mgurmie

Hello Argentina Crew!

My husband and I fly into BA November 14th and have 12 nights in Argentina. We are in our early 30s pretty adventurous/ active and are looking to eat good food, meet interesting people, see awesome natural sights, and enjoy the country. Due to budget constraints we can only handle one domestic flight with bus travel (no car rental) and are leaning towards Southern Patagonia as THE destination. How does this tentative itinerary sound. Do we have time to add on one more spot? Maybe we could go somewhere in the countryside for some R&R. It seems like we have one or two days to play with. If so, do you have any suggestions? I don't want to do too much and be stressed out. But I do want to see a good variety of things.

4 or 5 nights in BA (with possible overnight in Colonia Uruguay)
2 nights in El Calafate (Perito Moreno glacier)
3 or 4 nights in El Chalten (day hikes)
1 night back in BA

We are both designers and love small unique b&bs or boutique hotels. Sometimes, we'll plan a trip around a great lodge or b&b in the woods. Let me know if something like this comes to mind within 4 hrs of BA. Most of the Estancias I've seen around BA seem touristy and/ or really pricey.

Thanks for your help!

owlwoman

Sounds like a great plan, you don't need to overnight in Colonia, you could do a day trip. It's a cute town.

Both El Chalten and El Calafate have great lodges and estancias near by. Not knowing your price range, we loved Los Cerros in El Chalten, it was all inclusive. I would do three nights in each since it takes 3 hours from El Calafate -El Chalten, you'll still have plenty of time for all the activities.

bsasexpert

Hello,

My first piece of advice would be to stay an extra night in BA, it really is an amazing city and after 1 night you'll be disappointed you didnt stay longer! And if its nature you're looking for BA is full of huge, beautiful parks and theres an ecological reserve at Tigre where you could go for a day trip which is just an hour's train ride away, you could also do some v.good r&r here!

Have a great time!

Hope that helps!

mgurmie

Thanks for the advice owlwoman. Los Cerros looks great but out of our price range; We don't want to spend more than $100 a night on accommodations. I just read your trip report and got some really helpful info! Sounds like a great trip!

BSAexpert, we are planning on spending 4 or 5 nights in BA at the beginning of our trip and 1 night at the end. That's not enough?

Has anyone rented an apartment in Palermo Soho? Any suggestions? I am surprised by the boutique hotel and b&b prices for mid November in that neighborhood. It looks like the usual suspects (Miravida Soho, 5 rooms, Craft hotel) are out of our price range.

Thanks for your help!

sandiej

We stayed last year at La Otra Orilla on the edge of Palermo Soho. We are returning this year for our stay before we go onto Mendoza. It's a charming B&B and rooms are airy with private baths. The price per night is $85 room on the first floor facing the street. However, I would opt for one of the second floor rooms that start at $100 for a private bath. There is a lovely garden for breakfast or an afternoon drink. The staff is helpful and friendly. There is even a house cat. The restaurants and cafes are about a 10 minute walk and so is Santa Fe and the subway. The website is: otraorilla.com.ar. You may also want to check out tripadvisor for B&B reviews.

bsasexpert

Oh yes i see what you mean! 4 or 5 nights will be perfect!
Argentina is more expensive than lots of places in Latin America and BA is more expensive than the provinces... also Palermo Soho is a particularly nice district! San Telmo should be more economical... Palermo Hollywood is also worth looking into, it might not be the price you want but it has lots of good boutiquey options so you never know!

mgurmie

Thanks for the rec sandiej. Otraorillo looks great but we just booked a furnished apartment rental through argentinaconsultant.com in the palermo park neighborhood. We also booked a one night stay at Craft hotel on the return end.

Owlwoman, we are leaning towards 2 nights in El Calafate and 4 nights in El Chalten. We have a 1pm flight out of Calafate. If we take the 7 am bus from El Chalten will be cutting it too close? Are the roads unpredictable?

Thanks!

owlwoman

You should be ok on a 7:00 AM bus, the road was pretty empty and paved, no traffic problems there. And, with a 1:00 flight, you wouldn't need to be there much earlier than 12:00.

But, why don't you go staight to El Chalten for four days and do El Calafate on the way back (that's what we did), that way you don't have to worry about the flight on the same day. (We did 2 nights in El Chalten and 3 in El Calafate, but we're not big hikers).

mgurmie

Brilliant owlwoman! That makes complete sense. Thanks for helping me get my head on straight.

Did anyone go to a soccer match in BA? Can you recommend a good tour guide/ bodyguard?

owlwoman

I love being called "brilliant"

Didn't go to a soccer match, but have read other posters that have and they recommend going through a TA for tickets.

Good luck with that one!

soulskier

Check out http://bsas4u.com/ for soccer tickets

RedStater

I second Owlwoman's opinion...there's not enough in Colonia to justify an overnight stay. Leave BA early on the first boat out and take the last boat back...that's plenty of time. I'd suggest the slow boat on the return journey - riding on the open-air upper deck was a great end to the day. There's an cash bar up there, too.

mgurmie

Thanks everyone for making this planning process so easy! We are almost done. We just need to book our accommodations for El Calafate. Does anyone know of a good hosteria/ b&b in El Calafate for max $100 per night? I'm overwhelmed by all of the choices/ reviews on tripadvisor. Thanks!

owlwoman

The place we stayed, the Kosten Aike, was about that price for a regular room (we had a suite), besides the barking dogs, it was fine.

We did meet a couple who were staying at a nice looking hotel outside of town toward the airport (I think it might of been the Glacier Hotel), they had a free shuttle to bring you into town in the evening. They said it was nice and quiet.

mgurmie

Thanks again owlwoman! We chose patagonia rebelde based on the good tripadvisor reviews and website www.patagoniarebelde.com. I will report when we get back.

owlwoman

I looked at the web-site, looks good and it's a nice location, on the other side of the bridge (we stayed closer to town, but walked out that way). The really good steakhouse we had dinner at one night is not far from where this is.

mgurmie

Thanks! We are all set for now. I'll be back on the board when it gets closer for more specific recommendations. Owlwoman, I'm a pescatarian but my husband is looking forward to trying your steakhouse recommendations. Thanks again!