Tenative Itinerary: BA and Salta
Jun 11th, 2009, 02:57 PM
#22
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I understand it is money if you dont use a guide normally, but
her service is worth every dollar you pay. She knows a lot about every single place she takes people to and is able to transmit her love to the North to the newcomers. Everybody becomes Salta fans and much of it is due to her.
This comes to me through the tourists who used her service and really feel it was well spent money. Some other regions dont need a guide to tour you, but the NW is huge and there are tiny places, not easy to find if you are on your own. She knows them all.
her service is worth every dollar you pay. She knows a lot about every single place she takes people to and is able to transmit her love to the North to the newcomers. Everybody becomes Salta fans and much of it is due to her.
This comes to me through the tourists who used her service and really feel it was well spent money. Some other regions dont need a guide to tour you, but the NW is huge and there are tiny places, not easy to find if you are on your own. She knows them all.
Jun 11th, 2009, 03:44 PM
#23
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Thank You all. I know money IS an issue, If I could travel abroad I would definitelly get a guide because I would like to get a deeper experience, like hearing about the History, the culture, daily life, music... I would also feel that every single minute would be precious and I have to squeeze the time as much as possible and I would save a lot if I had my private guide. But that´s me... and I can not afford a trip abroad 
Driving needs much of your attention and I think that is not an idea of getting the best from your trip, and at the end "time" and "money" are issues which compensate each other.
Self driving would be good if you do not have a limited time and if you were used to do it.
Warm regards,
Flintstones.
Driving needs much of your attention and I think that is not an idea of getting the best from your trip, and at the end "time" and "money" are issues which compensate each other.
Self driving would be good if you do not have a limited time and if you were used to do it.
Warm regards,
Flintstones.
Jun 11th, 2009, 04:23 PM
#25
not_enuf_vaca - We met Angie/flintsones while self driving ourselves in the NW and she is a very nice person and certainly knowledgable about the NW. However, if u prefer to drive yourself, driving is fine..its really not a big deal. The roads are well marked and with the exception of the drive from Cachi to Cafayate they are paved 2 lane highways with little traffic. The road between Cachi and Cafayate is not paved but easy to drive on, just a bit jarring. I have a TR that you can read about our 9 days in the NW. We rented a car and paid about $30 a day if I remember correctly. We had a great time and had not a moments trouble driving, the roads, directions, gas, easy to do. Don't be afraid of driving in the NW...its a beautiful area and worth exploring.
Jun 14th, 2009, 09:27 AM
#28
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You will love the NW! No regrets.
Wonderful, beautiful gorgeous, fantastic, stunning, breathtaking, terrific are some of the adjectives people use to describe it, but all this is not enough.
Flintstones...
Wonderful, beautiful gorgeous, fantastic, stunning, breathtaking, terrific are some of the adjectives people use to describe it, but all this is not enough.
Flintstones...
Jun 17th, 2009, 11:27 AM
#31
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My husband and I just returned from 5 1/2 days in the NW and 3 days in BA (May 28-June 6). We had a fantastic time, and I will post a trip report once I'm caught up with work, laundry, etc. Kaross, you guys are going to love Argentina!
In reply to not-enuf-vaca, we hired Angie for our time in the NW and felt that it was an excellent allocation of resources. I have never been a fan of guides and have traveled extensively by myself in Asia and Europe. However, we felt that a guide would really maximize our experience in the NW due to the short duration of our trip, the long distances, and the fact that we just didn't know a lot about the region firsthand. I am happy to say that Angie greatly exceeded our expectations, added tremendous value to the experience and was otherwise worth every penny. Every meal was fantastic. Every hotel was fantastic. Every turn off to a local haunt or lookout was fantastic. The entire itinerary was perfect. I felt like we squeezed as much out of our trip as we possibly could have, with Angie's assistance. We certainly could have driven ourselves and still have had a great time, but I'm confident that we would have missed out on some of the greatest delights of our trip, and I know that we would have been exhausted from doing the driving ourselves just because driving makes both of us tired. One of the draws of the NW is the scenery. I was grateful that I didn't have to keep my eyes on the road. I was also grateful that I could have a glass or two of that delicious Argentinean wine at lunch.
I understand the $$ issue - we struggled with the decision ourselves. However, we figured that we were springing for a vacation to Argentina, and that we might never be back to the NW and we really wanted to see everything we possibly could. If we had had 2-3 weeks on the ground in the NW, it would have been different. For us, it was worth the extra cost to ensure a full experience and to relieve us of the driving (up to 6 hours one day). I’d also like to say that Angie is a very, very smart woman, and exceedingly professional. I was concerned that it would be like having a third wheel on our vacation, and it was not at all. I'm happy to provide more insight if you'd like to contact me directly.
I'll give a quick rundown of our hotels/dining in the NW and BA:
NW:
- El Lagar in Salta - beautiful hotel in old home. Great breakfast! Fantastic location one block from Balcare street, which has great night life options.
- Hotel Killa in Cafayate - also beautiful, great view of Cafayate. I'd recommend staying at least one night in Cafayate, since it is several hours from Salta. There is a fantastic restaurant in Cafayate that I can’t remember right now…I’ll post back when I remember, or maybe Angie can chime in.
- Las Terezas in Tilcara – great view, beautiful building.
- La Lenita in Salta was a good steakhouse.
I thought Purmamarca, Tilcara and Cafayate to be more interesting than Salta, just because they were more unique to me. There were very few tourists and these towns are really gorgeous. It’s really remarkable to be able to experience such dramatic natural beauty in such a quiet and uncommercialized manner – it’s really a privilege. We felt like we’d gone back in time, while still enjoying outstanding food and wine.
BA:
- Hilton Puerto Madero. It was a typical modern hotel, full of all of the amenities and very, very comfortable. We were on the exec floor, which had a nice lounge and excellent concierge service (Ines was particularly helpful). I stayed on points, so it was free. If it hadn't have been free, I would have opted for a more charming location, because Puerto Madero is newly developed and doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of local atmosphere.
- Cabernet - restaurant in Palermo Viejo - www.cabernet-restaurant.com.ar - awesome atmosphere and great food
- El Gran Danzon - wine bar/excellent restaurant in BA http://www.granbardanzon.com.ar/danzon/default.htm
- Amici Mei in San Telmo - great Italian food!! Probably expensive for BA, but the dollar is so strong and prices so low (compared to DC at least) that it was still reasonable to us ($65 US for a great bottle of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, dessert).
Good luck!
In reply to not-enuf-vaca, we hired Angie for our time in the NW and felt that it was an excellent allocation of resources. I have never been a fan of guides and have traveled extensively by myself in Asia and Europe. However, we felt that a guide would really maximize our experience in the NW due to the short duration of our trip, the long distances, and the fact that we just didn't know a lot about the region firsthand. I am happy to say that Angie greatly exceeded our expectations, added tremendous value to the experience and was otherwise worth every penny. Every meal was fantastic. Every hotel was fantastic. Every turn off to a local haunt or lookout was fantastic. The entire itinerary was perfect. I felt like we squeezed as much out of our trip as we possibly could have, with Angie's assistance. We certainly could have driven ourselves and still have had a great time, but I'm confident that we would have missed out on some of the greatest delights of our trip, and I know that we would have been exhausted from doing the driving ourselves just because driving makes both of us tired. One of the draws of the NW is the scenery. I was grateful that I didn't have to keep my eyes on the road. I was also grateful that I could have a glass or two of that delicious Argentinean wine at lunch.
I understand the $$ issue - we struggled with the decision ourselves. However, we figured that we were springing for a vacation to Argentina, and that we might never be back to the NW and we really wanted to see everything we possibly could. If we had had 2-3 weeks on the ground in the NW, it would have been different. For us, it was worth the extra cost to ensure a full experience and to relieve us of the driving (up to 6 hours one day). I’d also like to say that Angie is a very, very smart woman, and exceedingly professional. I was concerned that it would be like having a third wheel on our vacation, and it was not at all. I'm happy to provide more insight if you'd like to contact me directly.
I'll give a quick rundown of our hotels/dining in the NW and BA:
NW:
- El Lagar in Salta - beautiful hotel in old home. Great breakfast! Fantastic location one block from Balcare street, which has great night life options.
- Hotel Killa in Cafayate - also beautiful, great view of Cafayate. I'd recommend staying at least one night in Cafayate, since it is several hours from Salta. There is a fantastic restaurant in Cafayate that I can’t remember right now…I’ll post back when I remember, or maybe Angie can chime in.
- Las Terezas in Tilcara – great view, beautiful building.
- La Lenita in Salta was a good steakhouse.
I thought Purmamarca, Tilcara and Cafayate to be more interesting than Salta, just because they were more unique to me. There were very few tourists and these towns are really gorgeous. It’s really remarkable to be able to experience such dramatic natural beauty in such a quiet and uncommercialized manner – it’s really a privilege. We felt like we’d gone back in time, while still enjoying outstanding food and wine.
BA:
- Hilton Puerto Madero. It was a typical modern hotel, full of all of the amenities and very, very comfortable. We were on the exec floor, which had a nice lounge and excellent concierge service (Ines was particularly helpful). I stayed on points, so it was free. If it hadn't have been free, I would have opted for a more charming location, because Puerto Madero is newly developed and doesn’t offer a tremendous amount of local atmosphere.
- Cabernet - restaurant in Palermo Viejo - www.cabernet-restaurant.com.ar - awesome atmosphere and great food
- El Gran Danzon - wine bar/excellent restaurant in BA http://www.granbardanzon.com.ar/danzon/default.htm
- Amici Mei in San Telmo - great Italian food!! Probably expensive for BA, but the dollar is so strong and prices so low (compared to DC at least) that it was still reasonable to us ($65 US for a great bottle of wine, two appetizers, two entrees, dessert).
Good luck!
Jun 17th, 2009, 12:32 PM
#32
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sisduoinchina: as you say you "will post a trip report", that means this is just an appetizer! LOL!!
Great! I'm sure we are all anxious to read the full version.
I'll let Angie know about your kind words concerning her services.
When should we expect you back?
Great! I'm sure we are all anxious to read the full version.
I'll let Angie know about your kind words concerning her services.
When should we expect you back?
Jun 17th, 2009, 12:51 PM
#33
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I'll start working on it tonight, since I've now committed to writing it. I'll also try to figure out how to post a link to some of my pictures. If you have any recommendations of online photo sharing options, let me know!
I'll also try to figure out how to post a link to some of my pictures. If you have any recommendations of online photo sharing options, let me know!
Jun 17th, 2009, 04:33 PM
#34
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The restaurant we loved in Cafayate is called Terruno. It's on the town square, directly across from the church at Guemes Sur 28. We loved the lamb, the trout in portabello/wine sauce and what was essentially a shish kebab with steak and chicken.
Jun 24th, 2009, 05:02 PM
#36
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thanks again for the insight. I am going to print this whole page! I am looking forward to the trip report...
I would love a guide, considering all the great things I read about Angie, but we just cannot afford it. Our airline ticket was our big splurge and that is all we can splurge on. I am a high school teacher!! That means...I have absolutly no money at the end of the month...
I am looking forward to the trip report...I would love a guide, considering all the great things I read about Angie, but we just cannot afford it. Our airline ticket was our big splurge and that is all we can splurge on. I am a high school teacher!! That means...I have absolutly no money at the end of the month...
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