Most of the poor digging through the trash in Argentina behave with dignity; that is to say, they don't come to you begging and mind their own business and do what honest work they need to in order to get by. That kind of work ethic is to be admired.

Buenos Aires is safe enough for most everybody who uses basic common sense.

Have you looked at London,Paris,Amsterdam,New York,Chicago,Madrid ? They all have visible signs of homeless,out-of-luck-down people.

That seemed to be true from my observation. While some did panhandle, the vast majority did not. That said, the number of trash diggers, particularly in the downtown area between the Plaza San Martin and Lavelle, was truly mindboggling. Like 2 or 3 per block in the early evening, with trash strewn everywhere. And this is a "good" neighborhood! Quite different from what I observed in Recoleta, which is why I think most folks would do better avoiding a hotel in the downtown area. I would also note that, if you do stay downtown, the area east of the Plaza San Martin seems to have significantly less begging/trash digging.

All I can say is I am thankful that there are people who will hold high opinions of BA no matter what. I can't wait to see Buenos Aires and have nearly driven my girlfriend crazy with all my talk of the things we will be doing down there.

In reference to poverty and panhandlers, my feeling is that no matter where you may be, poverty can be found. Whether manifesting itself in the homeless of a panhandler on Madison Avenue and 61st (Upper East Side) or the younger street beggars in Union Square, I expect to see people rummaging through garbage anywhere I am in New York City. And as a result, if I see similar begging/rummaging going on elsewhere, it wont faze me.

I will still love EZE. ^

Layover at EZE
 

We have a five hour layover at EZE after a redeye flight. Does anyone have any suggestions of a hotel or other place near EZE that we could relax?

Posada de las Aguilas - Link I never have stayed at this hotel, but if you do stay there let us know what you think of it.

Hope everyone can bear yet another hotel question :(

I am keeping LoiSuites Recoleta at the top of the list.

The other two hotels I would like to get a "good" or "stay away" vote are:

LoiSuites Esmerelda
http://www.loisuites.com.ar/EsmeraldaEn.htm

Melia Buenos Aires Boutique Hotel
http://www.solmelia.com/sol/hoteles/...?idSolRes=5950

I will be excited to finalize my hotel arrangements for BA, so that I can go back to square one and work on Santiago! lol

Thanks :)

LOL, no problem!
Its my favorite for under $150 a night in Bs. As.
Its ok, but no where near as nice as LoiSuites Recoleta. Service is good, rooms are clean, but nothing fancy and the neighborhood (Microcentro) just is not anywhere near as fun and interesting to me as Recoleta.
Don't know, I've been in the lobby but never stayed there. It looks nice from the lobby, but I'd recommend staying in Recoleta if you can handle their rate.
Santiago? Awesome, you'll love it. But you HAVE to go to Vina del Mar. Stay at a hotel/casino in Valparaiso for a night or two and spend your days on the beach at Vina del Mar.

I could not have posted this better. Its unfortunate that the economic hard times have led to so many people falling into hard times financially.

With regards to safety, even though Buenos Aires was a safer destination 10 years ago, the overall safety situation is much improved when compared to the past 2-3 years where it had gotten into critical territory. I endorse the comments that if one uses basic common sense, even for the little experienced international (or even first time) traveler, Buenos Aires should be a great experience.

My family and I have visited Buenos Aires a number of times during Palm Sunday/Easter weeks and love that time of year there. The city seems peaceful and pretty in the early autumn season and all the places that we frequent are open and busy. We have enjoyed attending Mass in the Cathedral and joining the Palm Sunday procession outside in the square.

In fact, next Palm Sunday/Easter weeks I will be taking my 25 year old daughter to BA as a reward to her for being such a wonderful/thoughtful child to her mother and I.

thanks for a great thread
 

great thread... just finished reading all 26 pages.

My wife and I will be traveling to Bs.As. and Uruguay in Jan-Feb '05 to celebrate my 50th birthday. Looking for two restaurant suggestions:

1) the best Argentinian steakhouse in the city, and
2) the best restaurant in the city for dinner on the night of my birthday.
Gaucho, I have read of your preference for
Sinclair, Christophe, and Nectarine over La Bourgogne. Any other opinions? Does one of the aforementioned stand out above the rest?

Also, I'm planning on spending two nights at the Four Seasons Carmelo resort in Uruguay. Anybody been there lately?

Finally, on the topic of wine: a Malbec named Bramare, from Marchiori vinyard in Argentina, has recently become very popular here in the USA mostly due to the involvement of California winemaker Paul Hobbs. Any opinions from the portenos on this one?

Hi Gaucho and everyone else,

I was wondering if you might have a recommendation for somewhere romantic and nice for New Years Eve dinner for my partner (he lives there) and me. He's not so good at picking restaurants. Last year we ended up at a pretty decent place in Plaza Serrano but it was nothing to write home about (or post on FT about, for that matter). Of course we also left it until December 29 last year before we got a reservation, so everything was full. This year I'm determined to get a reservation in the next few days. :)

So, it'd be nice if you could recommend something either in Puerto Madero on the water or somewhere else with a nice view. Somewhere that won't be too loud, and maybe somewhere that isn't charging more than U$S 40 per person. Or just anything else that doesn't meet the above that you think would be a great place to go. I'd really appreciate the suggestions!

Also, I'd love to know more about your wine shop. Could you give me the address so I can stop in and get a few bottles while I'm there? (If you'd prefer to send it by PM that'd be fine, too!)

Thanks so much for the help. I really do appreciate it. :)

prspad-- Thank you very much for the kind words about Buenos Aires. Im very glad you have enjoyed it down here and am even more pleased that you would consider returning. If there's anything I can do to help you plan your next trip, please let me know.

I've successfully used GoArgentina.net for discounted rates whenever I need a hotel room for myself or visitors when I'm in between apartments. Here's a sampling of their rates:

LoiSuites Recoleta: $144 USD jr. suite incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.

LoiSuites Esmerelda: $60 USD reg. room incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
$74 USD suite incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.

Melia Boutique Hotel: $99 USD reg. room incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.

Bel Air Hotel: $76 USD reg. room incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
This boutique hotel is in a great location on Arenales in Recoleta - quiet yet close to everything

Edificio Suipacha Suites: $60 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
This hotel is in Retiro near Plaza San Martin, one of my favourite parts of town

Feir's Park Hotel: $120 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
This converted apartment building is in Retiro, close to Plaza San Martin and not far from the exclusive Sofitel

Loi Suites Arenales: $74 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
Also in Retiro near Plaza San Martin

Marriott: $108 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
I think this is a great price for a great classic hotel in an ideal location.

Plaza Francia Hotel: $72 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
A great location near the Alvear Palace, Av Libertador and Patio Bullrich

Suipacho y Arroyo Suites: $58 USD incl. tax & breakfast dbl. occ.
A great bargain for a relatively new kid on the block in an elegant part of Retiro

I don't think you can go wrong with any of the above-mentioned choices. If you really want to pare costs to the absolute minimum, there are acceptable hotels going for as little as $34 USD

Delta50-- Welcome to FT, and thank you for reading and participation in my EZE thread. Now, on the topic of your questions....

1) Best Steakhouse..... well, first of all, allow me to explain that in Buenos Aires, just about 99% of all restaurants offer grilled meats on their menus. Also, the "steak" concept as such is a little broader a concept in that when we talk about grilled meats, the cuts of meat are extremely varied and quite different.... I assure you there is a cut for every taste. Now, to the restaurants.... its hard to say or to single out one one establishment. My shortlist would be:

a) Cabaña Las Lilas
b) El Pobre Luis
c) El Novillo Alegre

The above is only three of the many others.... I will for now keep the list at that because I dont want to confuse you with too many options. Also, the above has three different levels of establishment.... Cabaña being the most upscale and tourist accustomed place (but its by all means still authentic in terms of the food), and the other two being more local style places... El Novillo Alegre is a no frills place... dont dress up to go to this one. In any event, if you are looking for a more traditional US style steak house experience, with the more polished decor, etc. (a place where you would wear a jacket, etc.) then by all means go to Las Lilas.

2) Restaurant for the night of your birthday.... I assume you will want a quiet kind of setting. My choice would be Nectarine... (please try the Chef's tasting menu, 8 courses plus 2 desserts). The service is not as detailed and the ambience is more like a mid-level Paris restaurant rather than a super luxury establishment.... but I guess that you probably have had enough of those hotel type places. If you still want to experience a 5 star hotel type thing, forget the Alvear and La Bourgnogne, and instead to the Agraz (Ceasars Park), or Le Sud (Sofitel). Another place to consider would be Oviedo.

One more thing... regarding Sinclair... Im afraid I will have to take it down from my recommended list. The last two meals Ive had there have been quite lame.... its unfortunate that Rodrigo seems to be taking his eye off the ball... but thats been my experience lately. :(

Now, onto the Wine... :D

The wine & vineyard you are referring to is called Viña Cobos. Paul Hobbs is one of the three winemakers, and is also a partner in this venture. The Bramare label is the second wine of this house, and it is indeed a superb Malbec. However, the read gem of this house is the Cobos, this is the insignia label and will take anybody's Malbec experience to the next level. The Cobos is a limited release wine, so its not too easy to obtain (although some cases are being exported to the USA through Paul Hobbs himself). I like both wines very much.... Bramare is my pick in terms of value for money, but, if budget permitting... I would not leave out a couple of cellar slots for the big brother Cobos. For where to get these goodies while in EZE, please PM me for more details... ;)

Cheers,
Gaucho