Michelezr

We will arrive in BA next wed am Oct 27th and I have decided that a guide for a full or ahlf day will help us maximize our time. We leave the next day for Mendoza and then will have 2 days at the end of our trip back inBA. Any recommendations for guides/ reputable companies to contact would be very welcome.

teach2travel

You will be limited as to what you can do on the 27th. It is the national census and everything must be closed from 8 am to 8 pm. You might look at batravelguide.com. She has been very helpful to me.

Scarlett

I heartily second the suggestion of www.BATravelGuide.com
She was a life saver for us a few times when we first arrived in Buenos Aires, she is one of the most knowledgeable people I know regarding not only where everything is, (I do tend to get lost sometimes) but where all the good things are, museums, restaurants etc .. She lives in the city which also helps, she is not getting her info from another source..

Treepol

Michelezr,

I can recommend Gabriel Blacher who was my guide in BA this July and again later in August. Gabriel is an excellent guide who is happy to work with you to ensure you get the most form your BA tour. His English is excellent and also speaks Spanish, German and Hebre. His email is [email protected]. In addition to providing guided tours, Gabriel is happy to do great walking maps that make exploring on your own very easy and pleasant at your own pace.

Enjoy BA,


Pol.

bhjort

Hi!

I am happy to recommend a wonderful Buenos Aires guide to you.

Last fall, while researching and arranging a Buenos Aires pre-cruise stay for my disabled Dad and my Uncle, I found an ad for BA CULTURAL CONCIERGE on the landingpadba.com website ( a sort of "What's on in Buenos Aires" site ), and I clicked on the link for BA Cultural Concierge
( http://baculturalconcierge.com ). The proprietor of BA Cultural Concierge is Madi Lang, a native of Maryland, who's been living in, writing about, and sharing Buenos Aires with her clients for the last few years.

It was evident from Madi's website that she could provide all of the services necessary ( trip planning, transfers, reservations, tours, errands, shopping, accompaniment...even gift baskets! ) to make the boys' Buenos Aires visit as enjoyable, enriching, and stress-free as possible. Plus, the website has links to some of Madi's interesting and well-written articles on a variety of Buenos Aires topics. I was very intrigued after perusing the website and reading the articles, so I e-mailed a lengthy initial inquiry to Madi. The next day, I received a pleasant and very detailed reply from Madi's intern, Emily. Emily provided clear, well thought out answers to my questions, and had some good questions for me in return. After a few e-mail exchanges, I felt very comfortable leaving the Buenos Aires arrangements to BA Cultural Concierge.

Madi and Emily ended up arranging most of the airport and cruise pier transfers, a tango show at Cafe Tortoni, a day trip to an estancia, an orientation tour of the Recoleta neighborhood where the hotel was located, a tour of the beautiful Recoleta Cemetery, a city tour in an air-conditioned van, a wonderful Sunday brunch at the posh Alvear Palace Hotel, a leisurely Sunday afternoon stroll through the San Telmo street fair, and a "cafe chat" with a local economist who discussed Argentina's economy, culture, and history. The ladies also put together a beautiful gift box chock full of Argentinean treats ( a surprise gift for my Dad and Uncle from the grandkids )! They even made a list of recommended restaurants near the hotel.

Madi was the very capable, and entertaining, guide for the tours ( though, please note that for specialized or "in depth" tours, or "cafe chats", Madi can make arrangements for local experts and specialists ). Also, per my request, one or both of the ladies was available to provide accompaniment to all of the other activities. For example, I thought that for the tango show and estancia visits, it would be nice for my Dad and Uncle to have one of the ladies along to provide translation ( if needed ), carry their camera bags, take photos of the boys, and provide good conversation, as well as a familiar face.

Sadly, my Uncle had to back out of the trip the week before departure, but, luckily, I was available to be his substitute. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a few weeks of quality time with Dad, go on a spectacular South America/Antartica cruise, and hang out with Madi and Emily in Buenos Aires. The ladies did a fantastic job of planning and executing all of our Buenos Aires activities. All of the sites that we visited, and all of our transportation, were carefully thought out with my Dad's age and disability in mind. Everything went off without a hitch! Madi and Emily are both knowledgable, caring, full of cheer and good humor, and Dad and I truly enjoyed our time with them. We'll never forget them!

I highly recommend BA Cultural Concierge to anyone looking for a Buenos Aires private guide, trip planner, and / or "go-fer", especially for first time visitors, disabled travelers, cruise passengers, solo travelers, and elderly travelers. Their service is truly the next best thing to having a friend in Buenos Aires!

Please visit http://baculturalconcierge.com and read some of Madi's Buenos Aires articles. You'll be sold on her if you do!

Also, if you care to see some of the photos from our stay in Buenos Aires, here's the link to our album on Picasa Web Albums:
http://picasaweb.google.com/10189629...resJanuary2010#

Bill Hjort
Maplewood, Minnesota

bhjort

Re: Buenos Aires photo link

Sorry! The link that I supplied to our Buenos Aires photos doesn't seem to work. If you're interested in seeing them, this link should do the trick:

http://tinyurl.com/y9qoww7

Bill

avrooster

Hi, Bill!

When should we expect you back with your uncles?

I'll roll out the red carpet.....

Michelezr

Thanks to all who responded with the great suggestions. A walking map would be perfect as our first day is a national holiday with everything closed!

Treepol

Michelzr,

if you contact Gabriel, he will let you know what it is possible to do on a public holiday - he might even do airport transfers. He also showed us how to use the subway so that we could go further afield in BA independently which I really appreciated.

Regards,


Pol

bhjort

Hi Alberto ( Mr. Rooster )!

I hope it's sometime soon! We'd love to see more of Buenos Aires, and, of course, meet you!

Best Regards,

Bill

avrooster

Great! I'll probably be away during the first two weeks of February, but will most likely be here the rest of the summer.

Let me hear from you as soon as you have any firm plans!