Cathartic, slightly unhinged Argentina rant
 

So I'm in BA for a business trip. My - actually rather nice - hotel has all of two guys who look like they're 19 working tonight, because (as one of them explained to me) they're totally understaffed because of bad management.

Half the ATMs here don't accept my US-issued Visa debit card (nothing new there), but the ones that do all seem to have some a 1,000-peso withdrawal limit, thus requiring me to make twice the withdrawals I'd like to. And requiring me to run around looking for the banks that I know will take my card.

And when I came back from a full day of meetings - 9am-6pm, five in total, ranging from Palermo to Puerto Madero and everywhere in between - I discover that the hotel has been taken over by some school group, and there are 12-13-year olds literally running all over the floor above me. And running/jumping all over in the room above mine. The same thing happened to me on my last trip at a totally different hotel.

I have been to this city perhaps half a dozen times and stayed at many different places. I have yet to find a hotel where I could consistently get a good night's sleep. Either there are children running all over, or the building next door decides to throw a house party on the roof deck until 5am, or Brazilian couples are having screaming matches in the room next to mine. These are generally 3-4 star hotels.

I'm so excited to go to Neuquén tomorrow. There's absolutely nothing to do there, but I can get some peace and quiet.

/rant

You need to speak to your corporate travel department..... maybe spending a little less is costing you (and your company) a lot more than you are saving.

Where have you stayed...??? It would be nice to post actual names so others can benefit from your experiences and not make the same "mistake".

Given the current arbitrage options, its hard to justify your usage of plastic... and you could be staying at an SPG property for a very similar rate.

I suggest you use less energy in ranting and more in using the tools you have out there to make better use of your budget and help you get better rest during the evenings.

I've stayed in various graded hotels in BA from the Ibis to the Park Hyatt and can't say I've ever encountered any noise problems....so it's not the usual. The ATM situation is what it is and a visitor shouldn't be using one anyway unless in an emergency.
Believe me, come and live here and you'll soon find 1001 far more serious things to complain about. :D

I haven't used a debit card in BsAs for several years, but the 1000 (or more often 990) peso limit per transaction was then in place. I'd usually be able to make 9 consecutive transactions/day (even though my bank allowed a larger USD amount/day). I get my foreign ATM fees reimbursed, so it wasn't a problem.

It's basically a fee harvesting ploy by the local banking industry.

Oh believe me, I'm well aware... was just having a very frustrating night and needed to vent, and there were no physical humans nearby to complain to.

It does seem that I have horrific luck with finding quiet in BA hotels. And in general, it's not the hotel's fault at all - it's either other obnoxious people staying there or, in the case of the all-night DJ, from outside the hotel altogether. (That was at an otherwise quite lovely boutique hotel in Barrio Norte, across the street from the Hospital Aleman, but I can't recall the name.)

And as to the ATMs, this is a very busy business trip, and I don't have the time/inclination to find a reliable person to change money with to save my company some cash. My boss is OK with this and just told me not to worry about it. Of course, if I buy anything for personal use (i.e., wine), I have my stash of USD.

I've never had a problem with the Sheraton "Libertador" (at excellent rates, I might add, and 1 block from calle Florida), or the Hilton Puerto Madero if you don't mind being more isolated from the city.

I would expect boutique hotels to be noisier later into the night.

There is no reason not to use Xoom to get all the cash you need (under $3000 U$D). And RiaTransfer works too, though I only know for pickup in Chile. Both if you have a USA bank. Just kick off the transfer a few days before you leave, and it will be ready as long as you have time to visit the office during business hours. Many forum discussions to research on this topic.

I recall the more common Banelco ATMs were the ones that worked, not the other network "Red Link". Though I have not visited an ATM in years.

Neuquen has Casa Tinta as the best restaurant to eat a few blocks outside the center. Now the same owner chef has opened Dom Memo, which is more typical of other Argentina menus along with a decent local artensal beer. Malba as the museum worth visiting, which includes a regular Friday early evening music and bar. The walk or run out of the green center, and up to the desert "bardas" for exercise, or south the opposite way to arrive to the river walk.

From my experience when using ATM's in BsAs. HSBC ATM's gave me the best rate and didn't seem to have the per tranaction limits that other do. So I always sought those out. Safe Travels