DKG50

Dear All,

Thanks for some great advice with the airfare - I finally snagged what I thought was a good deal - 1680 for 2 nonstop JFK-EZE tix in March. Now the hunt is on for the hotels and general planning.

My wife and I are possibly interested in going to Iguazu Falls and the beaches in Uruguay for a two or three day time period during our holiday - would this be recommended or is it too ambitious?

More generally, I was thinking of staying at Garufa for a few days, going to Uruguay, and then finishing at Bobo before leaving. Any thoughts on this?

About Garufa, I'm surprised that I haven't seen any posts about it, considering it's the number 1 rated B&B on TripAdvisor.com. Does anyone on this board have experience there? The reviews on TripAdvisor are unbelievably good.

Overall, we are two well travelled late 20's people. Coming from Manhattan, we're accustommed to cities and small living quarters. Most importantly, we're very excited about our first trip to BSAS.

Thanks for all of your help!

Regards,

DKG50

Graziella5b

Hi, March can be a delightful time in Punta del Este in Uruguay, if you are lucky and the Summer weather holds, it is the Best time to be in Punta although the high season officially is Jan and Feb.
You can buy the tickets in Bs As a few days before going having checked the weather report previously.
Warning: Everything might be full on some dates like the last day in Feb and very first days in March because lots of people are coming back from their Summer vacations.
Also there is a crazy international disagreement between Argentina and Uruguay and some Argentineans are illegaly cutting the international bridges between Uruguay and Argentina causing an overflow on Buquebus.
Note: a car is highly recommended to really enjoy Pinta del Este.

Iguazu is also great and a couple of days will do, I believe that the best bet is to buy a package from an Argentinean travel agency. They have good rates in the best hotels and good priced tickets too. You could contact them from here and buy the package with time.
Never heard of Garufa, which means in slang having
a crazy fun time out ...

kacollier

We are also "quick" travelers who try to make the most of every trip but we found getting to the beaches of Uruguay wasn't easy or quick. Instead we spent one night in Colonia using the ferry and one night nearby in the Four Seasons which was located on the beach. Iguazu Falls was a 2 night trip an we stayed right in the park (Sheraton?) which we feel is the best locale. Then you can walk in and out of the park area anytime of the day without entrance fees, driving, etc. Dined at the hotel one night and paid a taxi to take us into town one night for the local signts and restaurant. This was very inexpensive to do and we would recommend (the hotel lined this up). Really enjoyed Buenos Aires so don't cut this part of the trip short. We last stayed at the Home Hotel which is the new, trendy area. Will require cabbing to historical sites but the hotel was great fun, good bar scene and wonderful breakfast included. You can walk to many restaurants for dinner and their are markets on the weekend for cheaper shopping but upscale shops within a 3-4 block walk. Hope this helps!

DKG50

Dear All,

Thanks for your help thus far. We have booked Garufa for the first 3 days and are considering booking Bobo for our last two days - either the Pop or Techno rooms area available.

1) Does anyone have experience with either of these rooms? I have googled and searched multiple forums and have found that the Pop room might be slighly preferrable to the Techno room due to room noise?

2) Would it be wise to leave two days open in the middle of our trip to go to Iguazu Falls? Is this enough time? Would we be bored if we simply stayed in Buenos Aires for all 8 days?

Thanks again!

Regards,

DKG50

mikemo

We spent four nights in the POP and two in the Racionalista in late October.
Much preferred the POP for the extra $20. US.
They keep the outside spotlights on all night, but the curtains are substantial and there is very little noise despite facing the street.
Easy flat walk to the Plaza Italia subte.
I cannot imagine getting bored in BsAs.
Spent three nights at the wonderful Iguazu Grand Hot in a large suite - one night too many, but the place is super.
We thought the (expensive) fast ferry to Colonia, UR a waste of time and money, but we live in colonial Mexico.
M

Scarlett

http://tinyurl.com/yk7ls7
From this weekends NYTimes

mikemo

I would not travel to UR for a beach.
www.costalegre.ca
www.tomzap.com
M (SMdA, Gto.)

DKG50

Hi All,

So we've booked Garufa for our first 3 days and Bobo for our last 2 days. Now the question is, what should we do with our middle two days?

We're still considering Uruguay for 2 days or maybe just staying in BsAs? Anyone have any experience with other day trips from BsAs?

Thanks again for all of the help!

Regards,

DKG50

wayfinding

Buenos Aires is one of the great cities of the world. Forget the side trips. Experience BA. If it involves a boat or a tour bus, don't do it, it will be touristy. But Buenos Aires has so much to see and do the time will fly, and plan to eat and drink and eat and drink as this is one of the few places in the world where the dollar goes very far and they have great restaurants and wonderful Argentine wine. Part of the Buenos Aires experience is to spend time at sidewalk cafes, talk, relax, people watch, its not a place to rush through but a place to experience. Meridian in Palermo is a wonderful spot in nice weather for people watching. Go to dinner late, like the Porteños, Filo gets good around 11:00PM then on to Gran Bar Danzon and so on.

Graziella5b

Considering you have eight days total, is that correct?
I would do Buenos Aires and Iguazu.
However I want to enphasize that Punta del Este is a very attractive place. The Four Seasons is fine but it is on the beach of the River Plate and has nothing to do with the wonderful blue-green, waves, etc of Punta. Also it is only one resort hotel the Punta is a lively, special place.
Also Punta is a place full of action. Al kinds. You name it, night life, sports, out door cafes, indoor, restaurantes of all kinds etc. It is a playground for the international jet set, for instance Raph Laurent the French Designer rented a house this January... There are all kinds of huge parties , etc etc.
I noticed that some people are always posting against Uruguay, well I can vouch that the Argentineans and Brazilians among many other nationalities give and arm and a lig to be in Punta during the Summer. So I guess it cannot be that bad.
The ambiance of Punta cannot be easily matched in South America. But of course not every body is capable of appreciate it.

mikemo

G5b,
Sure, and in Jan, you might share Puente with tens of millions of BZ and AR tourists.
Many Mexicanos/estadounidenses are not in that market, lol.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

DKG50

Dear All,

We are in the final stages of planning our trip to BsAs; thank you all for all of the wonderful ideas and the help that you have given us so far.

We are very interested in taking the 2 day trip to Iguazu falls in the middle of our vacation. Has anyone had experience with this and do you have tour operators/drivers you'd recommend?

Many thanks in advance,

DKG50

mikemo

DKG50,
We did Iguazu on our own: www.lan.co and www.aerolineasargentinas have discount flights $231.-$236 US RT pp currently.
The AR park is a full day and easy to get to from anywhere in/near town.
Some inexpensive hotels and B&Bs recently posted here and on the Trip Advisor forums.
M

jainai

We're arriving tomorrow at Iguazu to spend 3 days 2 nights there. Any suggestions on places to eat at Iguazu? We'll be staying at the Sheraton.