Argentina in January
Oct 24th, 2015, 01:18 PM
#1
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Argentina in January
My wife and I will be celebrating our anniversary and my birthday in late January. We are always looking for interesting cities/countries to do this and at the same time to get away from the NY area due to the weather.
One interest is to plan a 2 week trip to Argentina ( first visit) starting at the end of January into the first week of February. Since we are no longer beach people we are concerned about the very hot weather at that time. Is this a real concern? Will it be too hot to travel to areas like Buenos Aires, Salta, Mendoza, Iguazo Falls, El Calafate? Can you help us plan an itinerary? We are a very active Senior couple interested in culture, music, photography, hiking, wine, street art and meeting the locals.
Thanks!
One interest is to plan a 2 week trip to Argentina ( first visit) starting at the end of January into the first week of February. Since we are no longer beach people we are concerned about the very hot weather at that time. Is this a real concern? Will it be too hot to travel to areas like Buenos Aires, Salta, Mendoza, Iguazo Falls, El Calafate? Can you help us plan an itinerary? We are a very active Senior couple interested in culture, music, photography, hiking, wine, street art and meeting the locals.
Thanks!
Oct 24th, 2015, 05:14 PM
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If you dislike warm weather, it WILL be a concern, except in our South, where it will be wonderful.
So, I'd say a few days in BA, meeting the locals (we can have a GTG with other posters who may be here fleeing your winter) and then Bariloche and/or El Calafate or further South.
I suggest you do some research about the "blue" exchange rate and the safety advice for BA.
I also suggest you research these top places in BA and in our South:
http://tinyurl.com/5p6ue6
http://tinyurl.com/m23s26b
You'll have a great time in my country celebrating your anniversary and your birthday with your DW, allyboy.
So, I'd say a few days in BA, meeting the locals (we can have a GTG with other posters who may be here fleeing your winter) and then Bariloche and/or El Calafate or further South.
I suggest you do some research about the "blue" exchange rate and the safety advice for BA.
I also suggest you research these top places in BA and in our South:
http://tinyurl.com/5p6ue6
http://tinyurl.com/m23s26b
You'll have a great time in my country celebrating your anniversary and your birthday with your DW, allyboy.
Oct 24th, 2015, 07:01 PM
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In a New York Jan. winter, to escape to a hot sunny Buenos Aires Jan. summer wold be fabulous in my opinion ... as a matter of fact, I am working on just that now : )
I have to wear sunblock and be careful, too many years of lying in the sun, I pay for it now with twice a year visits to the dermatologist .. and always something removed.. Living in Buenos Aires, I saw a dermatologist twice a year also .. you wear sunblock, you don't sit in the sun or walk in the sun for long periods of time and you enjoy being warm instead of frozen .
We celebrated our anniversary with a 2 week trip to Buenos Aires , a few years ago. That was in November. We liked it / we loved it so much, we moved there the following March.
Just keep that in mind : )
I have to wear sunblock and be careful, too many years of lying in the sun, I pay for it now with twice a year visits to the dermatologist .. and always something removed.. Living in Buenos Aires, I saw a dermatologist twice a year also .. you wear sunblock, you don't sit in the sun or walk in the sun for long periods of time and you enjoy being warm instead of frozen .
We celebrated our anniversary with a 2 week trip to Buenos Aires , a few years ago. That was in November. We liked it / we loved it so much, we moved there the following March.
Just keep that in mind : )
Oct 25th, 2015, 06:56 AM
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Thanks AV and Scarlett for your thoughtful responses so quickly!
Our concern is more about how the heat will affect our enjoyment participating in all the activities. We were in Sicily ( last September) and Tuscany ( this Summer) and it was very HOT!
AV: I will do the research on the blue exchange and hotels and will come back with questions ( I'm sure).
Scarlett: Have you posted what your itinerary was on your 2 week trip to BA?
Since my wife is a vegetarian ( meat specifically): what issues may this present to her in Argentina?
How difficult ( in a 2 week plan) will it be to include: BA, Salta, Iguazu and Calafate ( cutting out Mendoza)?
Our concern is more about how the heat will affect our enjoyment participating in all the activities. We were in Sicily ( last September) and Tuscany ( this Summer) and it was very HOT!
AV: I will do the research on the blue exchange and hotels and will come back with questions ( I'm sure).
Scarlett: Have you posted what your itinerary was on your 2 week trip to BA?
Since my wife is a vegetarian ( meat specifically): what issues may this present to her in Argentina?
How difficult ( in a 2 week plan) will it be to include: BA, Salta, Iguazu and Calafate ( cutting out Mendoza)?
Oct 25th, 2015, 08:33 AM
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I have no memory of posting an actual trip report .. We stayed at the Art Suites Hotel in Recoleta. We had the suite at the top 
We saw everything possible to see ..
We went home and could not get the idea out of our heads that it would bea fabulous place to live. So we moved there .. we lived there for years, and due to unexpected circumstances, I am in NY state now but planning to return to BA.
We found not eating meat to be no problem. Veggies are good, salads, and seafood .. My husband became a diehard fan of Malbec.
There are vegetarian restaurants and plenty of choices. It was easier in BA than in Paris .
We just tried to see everything that had interested us when reading about BA.. the museums, the neighborhoods, the ferias, the monuments, the place .. We tried seeing a neighborhood a day .. San Telmo on Sunday is wonderful , so is Recoleta ..
That is what I would recommend, make lists of what you want to see, try to see a neighborhood or 2 in each day .. don't miss the big stuff .. go to Puerto Madero on the evening for drinks and watch the sunset and all the lights going on in the city .. sparkling off the water .. it is quite beautiful.
Then go into San Telmo to one of the excellent Italian restaurants for dinner. Dinner is after 9 pm so make a point of stopping in the late afternoons for tea/snacks etc to tide you over.
I hope you like your coffee strong.
Learning to appreciate a medialuna is fun.
Stopping here and there at cafes for people watching and a cup of coffee is good .. Visit Recoleta Cemetery .. it is a museum of sorts, my husband used to tease me , I liked Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris too : )
Bring sunblock.
Bring a good city map, learn some basic words in spanish .. bano, gracias, etc You don't have to speak it but showing that you are trying earns you points. One of my favorite spanish "teachers" is a waiter at Rodi Bar lol
Go with an open mind and a sense of adventure .. you can't go wrong anywhere with that.
We saw everything possible to see ..
We went home and could not get the idea out of our heads that it would bea fabulous place to live. So we moved there .. we lived there for years, and due to unexpected circumstances, I am in NY state now but planning to return to BA.
We found not eating meat to be no problem. Veggies are good, salads, and seafood .. My husband became a diehard fan of Malbec.
There are vegetarian restaurants and plenty of choices. It was easier in BA than in Paris .
We just tried to see everything that had interested us when reading about BA.. the museums, the neighborhoods, the ferias, the monuments, the place .. We tried seeing a neighborhood a day .. San Telmo on Sunday is wonderful , so is Recoleta ..
That is what I would recommend, make lists of what you want to see, try to see a neighborhood or 2 in each day .. don't miss the big stuff .. go to Puerto Madero on the evening for drinks and watch the sunset and all the lights going on in the city .. sparkling off the water .. it is quite beautiful.
Then go into San Telmo to one of the excellent Italian restaurants for dinner. Dinner is after 9 pm so make a point of stopping in the late afternoons for tea/snacks etc to tide you over.
I hope you like your coffee strong.
Learning to appreciate a medialuna is fun.
Stopping here and there at cafes for people watching and a cup of coffee is good .. Visit Recoleta Cemetery .. it is a museum of sorts, my husband used to tease me , I liked Pere LaChaise Cemetery in Paris too : )
Bring sunblock.
Bring a good city map, learn some basic words in spanish .. bano, gracias, etc You don't have to speak it but showing that you are trying earns you points. One of my favorite spanish "teachers" is a waiter at Rodi Bar lol
Go with an open mind and a sense of adventure .. you can't go wrong anywhere with that.
Oct 25th, 2015, 02:55 PM
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About your questions:
"Since my wife is a vegetarian ( meat specifically): what issues may this present to her in Argentina?"
No problem, even at steakhouses she can order a great salad, veggies or that kind of thing.
"How difficult ( in a 2 week plan) will it be to include: BA, Salta, Iguazu and Calafate ( cutting out Mendoza)?"
It's a matter of taste. It can be done, of course, but it will be very warm (which I dislike) in Salta and extremely warm AND humid in Iguazú.
I again suggest including just BA and our South in this trip and coming back in August (our winter) to celebrate your wife's birthday visiting BA, Salta and Iguazú. The weather will be great in our North, at that time of the year.
Have a great time in my country.
"Since my wife is a vegetarian ( meat specifically): what issues may this present to her in Argentina?"
No problem, even at steakhouses she can order a great salad, veggies or that kind of thing.
"How difficult ( in a 2 week plan) will it be to include: BA, Salta, Iguazu and Calafate ( cutting out Mendoza)?"
It's a matter of taste. It can be done, of course, but it will be very warm (which I dislike) in Salta and extremely warm AND humid in Iguazú.
I again suggest including just BA and our South in this trip and coming back in August (our winter) to celebrate your wife's birthday visiting BA, Salta and Iguazú. The weather will be great in our North, at that time of the year.
Have a great time in my country.
Oct 25th, 2015, 06:16 PM
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They make great vegetable pies .. I don't remember what they were called but they are made with squash and various veggies and are very tasty.
I always found the food to be not overly spiced but sometimes too salty so being pregnant, she will want to watch out for that .. swelling etc ..
There are wonderful pastas as well as vegetable dishes, cheese dishes .. I had no trouble at all finding something delicious .. and then the desserts..
I always found the food to be not overly spiced but sometimes too salty so being pregnant, she will want to watch out for that .. swelling etc ..
There are wonderful pastas as well as vegetable dishes, cheese dishes .. I had no trouble at all finding something delicious .. and then the desserts..
Oct 25th, 2015, 07:07 PM
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Thanks guys. You gave me quite a laugh Scarlett. We are grandparents of four little girls so being pregnant is definitely not an issue.
Here's a real issue, however. I had no idea how expensive it is to fly within the country. If we choose to spend our two weeks in BA and South ( as AV has suggested) and not travel to Iguazu and Salta this trip--what would be a good itinerary regarding days in each area?
Thanks!
Here's a real issue, however. I had no idea how expensive it is to fly within the country. If we choose to spend our two weeks in BA and South ( as AV has suggested) and not travel to Iguazu and Salta this trip--what would be a good itinerary regarding days in each area?
Thanks!
Oct 26th, 2015, 02:03 PM
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Going to Tigre by train then taking a boat tour and see the homes on the water and have lunch at a restaurant, on the water .. Go to San Isidro on a Sunday for the Feria .. Take a ferry to Colonia Uruguay and step back in time .. Personally, we went with a long list of thing to see and places to go and it was impossible to do everything on the list in 2 weeks .. we did spend one day with an Argentine friend and looked at real estate.
And the rest is history ~
And the rest is history ~
Nov 8th, 2015, 07:11 AM
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regarding the summer heat ... it can be very hot and sometimes humid but the restaurants and malls and museums are often overly air conditioned. so even when it is very warm out, carry a little cotton sweater.
I used to freeze when we went to the Recoleta Mall/Alto Palermo and the Cinema. It felt so good to get out into the heat and humidity again lol
I used to freeze when we went to the Recoleta Mall/Alto Palermo and the Cinema. It felt so good to get out into the heat and humidity again lol
Nov 9th, 2015, 06:12 AM
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Iguazu/Iguacu will be very hot and humid in January. Get used to sweating during the day (the many area butterflies are attracted to the salt in your sweat and may land on you to drink--quite amusing) and take it as easy as possible walking the paths in the park. A boat ride under the Devil's Throat falls to get wet can be refreshing. Book a hotel with a pool, even just a plunge pool, to return to at the end of the day. Seeing both sides of the falls is ideal (the Brazil side of the park is where most of the iconic photos you've seen were taken), but remember that you (if US, CDN, OZ, etc passport holder) need a visa for Brazil that you should apply for well ahead of time. It's quite easy to get around the area, either by local public bus or by relatively inexpensive taxi.
Nov 9th, 2015, 06:55 AM
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On the morning of October 26 I clearly remember posting inviting the OP to a GTG.
Now it says: "Comment has been removed by Fodor's moderators".
The posts below that confirm I posted something of the sort.
One has to wonder what kind of person (???) would object to such a post.
Now it says: "Comment has been removed by Fodor's moderators".
The posts below that confirm I posted something of the sort.
One has to wonder what kind of person (???) would object to such a post.
Nov 9th, 2015, 07:23 AM
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It now looks like a change of plans for our celebration.
We have decided to spend our Anniversary/Birthday with our family in Lake Tahoe ( which is funny because we don't ski). Our "celebration" is now moved to the Spring where we will have many more options.
I certainly appreciate all of the comments/advice that I have received on this forum and will continue to receive in the future.
Thank you all!
We have decided to spend our Anniversary/Birthday with our family in Lake Tahoe ( which is funny because we don't ski). Our "celebration" is now moved to the Spring where we will have many more options.
I certainly appreciate all of the comments/advice that I have received on this forum and will continue to receive in the future.
Thank you all!
Nov 5th, 2017, 03:53 PM
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Hello once again!
I am back with the thought of revisiting our visit to Argentina in mid January after postponing it back in 2015. This time around we are not restricted to two weeks and can add a third week. We still want to start in Buenos Aires and head ( at some point) to Salta and stay in that area to visit all the neighboring towns and villages. I had thought to include El Calafate and El Chalten, however, while we do like to do considerable walking we are not seasoned hikers. I think we will pass on Mendoza and Iguazu this trip and perhaps include Bariloche.
Questions: Can you help suggest an itinerary for BA, Salta, El Calafate, El Chalten and Bariloche?
Should we even go to El Calafate/El Chalten if we won't be able to go on very strenuous hikes?
Are we making a huge mistake by NOT going to Iguazu Falls?
Thanks for your help /suggestions once again!
I am back with the thought of revisiting our visit to Argentina in mid January after postponing it back in 2015. This time around we are not restricted to two weeks and can add a third week. We still want to start in Buenos Aires and head ( at some point) to Salta and stay in that area to visit all the neighboring towns and villages. I had thought to include El Calafate and El Chalten, however, while we do like to do considerable walking we are not seasoned hikers. I think we will pass on Mendoza and Iguazu this trip and perhaps include Bariloche.
Questions: Can you help suggest an itinerary for BA, Salta, El Calafate, El Chalten and Bariloche?
Should we even go to El Calafate/El Chalten if we won't be able to go on very strenuous hikes?
Are we making a huge mistake by NOT going to Iguazu Falls?
Thanks for your help /suggestions once again!
