Buenos Aires Travel Agents
 

From the postings I've read, a person could get a better price for hotels if you use a local travel agent. Does anyone have any recommendations? I'm planning a trip, starting in B.A., going to Rio and then to Montevideo and back to B.A.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Three who are frequently recommended here: Mike from Argentinago, Cintia from wowargentina and Mayra, formerly of Argentinago and now with another agency. Scroll down and you will see a thread devoted to travel agents....If I find it, I will top it...

Thank you very much - Heidi

Totally agree with DrD. I emailed Mike and also Cynthia. Mike was very quick to reply to me. Im talking within an hour. Cynthia also responded quickly. I emailed a few other people and companies but I never heard back from them.

Mike's email is [email protected]
Cynthia's email is [email protected]

I think Mike actually owns a few companies. I went to his office and he owned www.argentinago.com and also www.apartmentsba.com I saw a few apartments that were amazing! One was around the corner of my hotel in Recoleta.

I think Cynthia's site is at www.wowargentina.com One disclosure I'll note is that I referred my sister to both and my sister said that Cynthia told her she was too busy at the moment to help her which I found a little odd.

Heidi - A suggestion if you're flying to Rio is to take Aerolineas Argentina or Varig. TAM stops over in Sao Paulo. I went last year on business and my company booked TAM because it was cheaper but I had a layover in SP. I wasn't too happy.

A comment about DWalters note about Cintia: Cintia is in a sense a victim of her own success. She is so good at what she does,ie, serve as both travel agent and personal guide, that her business flourished.

When the volume became too much, her husband joined her as a working partner. Matias is as capeable as Cintia, and their business has continued to expand....

I spoke with Cintia some time back about the growth of her business. At that time, she did not want to add additonal workers for fear that quality control would be more difficult to maintain.....Sounds like she may need to re-think her position, for if she turns away too many clients it will tarnish her sterling reputation.......

Good news. I talked with Cintia about a week ago and she is training an assistant to help with inquiries. Just my opinion, but sometimes it is worth a bit extra for excellent service. Many people will pay more for a tax accountant, a lawyer, etc. if they are outstanding. But it seems sometimes people have a travel agent find them an amazing trip and do all of the work, and then the shop around trying to save a couple of bucks, with no regard to the expertise or work of the first agent. Maybe a tour is more expensive, but much better. I think the most important thing is are you comfortable with who you are working with. Vacations are so valuable! Again, just my opinion.

Dear Drdawggy and Connette, Thank you very much for your positive comments on our company. I am very grateful to all our previous clients who constantly recommend us and give us the chance to help more and more travelers have a unique experience in Argentina.
About Dwalters' post, as I don't know your real name I can't remember your query, however, it is quite odd someone mentioned I said I was too busy to help her, as this is certainly not the way I respond. It is likely that your sister contacted me too close to her arrival, and if so I may have mentioned that there was not enough time to make the arrangements she needed. This is because our company only provides personalized services, so contrary to most travel agencies, our time availability is limited, as each itinerary is specially prepared for every traveler thus requiring plenty of time and hard work. High quality services and real customer care are essential for us, that is why we meet our clients in person and we guide our own private tours, which certainly demands a lot of time, but in this way we can keep close to our clients, be sure they are having a wonderful stay and make them feel like home.

I began working with Cintia via e-mail last Spring when we began planning our first trip to Argentina in December. I have found her to be extremely helpful, always responsive and overall a pleasure to deal with. We have changed our plans several times and she has always quickly made the changes and gotten back to us with the necessary paperwork. I have frequently emailed her with questions and receive a prompt reply. Just yesterday she emailed to tell me of the weather in BA and recommend a few things that we should bring. I rarely use a travel agent for our trips, but am glad I found Cintia and would highly recommend her.

I agree with Dona. The matter in fact usually I like to travel totally independently but I have used several times Wow( Cintia) and I never get tired to recommend her. I know Argentina fairly well, I travel often because I have a daughter and her family living in Buenos AIRES. However I have found a real delight to deal with Wow and besides enjoying their personalized city tour I always got better hotel rates, better rates for tango shows etc. It cannot get anything better.
Being Buenos Aires so inexpensive this is a luxury that I can easily afford and I have enjoyed it every single time. ( Also the food I find it superb and sooooooooo inexpensive.)