By the way, thesilb, even 'tho you don't stay out till 3 am, you should try to stay out a bit after midnight so you can enjoy the tango halls and the like. My husband and I loved being at one of them with our group, arriving around 11 pm and staying till about 1:30 am.

The price of admission was about 50 cents, and our host (local Argentine) did call ahead and get us a table reservation (your hotel could probably do the same).

But it is wonderous to see people of all ages dancing this fantastic dance.

In the early part of the evening there was recorded music, and somewhere around midnight they had the beginning of a sucession of live bands and live singers. That was incredible.

If you aren't sure you have the energy to stay up that late, then plan ahead, and take an afternoon nap.

Rita

Great advice, we will nap or do whatever to make it happen and we will try the place you recommend. This will be my wife's and my first trip post-infant without the infant (who will then be one and a half), we really need to try to "get a life" again. This sounds like the perfect opportunity. :D

thesilb,
write the name down and put it aside. This place is very very traditional and is still not a tourism spot. So with your permission (pm me) once you've got it down, I"ll delete the name of the place.

also when you're there, they don't really like photos taken. You might be able to take some discretely, but not too many.

R.

Thanks, folks, for your suggestions. As it turns out, I won't be traveling solo. My favorite uncle and I will be heading down for a week in late April/May. We've rented an apartment in the Recoleta/Barrio Norte area.

If you had to pick one or two excellent parrillas in that area, or anywhere nearby, what would you all suggest, please?

While not exactly in that area, but still well within striking distance with a quick cab ride, I would suggest:

El Pobre Luis
La Brigada San Telmo

Apartment for rent
 

Please PM or reply with info on furnished apartments for rent (3 months) near a subway station. Thanks all!

Leandro, why dont you contact the folks at ApartmentsBA.com ?

I agree again with Gaucho. My sister rented from them and was very satisfied. Also if you go to their site you'll see lots of photos.

Rita

Hi all (especially Gaucho),

I first of want to say how great this thread is - there's more information here than in virtually any guidebook on BA. The exciting news ^ - one of my best buddies and I are going to be taking a trip down to BA in mid November (yes I know we booked way in advance - thank you DL for limited skysaver availability). After reading through much of this thread I had a few questions. First a little background - my friend and I are both male, 23, and both speak french (very useful in argentina, I know). We are definitely hoping to see the great nightlife in BA and would like to stay somewhere relatively nice and central - its not often we get to get away from our finance/consulting jobs.

So, for people like us, where would you suggest we stay? I've read numerous posts about the Hilton, though I'm concerned that we'd be getting much more of an 'american' flavor by staying there or one of the sheratons. Do you have any suggestions for nice hotels to stay at that might have a bit more local flavor (or, alternatively, are Hilton/SPG/etc pretty good on that part?) I saw the new Hyatt, but were not sure if we want to pay $400/night.

Also, will soccer/football season have started in November? If so, where is the best place to catch a match?

I know these questions are quite general, but I'm looking forward to posting on this board over the upcoming months. Thanks in advance for all your help, and I cant wait to get down there (unfortunately I have to wait another 8 months).

I posted earlier in this thread about my SFO->EZE->AEP->IGR trip in one day. We are arriving at EZE around 9:30am and depart AEP around 1pm. We will hire a remise to take us from EZE to AEP.

My questions today relate to prepaid mobile services in Argentina. We would like to purchase a prepaid SIM between the time we arrive in EZE and fly out of AEP. What mobile phone carrier(s) have the best prepaid plans for international long distance (to the US), and where (between EZE and AEP) should we purchase it? We must get coverage in Iguazu Falls. Coverage in El Calafate is preferred, but not required.

Thanks, G100K. I've heard a lot of good things about La Brigada. Are their other locations just as good, or is San Telmo better than the rest?

The San Telmo location is the place to visit, write off the other(s).

El Calafate
 

I'm still waiting to find out whether LAN will resume seasonal service to El Calafate next November. Their US reservations office is still completely in the dark about it.

Because of their connection to AA's frequent flyer program, I can probably get there for free if they do fly. Can anyone shed any light on when LAN might decide on their fall schedule?

To my surprise, the last time I visited Patagonia, I planned my trip 6 months in advance and my first choice in accomodations was already sold out! Hence my interest in getting things arranged.

Otherwise, I guess my only option is Aerolineas. The other day I looked at Aerolineas' US website, and their published fares to El Calafate were ridiculous. I'm assuming the "gringo surcharge" is still in effect, and that buying a ticket from an Argentine travel agent wouldn't help me. If it's going to cost me US$400 pp to get down there, I'll probably change my plans.

On a related note, I read that LAN was planning on lowering their domestic Argentine and Chilean airfares to try to stimulate demand. Of course, that doesn't help if they're not flying where you need to go. :)

I also read that, effective April 1, LAN Argentina officially becomes a member of the oneworld alliance.

Thanks for any suggestions on this.

LAN has been teasing it's members for a few weeks now with a days countdown until a few days ago...

"LAN cambia la forma de viajar en Chile!!!"

(LAN changes the way of traveling in Chile!!)

Click on the LAN Chile (in Chile) website and see a big red banner pop up with a map of Chile. Previously, domestic flights were at least twice as much as a flight from Santiago - Buenos Aires. I flew to BA for $86 roundtrip for NYE.

Now, flights are almost low cost carrier type:

http://www.lan.com/promociones/data/...l/nvo_lan.html

Arica = $65.900 Chilean pesos = ~$130 USD
Punta Arenas = $74.900 CLP = ~$150 USD

All other cities are less than that. Wow. Punta Arenas is as far south as you can fly in Chile, and Arica as far north!!

If you are in Spain/Europe, there are some great ski deals for flying down here, too, and a pretty good 1-way fare from Madrid - Frankfurt on the LAN shuttle.

LAN MAD - FRA deal:

http://www.lan.com/promociones/data/...madfra109.html

LAN ski deals:

http://www.lan.com/promociones/data/...cl/madscl.html

http://www.lan.com/cgi-bin/compra/oum.cgi

I also looked online in the LAN Argentina site, and while El Calafate shows on the drop down list of cities, it does not show available any dates i click to try to fly there from BA. Maybe fly to Punta Arenas from Santiago for cheap and rent a car? Or fly into Rio Gallegos or Comodoro Rivadiera from BA?

Gaucho, what would you suggest?

Last suggestion for AA members earning AA miles when flying LAN:

1) Sign up with LAN Pass for the 5k bonus km when becoming a member.
2) Book your flights online with lan.com while signed in under your LAN Pass #
3) Earn 1k LAN Pass km for every internet booking you make
4) Select your AAdvantage number for the LAN flight you fly
5) Do online check-in prior to the flight, earning another 1k LAN Pass km
6) Also, these bonuses are available online:

LANPASS kilometer bonuses:
Type of Flight Bonus on first purchase
Intercontinental Flight in Economy Class 10,000 additional kilometers
Flight within South America or Europe 5,000 additional kilometers
Flight within Chile, Peru or Argentina 2,000 additional kilometers

I've earned 17k LAN Pass km while still using my AAdvantage number when flying them - 35k and I'll have enough for an upgrade to Easter Island.

The english for LAN Argentina and LAN Ecuador joining oneworld here:

http://www.lan.com/about_us/noticias/2007_03_01-EN.html

Just need LAN Peru to join the team!

If I'm doing my math right, those are good fares. Something like Santiago-Puerto Montt would only be US$100 roundtrip, right?

When Continental only charged 35,000 miles to Chile and Argentina, I used to buy my own domestic airfares. With CO now 50,000 miles, and AA only 40,000 "off-peak," I tend not to, because I burn AA miles which INCLUDE the LAN flights.

I'm not sure what to do about my itinerary at this point. AA let me ticket the award to Buenos Aires and add the El Calafate segments without charge if they ever become available. I suppose I could add a different Argentine or Chilean city in Patagonia instead if the flights never operate (maybe with a change fee). I hope LAN decides what they're going to do in the next couple of months.