dragonfly76

So we booked our tickets and decided to work with a travel agent for our trip. We had booked Malabia house on the recommendation of friends, looked on the Trp Advsr website and thought it looked pretty good. When I asked the travel agent about it this is her reply verbatim
"...it is quite far away from most attractions and especially about Palermo Viejo, the crime rate (robberies) has increased significantly in the last few months. Robberies have taken place mainly at restaurants, while it is true that the streets in that area are quite dark at night so it is advisable you take taxis to go back and forth. Please donīt feel discouraged about this comment, it is just a piece of advice for you to keep in mind that may help you have a more enjoyable stay.

- As regards accommodation costs, you may consider that a good hotel in BA costs at least USD 150 per room/per night including taxes and breakfast and in the patagonian region a standard room at a good hotel may cost as of USD 200 or above"
Could anyone give some feedback as per the hotel and potential costs - I had no idea....

jeanfromboston

I don't agree with this travel agent. We were in Argentina in December 2005 and stayed in very nice hotels for never more than USD$80 a night including breakfast. These are not luxury places, but all were clean and with private bath. In El Calafate in Patagonia we stayed at the Michelangelo Hotel for USD$80. Excellent restaurant and breakfast there. In BA we stayed at Torre Cristoforo Colombo in Palermo for USD$50, where we had a whole suite with kitchenette. In Bariloche we stayed at a "cabina" (little apartment) for about $60 US. We walked around Palermo Viejo in the daytime, but not at night, so I can't comment on whether it felt safe, but certainly we had no problems around the hotel in Palermo.

rbw873

I got the same response--almost verbatim from the BA travel agent regarding palermo. She also said that the boutique hotels have poor service and are not licensed. Is this the case? We are heading to BA in Feb, both in our early 30's.

mikemo

We were there (Palermo Soho/Hot Bobo) in late Oct.
No problema.
We speak Spanish and were warned by some in La Boca (on a Sunday afternoon), but the comida at Il Matterello was worth the walk.
M (SMdA, Gto.)

rbw873

Why would the travel agent say that then? The firm we are working with seems very reputable. We were thinking of Malaibia House. Home and Bobo are fully booked.

avrooster

Sounds to me as if the Palermo boutique hotels do not work with travel agents.

yestravel

I had the same response from a travel agent about the area that Malabia House is in. We ignored her and booked on our own and were very pleased both with the hotel and location. I think the smaller B&B's/boutique hotels may not give commission to the TAs--don't know this for a fact, just a guess. I say go with Malabia House if you want to stay in that area--I felt safe there and never had a problem.

galiano

We are booked in to the Malabia House for 5 nights in February. Everything I have read online says that it is in a safe area with lots of good cafes and boutiques. I would be very suspect about a travel agent who tells you not to stay in Palermo Viejo. Sounds like there was no commission involved if you stayed at Malabia House.