Oh my goodness Miss Scarlett, you have my mouth watering with the description of those crepes. I had room service one night and they sent up these huge cookies stuck together with dulce de leche and covered with powdered sugar with strawberries on the side. I HAVE GOT TO GET BACK THERE!

Those crepes sound like they are to DIE for!!!! I will definitely have to check them out.

Yes, we have our Sheraton reservations. Since we are traveling with several other people and have had such a good experience with him, South America tends to be the one part of the world (besides Africa) where I have worked through a travel agent. So it is all part of the package that he put together for us and I have no idea what each part costs (except for the airfare which was billed separately). I don't think we'll have a falls view room, but we don't spend much time in the actual room so no biggee.

Sharon, they sell those cookies or something very close .. at the Havana stores
You really have to come back, you know...

scarlrett, glad all those trips to the gelateria haven't affected your waistline. perhaps that's due to all the hard work u are doing on your apt eh.
weddind Sat
Honeymoon 29 Dec
can't wait to see Argentina and Bs As!

cheers
AndrewDavid

Lbecker24; I think you can come to Argentina and will not repeat...
You did not see the NW, Purmamarca, the SAlt Flats,Our wine country, you did not taste Miranda`s Wine ice-cream... You did not taste our wines from Cafayate and you did not eat our goat cheese. Youd did not enjoy the weather in the NW and did not get the experience of a saltenian empanada... You still have alot of new experiences.
Flintstones

I have just joined this post and have read some interesting information on Buenos Aires. My husband and I arrive in Buenos Aires Feb.11, 2008 and are looking for places to stay. We plan on staying in BA for about a week and then on to Mendoza wine country for about a week then to Santiago, Chile for a week and home from there. Of course depending on how much fun we are having our time in each place could change. I would love any recommendations of places to stay and things to do and see. We have thought about an apartment rental in BA. Any thoughts on that? We love being in the middle of the action. We could stay home if we wanted to be quite.
Thanks for any information you can give us for BA, Mendoza, Santiago.

Hi Gartin,

Hopefully, by now you have reposted this question by itself so more people can see it. I've read some good posts here about apartment rental.

If I had one wish about our visit to BA, it would be to visit more neighborhoods; especially Palermo Soho, which sounds cool. We go lazy and stuck around Recoleta for the most part.

thanks ibecker24 for your response. I have been in contact with avrooster and scarlett. they have been giving me great info plus reading all the info provided by this forum.
our plan is to try and see every neighborhood. we are making room reservations for just a couple nights when we get there and then check out other places that appeal to us.

Gartin,

Seeing every neighborhood is a very ambitious undertaking. There are over 45 barrios, many of which are divided into many distinct neighborhoods. If neighborhoods are of interest to you...you might want to consider visiting some of the lesser known areas such as Boedo or Caballito in addition to the various areas within Palermo and Recoleta, the most common destinations.

drdawggy, avrooster has told me so much about you. As far as seeing every neighborhood we will keep going until we get sick of it. I'm sure we won't see it all but I'd like to put a dent into it. We like to explore. we have a total of 3 weeks with no diffenite plans. We might spend some time in Mendoza for the wine and we leave from Santiago so we might as well see a bit of that place as well. I'm so plugged into BA right now I can't seem to do my research on the other places. Thanks for your suggestions we will take your advice

just curious - given 9 days in BA (can't leave except perhaps once overnight, probably an estancia)...would you stay in different hotels/different neighborhoods or stick to one home base?

I rented an apartment and was delighted. http://tinyurl.com/2k3tq5 is where I stayed - a bit away from more touristy area but quite convenient.
I would not move to a different neighborhood - it is easy to get around town, and taxis are cheap.

Hi
Regarding moving while you are there...we were here for 2 weeks last Oct/Nov and personally, our thoughts on this are..if you are happy with your hotel/apt..stay put.
Why waste precious sightseeing , Tango, dining time with an apt/hotel hunt, move and unpack/repack ??

You will be shocked at how fast time flies here, the city is huge, no one is prepared for the size or the amount of time it takes to get here, there and do everything you wish to do.
Be prepared to plan a second trip so you can do the rest of the stuff you have on your list of things to do in Buenos Aires

There are neighborhoods here that are worth a visitor seeing and there are neighborhoods here that you really don't want to visit nor do you need to.

But there are enough neighborhoods ( they are all very large too) that you will barely skim them in your time here.

Lists...make lists..things you must see and do and then those will become things you hope to see and do then they will become what you want to see and do next trip lol.

Neighborhoods that are fun to visit..though not necessarily where you might want to stay-
Recoleta, Palermo and all the "little Palermos".. San Telmo, Retiro, Congresso, Once , Las Canitas, Belgrano.... a day trip to Tigre, a day trip to Colonia, La Boca maybe if you must

dr dawggy will hopefully add to my list .. I know I have left things out

thank you scarlett for your sensible answer. i looked into apartment stays but nothing worked out this time. but from everything i've heard and read, argentina is a place i'll be visiting again...

i am attending a special event with my kids that mostly takes place in tigre. i think there's a train that gets me there easily? i really really don't want to rent a car.

and as far as tango goes - i was a professional dancer way back when. do you think it would be worth it to take a class here at home before i arrive? the idea that people are just out and about tango-ing delights me! is it just a tourist myth?

Yes, there is a train .. it will bring you right into town..with one stop to change ( I think) It is the Tren de la Costa ( which is a scenic trainride)..
Tigre has antique shops, waterway restaurants and plenty of beautiful natural sights.

I think it is not a long trip back and forth, my friends were just there Sunday, they took a boat out , had lunch, shopped and they were back here for dinner

No - no driving lol...shudder...

Yes, Tango is everywhere, there are Tango Tours, Tango Hotels..you can go to places like Confiteria Ideal and just watch, you can dance or you can take lessons.

Look on tripadvisor.com in the Buenos Aires forums, people discuss Tango all the time there

Yes cheryl_b, there is a train which gets you easily to Tigre. You take it in the Retiro Mitre railway station. It takes about three quarters of an hour and is quite cheap. Do NOT rent a car in BA.

The Tren de la Costa is a more scenic train for tourists. It is more expensive, takes quite a bit longer and you have to change trains about half way.

You could take it for fun a couple of times, when you are in no hurry. http://www.trendelacosta.com.ar/site/

Have a great time in our country.

What taxi co did you use in BA?

Taxis in BA are very cheap, but as a tourist ALWAYS use the radio taxis. It is a good idea to have addresses written down for the driver in case Spanish is not your lanaguage. The hotels, restaruants, etc. will gladly call a radio taxi for you. Have small bills available for paying for fares since drivers do not have much change. Would agree with AVrooster not to drive in BA! It is a wonderful city with so much to offer, but the traffic and driving are a challenge even for locals. You will love the excitement, food, wine, shopping, museums, and culture of the city. Enjoy!

thanks scarlett and avrooster. i think it's a great suggestion to (literally) take the scenic route at least once. the quicker train is the perfect answer for our daily treks.

You are welcome

We have lived here 6 months now and my husband is just now talking about wanting to drive..the driving outside the city is much more 'sane' or at least that is what our friends tell us but I will stick to hired cars and trains

Did I tell you about the Drunk taxi driver we had last night? lol