teach2travel

I had a terrific trip last June to BsAs. I am planning to return in October to spend a month. My plan is to rent an apartment for the whole month and then do some short trips from that base.

I know I could see lots of the country in a month, but I am considering relocating to Argentina and so I want to try it out rather than travel around.

I may try to go to Easter Island either before or after. (This year is my 40th birthday so it seems like I should mark the occasion with some kind of once-in-a-lifetime destination.)

My questions are:
Does Isabel handle trips outside of Argentina (like Easter Island)?

If Mary Marathons is out there - what street was the aprtment you rented on? I remember it was near Alto Palermo Shopping.

I've never rented an apartment abroad before. How does it work? I've looked at the various sites, but it doesn't sem quite as clear as booking a hotel.

Thanks in advance for all the wonderful help I know I will receive.

Scarlett

How exciting that you are coming for a whole month and that you are considering relocating here!

I don't know about the agents, we have not used a travel agent here but I can help with the Apartment Rentals.
We rented 2 before our home was finished being renovated..and when our son visited, he rented for a month so he could have friends stay with them..we helped with that too.

*Use a well established agency that has a name that you have seen frequently on Travel forums. New places can be great but with the amount of visitors and lack of hotels rooms and popularity in renting apts, there are some not so reputable people renting not so nice places .

* When reading the reviews, skip the part where someone says someone was not nice and zoom in on the parts about cleanliness and helpfulness. We rented from an agent in the US whose partner lives here. They were niceness itself. We ended up in an apt that was filthy, ( a maid came a couple of days later and made it palatable) and the kitchen was a joke.. large but broken coffee maker, antique toaster with frayed wiring and all of the coffee cups and dishes were chipped, cracked broken. We ate take out or in restaurants for 3 months with that one.
Look at a lot of apartments online.. using a map , study locations and look for where a problem can be.
Stay away from huge main streets and railroad tracks ..

* It is pretty easy to book an apartment through the big agencies. You send them a deposit, you bring the balance in cash. Some are allowing PayPal but we had to use cash.. it was no problem since we moved here .
You will give them the deposit in an envelope that is sealed and they will return it to you -sealed- when you check out. They will inspect before that and will deduct anything that you might have broken etc. This never happened to us. I don't think it happens to many people.

* Stay in a good established neighborhood where people live . . a residential area. You can easily get to shopping, nightlife areas by cab or walking, but you want to try to be living in a more family/residential environment.

guess that is all I can think of for now- I have a great realtor if you need one when you decide if you actually would like to live here full-time.
I can tell you, we are almost at the 2 year point and we are thrilled every day that we live here.

teach2travel

Thanks for the reply. - I can really imagine living in Argentina - I've travelled all over the world, but BsAs felt like home. I really can't wait to come back.

avrooster

Hi, teach2travel!

Answering your questions:

I don't think Isabel handles international travel, but why don't you ask her?
[email protected]

However, I know a travel agent who does. I'll send you his e-mail, if you wish.

Mary Marathons' apartment was in Arenales 3500. Anyway, I e-mailed her telling her about your question.

There is A LOT to read about short term apartment rentals in this forum and on http://tinyurl.com/nw9f4

I suggest further research on the subject. It definitely involves payment in cash. Maybe Isabel can help you with it.

Anyway, I'll ask the leading (IMO) authority on solo female travel to BA whether you can e-mail her. She probably knows of a flat you can rent. Staying for a month, you should get a better price than for a weekly rental.

Using this search engine:

http://www.topinmobiliario.com/

I found this flat in Palermo, which seems good:

http://www.topinmobiliario.com/detal...indcod=N1P5121

Remember you need to specify in this search engine that you want "alquiler turístico", which implies furnished and short-term.

You'll have a great time staying in our town.

marymarathons

Hi teach2travel!

I feel the same way about BA! I'm so excited (and envious) that you're returning for a whole month!

Alberto is right- the apartment is on Arenales 2 blocks from Alto Palermo shopping. I highly recommend this apartment. You can see it at www.vrbo.com/106368.

Send me an e-mail at [email protected] and I can tell you more.

Mary

avrooster

Marymarathons: Who is this guy "Alberto" you mention in your post? LOL!!!!

teach2travel

Thanks so much - I am very excited to be planning this trip. I'm off to a good start with all of your help.

The term starts tomorrow so I have a few busy days ahead and then I will start the apartment hunt.