hi-
My two friends and I are planing a trip to Argentina from March 14th until the 28th. We only have two nights in Buenos Aires booked so far and would love some suggestions for our itinerary. We would like travel to be affordable and a mix of exploring and relaxing. We are thinking about Mendoza,the waterfalls or Uruguay beaches. ANy help or suggestions would be great- thanks!

Why only 2 nights?
This is what you might do...
Find a place that you like and book it for the first full week. Then go to Iguazu Falls for 1 or 2 nights, then back to BA.. going into a new hotel.
In Uruguay, the beaches will really be winding down, or empty, with summer over. You will be arriving here in our fall.. but you can go anyway.. or go to Colonia on the high speed ferry , stay a night there, then take the bus to Montevideo and stay a night there, coming back on the ferry from Montevideo.
Or just do Colonia as a day trip.
An apartment sounds better than a hotel, with 3 people and a longer stay, you can spread out a little, come and go without worrying about the belongings etc.

Hope this gives you some ideas

Have you heard about the NW of Argentina? I feel it has a little bit of everything and the most amazing sceneries! March is perfect!
Do not miss Purmamarca, Tilcara and the SAlt Flats in the northern area and Cafayate, our wine country...
Flintstones

I spent a total of 10 weeks in Argentina at the end of last year (and still didn't see all I wanted to!). The highlight for me was a trip around the North West covering the areas flintstones has mentioned. You could easily spend a week renting a car and doing that circuit, but could squeeze it into 5 days plus a day or two in Salta. Otherwise, Iguazu Fall were amazing (2 days). Peninsula Valdez to see the whales was fantastic. We also enjoyed Colonia just accross the river from BA in Uruguay (there also some great beaches further along the coast. We kicked ourselves for not going to the glaciers!
Personally, I was underwhelmed by Mendoza but I appreciate that many love it. So many places, so little time!! Have fun it is a great country.

NW has also the best wines!
Altitude make of our wines one of the best in the world!
Flintstones...

Schildersb,

We are arriving a day earlier than you and spending 2 weeks.

Our itinerary is as follows:
7 days in BsAs
1 day in San Antonio de Areco
2 days in Estancia El Ombu
1 day undecided
3 days in the Mendoza area.

Sort of a little bit of mixture to get a flavor of Argentina.

rastaguytoday, you are still missing the NW of Argentina. I hope it becomes a great excuse to come back and get asecond visit.
Warm regards,
Flintstones

thanks for all the advice! Another question- should we book hotels before arriving or could we wait until we get there?

I really think that you should try to book everything now.. you never know how booked they might be and you don't want to waste time here, looking for a hotel instead of sightseeing.

flintstones.. I will definitely be contacting you when we are ready to explore the NW :- )
Can't wait !

flinstones,

One cannot do everything in one trip, especially if you are a group of four.

I've been to France more than 15 times and I haven't come close to seeing everything there.

Argentina is a tad bit larger than France, so I think I will get a good first taste of the flavor of BsAs, the pampas and the wine counrty in my trip.

I live within two hours of the Napa and Sonoma valleys, so we made a trip to the wine country a choice over NW Argentina or the Iguazu falls.

I second Crellston and flinstones. I would divide up one week between BA and the falls and devote a full week to the NW region.

I have not done the daytrips from BA, but IMO the falls and NW are so unique and spectacular. Okay, I haven't been to the falls, either, but judging from the pictures and reports, I'd say my comments are a safe bet!!

one caveat to this suggestion. You will need to take two round-trip flights for this itinerary, which will be a bit expensive.

third point, sorry to keep coming back.

If you want to cut down on the flights, you could make the choice between just Iguazu or the Northwest (or another region).

I have to confess that I have been twice now to Argentina and have not made it to the falls!

I have also been to Lakes District, which we loved and also highly recommend for its amazing beauty.

But, for a first-time trip, I really think that going to the NW gives such a complete package of exploration, culture, scenery, food and wine that is completely unique.

I 4th skatedancer, crellston and flintstones - the NW is spectacular. We just drank one of the bottles of torrentes wine we brought back --it was just as delicious and our US friends loved it too.

If u don't want to take the time it requires to see the NW, Iguazu Falls are pretty fabulous, but only need a couple days to visit.

I would suggest booking in advance for BA and if u go 2 IF. I believe u could get by in the NW without making reservations in advance, but flintstones would know better on that.

Have a great trip

I have nothing to say, everything was said... The are ais really unique. A bonus to your holidays...
Flintstones

Bookmarking...again

Oh ya, rastaguytoday, there's good article on the Mendoza area in the latest Budget Travel magazine. I also live within 3 hours of the Sonoma area and have spent many a happy moment soaking in the warm waters of Calistoga and trying great wines. I too want to check out Mendoza as part of our two or three weeks in December for the six of us. Maybe if you get a chance to do a trip report you could let me know?

skatedancer - I had forgotten about the Torrentes! Why is this wine not much better known around the world? It is delicious!!

As for Iguazu, yes, it is a long way (we took 28 hours on a bus from Salta). Was it worth it? Absolutely, but only for 1 or two days max. But then again we did spend a lot more time in Argentina than the OP is planning.
schildersb - if you are looking for budget type accomodation tehn check out
www.hostelworld.com
www.hostelbookers.com

I just got back from a fantastic two week trip to Argentina and Uruguay. Here's an idea of my itinerary, which I hope you find helpful...

Buenos Aires - Stayed at Hotel Virtum in Palermo Hollywood. Upscale, artsy and excellent service. Highly recommend it. Took a bike tour to Tigre with Urban Biking and then booked another to the northern part of Buenos Aires. Super friendly guys, took us to places most tourists probably don't get to visit. Saw a great tango show in San Telmo (btw, I like San Telmo a lot more than La Boca). Had some great meals in the Las Cañitas area. Thought Puerto Madero was nice but overrated.

Uruguay - Took the Buquebus to Colonia, where I spent one day. Quaint, peaceful little city. Headed to Montevideo for two days, stayed at the Sheraton. Had a great lunch at Mercado del Puerto - definitely try the meat and have a bottle of Medio y Medio. Rented a car and headed to Punta del Este - gorgeous beaches, beautiful people, great food. Went up to La Paloma and La Pedrera - nice little beach towns with great waves for surfers. Cabo Polonio impressed me most of all - rolling sand dunes, fishing village vibe, very rustic.

http://www.vitrumhotel.com/
http://www.urbanbiking.com/
http://www.mercadodelpuerto.com.uy/
http://www.buquebus.com.ay/
http://www.starwoodhotels.com/sherat...ropertyID=1238

oops...that last link to Buquebus should say
http://www.buquebus.com/