Thanks for the thread: I have a lot of the same nuts-and-bolts questions given the ever changing "facts for tourists" in Argentina. I'm first entering Argentina in Mendoza, so I guess I'll need to get my first cash there. Good to know about the ATM limits. I'll actually be arriving in BA at AEP. It's been a while. Are there taxi company booths there, too? Is it still always a good idea (for safety reasons) to call a radio taxi instead of just hailing one?

And I was also curious whether there was a way to get tours at a discount, like an estancia trip.

AEP has a couple of remise companies in the arrivals hall. Not sure about regular taxis.

Outwith the airport radio taxis are still to preferred over the non radio ones.

Some of the bigger companies now have apps and can be paid using credit cards.

Thanks. Given AEP's close-in location, can I assume that the prices of the remise companies are OK? In other words, not a rip off compared to a taxi? Or is there a reliable taxi operator that is easily obtained at AEP?

You either get in the taxi line-up outside, or you hire someone inside. "Rip off" compared to a taxi isn't fair, because you know your fare in advance, you'll have a car/driver, and you won't worry about a bad meter, a rogue route (both of which are highly unlikely) or an unstable vehicle.

I don't fly AEP very often, but I usually use my "regular driver" or one of his associates, and pay a lot more than a taxi would be (although for EZE, I pay similar or less than one of the Remise companies). Note that despite AEP's close-in location, my drive time San Telmo <-> AEP is no less than my typical non-peak hour trip to/from EZE.

Eastbay is right ... with a remise you avoid all the hassle of a potential rip off.

Yes it is more expensive than a taxi . But your remise driver takes you through all the hassle . No lines , a better car , a cleaner car . Its worth the extra cash.

My experience in November was quite different.
I took a regular taxi from Aeroparque to San Telmo and the meter showed 125 pesos + 10 pesos ticket (expressway Av. 9 de Julio)= 135 pesos.
I gave the driver 150 pesos.
That's nothing near the cost of a taxi ride from EZE to San Telmo which is ~400 pesos. :-)

If you will note, I wasn't speaking of the cost. I was speaking of the drive time.

Oh, yes, I don't mind paying more for the remise from AEP -- especially since "more" on what I think is likely to be a small tab shouldn't be a lot of money. Does anyone have an idea what a remise price to Centro would be, compared to a taxi? As long as the difference is reasonably fair -- like no more than US$10 -- I'm OK with it.

I'd also consider calling for a radio taxi upon my arrival at AEP, but I'm guessing I won't have a functioning cell phone.

For restaurant suggestions, especially casual places specializing in beef, check recent COW DO threads in CommunityBuzz. They tend to be located in Palermo/Palermo SoHo rather than Recoleta. I liked El Establo between Recoleta and the old CBD but it seems to have closed after many years. Puerto Madero has a couple upscale beef restaurants such as The Grill, but they're more expensive than necessary although you do get a more refined atmosphere with quiet well spaced tables.

Although I haven't been to El Establo in nearly 9 years, I hadn't heard it closed. I checked and TripAdvisor has recent reviews.

As far as "Le Grill" (not The Grill), it isn't that much more expensive than many of the run of the mill places, and the beef quality is far superior. This wasn't as big of an issue years ago, when feed lot beef hadn't become the predominant supply. They also often have a 20% off for Amex payments when making a Restorando reservation. I am making the point of "Le Grill" so people don't get steered to Plaza Grill at the hotel if asking for The Grill.

Thank you. My information was from the PH concierge, but I might have misunderstood. Perhaps they were saying that it was closed for one day or even that it was closed for reservations when I wanted to go.

I liked Le Grill (sorry for getting the language wrong) and was glad I went, but I've liked the more casual places like El Establo, La Dorita, etc. better.

I've also enjoyed some of the creative fine dining places in Buenos Aires, but that isn't what the OP is asking.

Another fan of Le Grill in Puerto Madero here. Another good option for a "premium" dead-cow meal is La Cabania (also in Puerto Madero). Of the better known places in Puerto Madero, the only one that I still don't feel comfortable recommending is Cabana Las Lilas, which in my book remains an overpriced tourist trap. I cannot say that Cabana Las Lilas will not serve you a good meal, just that its by far the most expensive location and has the highest wine markups in the area, and is also the least "authentic" Argentine Meat Experience.

I read somewhere that when exchanging the money at the airport, that you get a better rate using crisp 100 USD bills? Is this true? Also, is the best idea when changing money to get them in small bills to avoid possible taxi scams or other establishments not offering change?

(1) At the airport bank you would get the same rate. If the bank doesn't think your bills are real, they won't take them. At street vendors, you'll be best off (not visiting altogether, but if you do) with crispy bills.

(2) The largest common use bill is the $100. There are $500s, but you won't see or get them too frequently. As the $100 is worth barely over US$6, a portion of that is the worst ripoff you could suffer, so I wouldn't worry about that. Most everyone has change for $100 these days. If they complain they don't, they will probably find some if you suddenly cant make a purchase.

Thanks for the info! So I guess if lets say exchanging a few hundred USD. Would be the ideal note distribution? I assume mostly hundreds with a few 50's sprinkled in there?