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Trying to plan the perfect trip to Argentina--need help!

Trying to plan the perfect trip to Argentina--need help!

Old Apr 21st, 2007, 11:30 AM
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Trying to plan the perfect trip to Argentina--need help!

My husband and I go to France, Italy and Spain twice a year. For variety, we decided to plan a 12-14 trip to Argentina some time in April, 2008 (although we could go any time). WE may never go south again and would like to pick the best of the best.

After reading almost every thread ,we still can't decide if we should fly in and out of BA or return from a different city.

I hate hot, humid weather and am not the hiking, sporting type. Our last trip to New Zealand, we found ourselves rather bored driving around the south island for 12 days (because it looks so much like Colorado only with a lot of sheep) So we really don't want to rent a car and drive for days viewing scenery.

Not interested in wine, beaches or glaciers--perfer quaint cities with interesting architecture, good food and special hotels.

We do not speak Spanish

BA 5 nights
Iguazu fall for 2 nights

Where else should we consider?
JudyADenver is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2007, 01:57 PM
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Hi, Judy from Denver!

First, once you come to Argentina, you WILL come again and again! Forget Paris, Rome and Madrid!

My advice is to plan for more than 12/14 days, because time will pass very fast here!

The way international flights operate in Argentina, you will probably HAVE to fly in and out of BA.

The best time to come to Buenos Aires is our spring (Oct./Nov.), but April is fine too.

The best time for the Iguazú falls is our winter. In April, it could still be quite hot and humid. But the falls are wonderful!

Other areas you could visit are Salta, in our NW and Bariloche in our South.

On the tripadvisor.com Argentina forum, you will find a LOT about these places, some of it penned by yours truly, including a very long trip report about Salta, which can be found in: http://tinyurl.com/jsgu8

Everyone agrees the food is great here, particularly if you like meat and we have some very good hotels. However, I'm not too sure what you mean by "special hotels".

Whatever you decide to do, you will have a great time in our country!
avrooster is offline  
Old Apr 21st, 2007, 03:18 PM
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Totally agree with Alberto/avr.
I would fly into EZE (BsAs) and spend a week +; Iguazu is hot and humid (we were there last early Nov and Lady "L" finished the day in her bathing suit) 2 nights is enough; Bariloche; bus X the Andes into Chile (Puerto Varas a disappointment) and spend 2 -3 days in Santiago (loved the Providencia barrio; Hot Orly and the many Frommers' recommended restaurants).
Flying out of SCL (v. EZE) saves some serious taxes.
I love BsAs and would return in a microsecond, but don't miss Santiago!
M
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Old Apr 21st, 2007, 04:39 PM
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Well, I must tell if you do not include the NW it is not perfect at all. Sorry! Ican`t help it... I love the NW! But if you read to the reviews you will find that only one person was not satisfied with the places they saw... Only one! Late April is perfect, the rainy season finish more or less just after Good Friday... Now, for instance it is raining in BA but not in Salta, it is cool and sunny during the day. The food is great specially our salteñas empanadas, we have wines, but you do no have to drink it if you do not want (other tourist will appreciate it to you), and Salta city has a nice spanish colonial architecture. Humahuaca Gorge, which can be visited from Salta has a lot to see, the 7colour mountains and also the salt flats if you consider a night in Purmamarca.
Salta has also an active nigthlife in the area of Balcarse St.
Well word can not say too much... just consider including it in your itinerary.
Warm regards.
Flintstones
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Old Apr 21st, 2007, 04:42 PM
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One more reason, sorry...
Nothing you have seen before in Europe or anywhere would be comparable to our sceneries. Varietyis the key.
Flints
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Old Apr 23rd, 2007, 03:17 PM
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Don't mention it.
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 06:54 PM
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we are going to spend 3 days around Mendoza recovering from jet lag from Australia.I think we need to be in the mountains where it will be cooler as we don't like the heat either. We love mountains and beautiful scenery and just want to relax. I would really appreciate some advice about where to go.
Many thanks Sally
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Old Aug 5th, 2007, 07:19 PM
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If you're heart isn't set on Argentina, I'd pick Brazil instead - especially if you say you won't be going back south. There's something for everyone there and they have great music, food, people and culture.

But if you do prefer Argentina then I would recommend Mendoza and a day trip or overnight trip to Colonia Uruguay - both a are cute, quaint towns - they're very relaxing and enjoyable - not the craziness of big, loud, crazy cities if that's not your thing.
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Old Aug 6th, 2007, 04:48 PM
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We use to go to France every year.. in the fall. That is my favorite time to visit Europe.
When we visited BsAs the first time, it was Oct/Nov and Spring here is just beautiful! Th jacaranda trees, the mild weather, we fell in love with the city right away.
We moved here at the end of April.
It was not hot or humid, the days were warm and sunny, the evenings cooled off nicely..it is perfect sightseeing weather ..
I am unfamiliar with the countyside and only have a small amount of experience with BsAs, as we have only lived here about 4 months now.
But we have not even made a scratch on the surface of what there is to do here..
It is really a huge city, 100 museums..fabulous gardens, neighborhoods that each have wonderful character and charm..you can just walk and get lost and discover things and places on your own.
You can see World Class ballet, Opera, Tango, or just spend your time browsing wonderful book stores, antiquing , you name it, they have it here

If I were visiting again, with a certain amount of time, I would stay in BsAs for maybe 3-4 nights, then fly to Iguazu Falls and stay overnight one of two nights, then fly back to BsAs for the rest of the time, perhaps taking a day trip to Colonia (World Heritage Site in Uruguay ) on the speed ferry.

We didn't really speak Spanish when we visited, somehow, everyone manages..the hotels and many restaurants have at least someone who does or you use a lot of sign language.
Unlike othe countries ( US and France to name 2) the people will not roll their eyes or get impatient with you if you don't speak their language.

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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 01:07 PM
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Here´s a web page where you can find the help you need:

http://buenosairestraveltips.blogspot.com/

Good luck
 
Old Aug 21st, 2007, 03:18 PM
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I second Scarlett about how much there is to do in BA. And don't worry about speaking Spanish. I had a simple Spanish book to help me but the minute I began speaking, most people answered me in English. They are so kind and friendly that it is easy to make yourself understood. Don't miss the dulce de leche ice cream!
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Old Aug 21st, 2007, 07:04 PM
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As anarchitect I know I could spend my whole 19 days in BA roaming the streets , gawking at buildings, eating gelati and lounging in cafes, but I feel as a first time visitor to Argentina , I should see some of the rest of the country???

A/D

once spent a fine week in Rome w/o entering a church, museum or gallery!
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Old Aug 22nd, 2007, 05:49 PM
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Would agree with many that Salta region or NW offers many quaint cities, interesting architecture, cultural history, wonderful local markets, good food and wine and awesome scenery. You could easily spend 12 - 14 days exploring either BsAs or Salta region alone, but if this is a one time only visit to Argentina, IMO you should split the time between both areas to get a true view of Argentina. Depending on the size of cities that you like better, spend more time in BsAs if you like a large international city or more time in the NW if you like small towns with local flair. Iguazu Falls is worth seeing and enjoying from both the trails as well as the river tours to the falls. Not sure what you mean by special hotels, but if you mean 5* BsAs would offer those. The small, quaint towns in the NW offer clean, enjoyable and comfortable accomodations, but they offer mostly just the bare essentials in the rooms. You will enjoy Argentina!
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Old Aug 26th, 2007, 04:51 PM
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Just back from BA with 5 nights there and 2 in Iguazu plus 2 in San Antonio de Areco (which you might want to avoid if from Colorado--we're beach people so loved Estancia Ombu and the riding in the country and the sleepy little town). We did take the speed ferry for a day in Colonia and it was a nice break from the city. Special hotels? Check the Cocker in San Telmo--www.thecocker.com It has small rooms (19-03 isn't so small and has a private garden area--we had 2 different rooms) with not much storage space but HUGE on character and nice staff. The website doesn't do the rooms justice. Your day starts with a good breakfast. San Juan Cafe in San Telmo is a great restaurant and El Federal, a bar in San Telmo is fun too. Guess it depends on what you like but we were happy there. San Telmo Sunday market was something else. Tons of people and vendors. Some books said to stay away on Sundays but it was full of life and well worth it. BA is a great city to walk and look at buildings. Be sure to check out Recoleta cemetary. La Boca was a disappointing tourist trap but glad to see it because of it's history. You just have to say no to everyone asking you to buy their tourist stuff. An hour there was more than enough time. Puerto Madero was high priced restaurants and I guess worth a look. Was not a highlight for us. If you're in Plaza de Mayo on a Thursday at 3:00, check out the Madres (mothers of the dissappeared) marching. If you like museums, MALBA and Evita are good. Pamlermo is good to wander and look at shops.It was too cold to do a day trip to Tigre but we heard if sunny, it's pretty and nice to take the boats up the rivers. There are free walking tours that might give you good info. We didn't do any.
In Iquazu, we stayed at Iguazu Jungle Lodge. For $100US, we had a suite with large deck and continental breakfast brought to our room daily. It's new and spotless. Wireless and a laptop in room and a full kitchen. It's about the farthest from town you can get but still an easy walk. Bring water to the falls.
Try an alfajor from Havanna--or anything with dulce de leche in it. Num. Enjoy.
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Old Aug 26th, 2007, 06:00 PM
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smarting,

What is the web address for the Jungle Lodge?
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Old Aug 27th, 2007, 12:58 AM
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Hi, Doc!
My friend Yahoo told me that, not surprisingly, it is:
http://www.iguazujunglelodge.com/
My friend's website is, not surprisingly,
http://www.yahoo.com/
LOL!!
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Old Aug 27th, 2007, 03:51 PM
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What about the NW of Argentina??? It is not like Europe, but has a lot to see... MAybe the fact of being so different to Europe makes of the NW one of the best choices. If you have already been to Europe, maybe you should try something different.ç

Warm regards.
Flintstones
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Old Sep 1st, 2007, 07:37 PM
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Thanks avrooster. Don't know why I didn't put the jungle lodge website on in the first place. The website doesn't do it justice in my opinion. Really clean and quiet since it's more away from town than most lodgings. Not many bungalows occupied when we were there. Lucas at reception was a big help to us.
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Old Sep 12th, 2007, 02:05 PM
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smartinq,

How did you travel to and from the falls when staying at the jungle lodge?
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Old Sep 12th, 2007, 02:14 PM
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AndrewDavid; I insist you should come to Salta if you are interested in Architecture. And do not miss Killa Hotel in Cafayate. And it is not as warm as BA anyway. The NW is really varied and amazing. Regarding to Architecture, you will enjoy it.-
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