in Palermo as a place to stay but don't know if that puts me far off from the rest of the sites? Or if the neighborhood is any good?

I'm into visiting/seeing the architecture, museums, galleries, culture & shopping of BA, maybe a soccer or polo match if the season permits. Was also thinking of a day trip to Colonia del Sacramento and short stay in Mendoza if the wineries are open this time of year or Iguazu Falls (although I know time is little to plan).

My Spanish repertoire is limited to about 10-20 words, so I hope that doesn't preclude a enjoyable & comfortable stay...

Bea01

I can recommend that you stay at the Art Hotel in Recoleta. It is greatly located, in walking distance to many attractions and museums. If there's availability, you can get a small room for usd 85 a night:

http://www.arthotel.com.ar/index.html

If you like museums, you have to visit the National Museum of Fine Arts, which is free and has great works of arts. Also, don't miss the exhibition at the Decorative Arts Museum, with sculptures by Rodin, Camille Claudel, and other contemporary artists.

With just 7 days I'm afraid your time is too limited for a trip to Mendoza, but a day trip to Colonia will be great. Maybe you can also spend one night at the falls.

The San Jorge Club Polo Championship starts on August 23rd, but you will have to arrange transportation since it is out of the city. There are some soccer matches on Sunday 24th, but I recommend that you take an organized tour with a guide, since this is not recommended for a solo female.

maharani

Thanks for the tip. I've requested availability of the hotel. Let's hope they reply. I'm also thinking about the Esplendor or the Claridge hotel for my first 2 nights, do you know those?

And also because my Spanish is terribly bad, I can't manage to tell the difference between the two ferry services to Colonia and Montevideo. If you had to choose, would you recommend one over the other or go to both?

avrooster

For a first-time visitor like you, maharani, I would suggest not missing the Iguazú Falls, if you can find flight and hotel availability.

However, if your budget is really limited to $1K for the whole week, I'd say you'll have to stay in BA.

cheribob

bookmarking

MnJ

This is another confirmation to see Iguazu Falls. We spent three wonderful nights at the Sheraton Falls. The power and magic of the falls are incredible. You will have memories that will last throughout your life. Please consider the falls. In Buenos Aires, walk about the Recoleta Cemetery. Once or twice a day there are free English tours. Here is a caution---no vendor or mechant seems to have small bills. Ask your hotel to exchange large notes into small one. Also, the merchants will often examine your money for counterfeit bills. You should do the same when you get money---hold up the bills to the lights and make sure there is a watermark portrait. And once more, you can tell that we are "Iguazu addicts", consider making that the highlight of your trip.

jt7dreamz

BA. My favorite place ever. Sigh. Ok keep in mind BA is Cheap. I repeat- CHEAP. Cab rides from Palermo to where we stayed (which was in between neighborhoods but right by the Casa Rosada) were like $4. Insanely cheap.

If you like music or architecture or just knowing you can see something cool don't miss the opera house tour. it wasnt expensive, took an hr and is one of the premier opera houses in the world (top 5). its just neat.

we went to gran bar danzon for drinks and it was fun- if i remember correct we had sushi here as well.

in recoleta we went to million which was also very nice.

in terms of where to stay i have no real advice. we stayed in an eensy b&b which was only $36 a night!!! sooo cheap. our friends stayed at a kemper in recoleta- which was tres chichi.
this site is pretty cool: http://www.biddingtons.com/content/b...staurants.html

Bea01

jt7dreamz,
For what yo say you must have been to BA a couple of years ago. Unfortunatetly things are not so cheap anymore. Taxis have gone up, but they are still cheap compared to other cities in the world. A trip from Palermo to Plaza de Mayo must be aroun 8-10 usd. And I donīt think thereīs a hotel room for less than 80 usd anywhere.
And our beautiful opera house is closed for renovation for more than two years now. It was supposed to be opened again by now, but the renovation works are delayed and sadly nobody knows for sure when they will be finished.
All the rest is still true, Buenos Aires is a wonderful city.

jt7dreamz

terrible! i was there in 06. i am sad to know the opera house is closed!!!
and even more sad to see prices have gone up- esp since i assume this means things are tougher financially for the locals (

BA is still glorious to me though- definitely a top 5 city worldwide