SharonG

Okay, this is my first post to the Latin America forum. I have an opportunity to go for free to Buenos Aires. Never had much interest but wondering if I would be a fool not to go. Tell me, is it worth it? If it were Paris or Rome I'd have no problems. And what do I wear there? We're supposed to go in November.

ahdzp

You would love it... I was there last March and can't wait to go back... people is so friendly and event that you could see some places have seen better days, is beautiful.

Great food, great wine, leather goods, excellent plays (if you speak spanish), great music... etc.

owlwoman

I felt the same way (about not having much interest in SA) until we went last March, it's a fabulous country. My DH and I are real Europhiles, but after visitng BA and living like a King/Queen for two weeks, we're hooked on Argentina. We've already planned a return trip for this coming March. BA is the Paris of the South for good reason. I can't say enough about the people, the food, etc. You feel like you are in Europe but without the crazy prices! Go, Go, Go!!!! You will love it.

SharonG

Wow, now I'm getting excited about it. Thanks for the info.

cmcfong

Sharon, I haven't been, yet. It is on my target list for 2006, but the postings by avrooster and drdwaggy are great info sources and bound to add to your excitement about the trip. Please post a report when you return.
Buen viaje.

avrooster

Using your own words, you'd be a fool not to come.

Recently we had threads here and/or in tripadvisor.com about what ladies can wear at that time of the year in our town. Please do your homework and find them.

Ask more specific questions if you wish, but most of your questions should have been answered in previous threads.

Thank you, cmcfong

avrooster

Even though I feel you should do your homework, I'll make it real easy for you. The thread I mentioned in my previous post about ladies' clothes for November is on tripadvisor.com and it is titled "Weather in November". If you have any sense of humor, you'll have fun reading it.

SharonG

Please don't take this wrong, but the advice "do your homework" is very annoying. I actually did do a search on this topic on Fodors and it wasn't that helpful. I guess I was hoping someone would convince me that it was worth the time to do more homework and not really asking for the teacher to scold me.

Roccco

Sharon,

You have not done your homework until you are able to ask half intelligent questions. Trust me, you are not there yet.

SharonG

Gee, I've had such lovely responses on this forum! Goodby.

Roccco

Sharon...Don't let the door hit you in the @$$, troll.

Now onto bigger and better things, after thinking I would be going to Tanzania next February, it looks like I will instead be going to Argentina!

My wife and I just finished a 3 week luxury safari to Zambia & South Africa and I think we both need a little break from Africa, with four visits in the last four years.

How does this look for an Argentina itinerary?

Buenos Aires, 3 nights at Alvear Palace or Four Seasons.

Iguazu Falls, 2 nights at Sheraton or best possible hotel with waterfall view.

Bariloche, 4 nights at Llao Llao in Lake Suite.

Wine region, 3 nights at ???

Buenos Aires, finish up with 3 more nights at Alvear Palace or Four Seasons.

My wife and I start Tango lessons tonight!

I don't know if it is possible to get between each place without overnighting other places, but I do have an e-mail into Cintia at WowArgentina. She was super helpful while I was originally planning this trip three months ago, before choosing Tanzania, only to change my mind after my just completed Zambian safari.

Please let me know what you all think about my itinerary. I have already been to Patagonia, on the Chilean side of the border and since I don't want to spend the kind of money necessary to stay at Los Notros (and cannot find anything else in its caliber), I think I will pass on Patagonia this time around.

The wine region is not 100% mandatory, so I would be willing to consider another destination for 3 nights. I am trying to keep this to about 15 nights in total so that I may have a chance to go to Africa later in the year or elsewhere (although I know I will probably not be able to resist Africa for the full calendar year).

Thanks for any feedback!

From someone that has bothered doing there homework!

SuzanneN

Hi Sharon G

We're currently wrapping up a 10 day tour of Argentina and I would encourage you to go. Our focus was wine, so we did BA as well as Salta/Cafayate and Mendoza. But only doing BA is fine, although we had great fine driving around Salta and Mendoza. We had thought about Iguazu and Patagonia also, but it was just too much moving around and too many plane trips.

We found the Footprint guide to be the best. I agree that Fodors and Frommers is of limited value.

Good luck and enjoy the trip!

avrooster

Goodbye, SharonG! La tour Eiffel vous attend!

I feel it's my privilege not to say the same things over and over and it's your privilege to say goodbye to this forum, if that's the way you feel.

However, I hope you'll change your mind.

avrooster

For rocco and his fratelli!

I guess your itinerary is OK. You know it will be very warm in Iguazú and warm in Buenos Aires.

I would skip the wine region at that time of the year and would beef up Bariloche, where the temperature will be perfect.

You have obviously chosen top level accomodations and I believe the Alvear and the Llao-Llao, managed by the same group, will not disappoint you.

It is perfectly possible to go from Iguazú to Bariloche in one day, changing planes in the Buenos Aires local airport. Each of the two flights (Iguazú-Buenos Aires and Buenos Aires-Bariloche) takes about two hours.

This part of the trip has to be coordinated by a good local travel agent, in order to minimize the time wasted in airports.

Considering the level of the accomodations you have chosen, I'm surprised you pass on Los Notros. In fact, if I were you, I would do Calafate (Los Notros) instead of Iguazú.

leah6

We found the Sheriton Hotel to be convenient but definitely only a so so hotel. There was the Iguazu Gambling Hotel and resort that was a bit of a distance but much nicer.
We enjoyed the are of the Alvear Palace and had a great dinner there last year.
We also used Cintia and found her arrangements to be thorough and helpful.

faithie

One shoud also not be too arrogant and condescending .... sometimes "newbies" don't realize there are search functions etc. Sometimes they don;t know the "Golden Fodor Rules" that one must follow , and maybe sometimes they are new to this sort of thing and expect kindness and good manners from those who are here freely and on their own will , to just give advice ..... I mean , isn't that what this is all about ? Some of you were a little harsh , and need to lighten up just a tad . Everyone was new at one time .

Roccco

I have been told that Los Notros may be overrated and not worth the tariffs that are charged...I mean $5,000 for 4 nights in a premium room? I don't even pay that much per night for my luxury African safaris.

Also, quite honestly, my wife and I are not big hikers. We would, however, enjoy rafting, mountain biking and doing some of the other activities available at Llao Llao.

Being that the weather is perfect in February in the wine region, perhaps I should consider the following itinerary:

Buenos Aires (4)
Iguazu Falls (2)
Bariloche (5)
Buenos Aires (3)

I am not a fan of short stays, but unless I am informed otherwise, I don't think there will be enough to do in Iguazu Falls to hold our attention for more than two nights. I would like to see Iguazu Falls to see how it measures up to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe where I have previously visited.

I will have to read my Argentina guidebooks this weekend to see what more I am able to find out.

I could always switch this trip to late March, although the reason for going in mid February is because that is the coldest time of year in my hometown Los Angeles, and I thought it would be nice to escape the cold, but not if it means going to overbearingly warm/hot temperatures.

I really want this to be a relaxing holiday, so if it means cutting out the wine region, which seems quite far from anywhere else I am visiting, then I am not in opposition to doing so.

I am figuring that for my ground costs and domestic air that I may be able to get my desired itinerary for as little as about $5,500 USD ($2,750 per person). That would be perfect.

Is 5 nights too long for Bariloche, even at a great looking place like Llao Llao?

Thanks for the continued feedback. I am not usually a threadjacker, but I don't feel so bad in this instance.

Roccco

Faithie,

I considered that the original poster may have been an unsophisticated newbie, but after searching her name, I found 150 threads that she had participated in this year. That throws that excuse out the window.
Plus about the arrogance and condescending that you spoke of, I found plenty of arrogance and condescending remarks right in the original (opening) post when she said that she would not think twice about going to Paris or Rome but needs to be convinced to go to Buenos Aires, even when it is a free trip?

Forget it, she is not a newbie...just a little slow to catch on.

avrooster

About SharonG:

I try to do MY homework and before I answered I knew SharonG most certainly was not a novice.

However, I still hope she'll be back and come to Buenos Aires.

avrooster

For fratello rocco:

You say:

"Being that the weather is perfect in February in the wine region,...".

I said the weather was perfect in Bariloche, not in the wine region.

How about this itinerary, trying to minimize airport "downtime":

2/3 nights Iguazú (3 nights would be only two full days)
6 Nights Llao-Llao (in fact, I would stay even longer than that)
6 nights Buenos Aires

Many people have said on this forum that the Sheraton Iguazú is rather run down.