Really had a great trip! I'm a city person and we did enjoyed everything about it - the cities , the people , wine + dine ,tango ,shopping ,Iguazu falls , our hotels + their staff...Great value now but I would go even if the money is on par with USD ,Buenos Aires is just as good as any top cities like New York , Paris ,Madrid....and we've paid for those ! Been spreading good words about AR. to all our friends and anybody who's considering going -YES ! go , go ,go .

I will be going in July and will be in Brazil for about 10 days and at least a week in Argentina by myself. <BR><BR>Any specific recommendations as far as restaurants, hotels, day trips, etc?? How about a nice wine bar or pub that a solo traveller in her 30s would enjoy??<BR><BR>Debbie

ME TOO! ME TOO! I am going to Buenos Aires the first week of June and I want some tips also. What is the best shopping street in BA???? I am a clothes horse/whore. What is the best dance club???? Please, please, please......

Debbie,<BR>I have replied your email but I will add some more information here because it may be useful for other travelers:<BR><BR>- Restaurants and cafes are all over Buenos Aires. No matter what you want to eat, you will find a place. drdawggy has recommended several restaurants in previous posts. <BR><BR>- Day trips: Tigre, estancia, skydiving, Colonia (Uruguay)<BR><BR>- Wine bars: Club del Vino on Cabrera 4737 (Palermo) , Gran Bar Danzon on Libertad and Santa Fe (Barrio Norte).

I don´t think there is such thing as a &quot;best shopping street&quot;. You will find lots of stores on Florida Street (a pedestrian street in the downtown area known as an outdoor mall). You can buy from jewelry to leather goods there. On this same street, where it intersects with Cordoba Avenue, you will find Galerias Pacifico, a shopping mall. <BR>Also, along Santa Fe Avenue from Pueyrredon up to 9 de Julio there are many good stores.<BR>Other shopping malls are Alto Palermo (Santa Fe and Bulnes), Abasto Shopping and Unicenter (this is far away from the city).

What about Patio Bullrich?? Is that like the King of Prussia or Short Hills Mall, with Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Neiman Marcus???

Calm down guys ! If you're looking for shopping( all types),food , wine ,places to hang out ,see and be seen,wandering around the lively streets ,cool neighborhoods ,lovely areas...you basicly have them all there.For Debbie ,you'll be there in the coldest time so I don't know if the outdoor cafes would be packed as they are now ?But there more than 8000. options for eat and drink !We didn't have one bad meal,a type of wine called Malbec was really delicious ,I don't normally have wine with every dinner at home , but there...glug, glug glug...don't think you can go wrong!( bife de lomo (at La Chacra ? restaurant )-YUM !)For ThinG. -Stay close to Florida Ave ( pedestrian mall)you have hundreds of shops right there plus one of the major shopping mall(Galerias Pacifico),Pacifico is gorgeous by the way! Hotels ? We stayed first in Recoleta and LOVED the area and our hotel Kempinski + the guys at the front desk - We also stayed close to downtown ,shopping ,and the area is not as elegant as Recoleta but we still enjoyed for different reasons ,hotel Bisonte Palace the price was a steal ,not crazy about the mattress but other than that the room (well functioned),the breakfasts , the staff.. were all great .Well guys , ask me more if you need. There're many interesting areas I'm glad we did visited.

Dear Thingorjus: Patio Bullrich is the most expensive mall and I didn�t mention it because it is what you may call a tourist trap. The same store (same brand, owner, etc.) at a different place has lower prices than in Patio Bullrich, because 95% of the people who go there are tourists. If you go, you will see that some stores have the prices both in pesos and in dollars, as they are specially prepared for tourists.<BR>Both in Patio Bullrich as in the whole of Recoleta area you will find international brands. <BR><BR>If you get off the tourist track, you will find lots of interesting options at much more reasonable prices. As a porte�a, I would like to give you some suggestions of &quot;not very touristy areas&quot; where you can do some shopping.<BR><BR>-The best shopping mall is Unicenter, first of all because it is the largest one in the whole country, and second, because as it is far from the city, not many tourists go there and the prices are the same than for local people. <BR>- For jewelry, you can go to Libertad street, between Corrientes and Sarmiento. There are more than 60 jewelry shops there and as the competition is so much, the prices are much lower than in other areas.<BR>-For leather garments, you can go to the leather district (Murillo and Malabia). All the stores there are run by manufacturers, thus offering low prices. The stores don�t look as nice and fancy as the ones on Florida street but you will find more variety and better deals.<BR>

Great!! I am not a tourist so I don't like paying tourist prices. I am a traveller.

For gals who travel solo ,(I've done this a few times in the past,so I know )I would think you guys will have the most fun staying in Recoleta , where some cafes stay open 24 hours , there're always people on the streets and places stay lit up.You wouldn't want to stay downtown and even if you take taxis back to hotel (at 2, 3 ,4 in the morning?) through blocks and blocks of closed ,dark streets...?<BR>For Debbie if you haven't booked hotel-The Kempinski( some listed as 5 stars ,I said more like 4 but still very nice!)was very affordable at 47.USD+21% tax a day ,incl buffet breakfasts ,dayly newspaper , internet...I booked it through its own website( need to avoid the middlde men )the location is excelent ,walking distance to Recoleta Village ,Cemetery ,Plaza Francia..., can also walk to Palermo - another excelent area ! LOVED Palermo Viejo .Take taxis to other interesting neighborhoods like La Boca ,San Telmo or go shopping - I still think Floida Street is the most fun shopping area ( not just for tourists, I saw plenty of locals)I did bought a mink coat(great price) at one of the stores on Paraguay , few blocks from Florida...Oh you may like to take a city tour (daily), any hotels could easily book it for you (Travel line ?they offer several different tours , all very reasonably priced) ,for 10 USD per person ,3 hours they take you around through all these major areas , you would have some general ideas which place you really like to explore or the other way around... Buenos Aires is a pretty easy city to visit, don't really need tour guide (and we speak minimum Spanish ). Check this website :www.buenosaires.gov.ar -all infos you'll need , study a course of Ar.BA. then go ,no worries , all fun. If you have more questions , be glad to answer.

My wife and I have been to Argentina twice this year. Once in January and once in March. It is a spectacular country and we are planning several more trips to see this vast country.

Cintia is right on her shopping advice. Avoid the tourist areas for the best bargains. We bought fabulous leather goods at Murillo ( store name 666) but the street is lined with one manufacturer after another. The prices are so cheap you will feel guilty!

We have used Mayra at Argentinago.com both times to arrange in-country flights, guided tours, tour to Colonia, Uraguay etc and she in FANTASTIC!! Her email is [email protected].

We found her because other Fodorites recommended here on these boards....Thanks!!

Thanks, Me, Cintia, Clozerr for all your help and advice! I can't wait to visit Brazil and Argentina

Debbie

Cintia is 100% correct. Patio Bullrich is a beautiful mall but it's very expensive. Some of the stores in that mall are in other malls for cheaper prices. Still, the mall is close to my apartments so I usually go in there frequently to walk around or dine in one of the restaurants there. Definitely stop in and walk around. There is a good cafe at the far end of the mall. There is also a movie theatre in it. One good store there is a CD/bookstore that I go to often on the bottom floor. I'm sure there are cheaper CD stores but it's very close to my apartment.

Unicenter is definitely the biggest and best mall in the area. It's a hike though. Usually about 30 minutes from Recoleta. More if traffic is bad but definitely worth it. Have fun!

Saint
www.apartmentsba.com

Thanks for the great postings!! I will be heading down in October. Have been a little nervous but feel better now after reading all the great news. Sounds like I better bring a little extra shopping money LOL.

Where is the area of Murillo and Malabia?? I can't find it on my map. What neighborhood is that?? I want to have a leather coat made while I am in Buenos Aires. Do you think it will take longer than 7 days to make it. I don't want to pay more than $500 US dollars. Anybody have any suggestions for a place???

It is in Villa Crespo, limiting with Chacarita, Palermo and Caballito. You wonyt find it in a map for tourists, because this area is off the tourist circuit. You need to get a map of the whole city of Buenos Aires (or Capital Federal, as we call it). Look for the intersection of Juan B.Justo and Warnes, the leather district is near.

Sorry forgot to mention. Usually they can make a tailor made jacket in one day, at no extra cost.

Thanks, Cintia. You can direct me when I meet you for my tour of Recoleta. Do they have chicha (the Peruvian fermented drink) in BA? I was told by my sister-in-law (she is from Lima)that I should have this if I ever went to South America.

I will be glad to teach you how to get to the leather district.
As for chicha, it is not a popular drink in Argentina (although people in the northern province of Jujuy often drink it). But you can try it at a peruvian restaurant:
- La casa de Orihuela: ALSINA 2163
- Status: Virrey Ceballos 178.

Both are in the Congreso area, where many peruvians live.

What you should try in BA is mate!

We are planning a honeymoon for October 20-30, 2003. We would like to find advice on a couple of topics
1. Is October a good time to visit Argentina?
2. What cities/areas should we visit during the trip.
3. We would like a mix of hitting the pavement sight seeing and adventure, romance and relaxation, a little pampering, and some of the night scene. Maybe one day of shopping, but we perfer getting to know the place over just shopping.
4. We have never been to Argentina and so we don't know where to begin our trip.
5. If Argentina is not the best place for an October honeymoon, any ideas for a mix of the adventure, romance, pampering, and night scene. We love to travel and will go just about any where.
Thanks for your help.