thanks

I've been working with this agency to rent a furnished apartment in Recoleta for 2 months: http://www.homes.com.ar/ They appear to be trustworthy, they have certainly been very helpful and informative as I prepare to move down there. We'll move in a week. I've been talking to Victoria, her English is excellent. The only drawbacks to this agency are that the apartments they represent are concentrated in and around Recoleta, I was unable to find a place that I liked in Palermo or Belgrano for 2 months straight. However, this may be because most people who want short-term rentals want to stay in Recoleta.

Kurt-- My suggestion for dealing with RE Brokers would be this: tell them that you want something in Palermo or Belgrano, and that if they cant deliver, you will take your business elsewhere. Turn the heat up on them.... its the only way they will make an effort to get you what you want.

Also, I suggest you contact these people.... they should be able to give you some other options.

http://www.ibr.com.ar/international/

Cheers,
Gaucho

My pleasure, I hope you have a great trip !!!! ^

I'll second this. We went to 1880 and found it terrific.

Since the issue of SW has been discussed at length in this thread, and considering the recent revelations in this case, Im changing my views on this airline and am now suggesting prospective pax be more careful about issuing tickets very far in advance on this carrier.

The plot in the drugs case and the impact on SW has taken a dramatic shift over the past 3-4 days. What at first was portrayed as a one off incident with a limited group of employees has now grown into something much larger. The important news is, however, that due to the public relations mess that this has created, the Argentine government has decided to take action against SW, including stopping all government business to SW and (more importantly) cancelling a quasi-subsidy program that was in place effective the beginning of March. The latter is what worries me in terms of the medium term survival of the carrier.

As was stated by other posters before, maybe some tickets purchased under certain conditions and using a certain method of payment (Credit Card?) are covered by certain provisions.... but its my advice to all those planning on using SW to read all the fine print and ensure you undergo proper due diligence before issuing your tickets.

Things are getting ugly for SW, and while Im still not completely convinced that the carrier will ultimately fail, I think at this point its a good idea to consider other options and keep all bases covered. Perhaps things become more clear over the next few weeks and the outlook changes, I will keep you all posted.

Cheers,
Gaucho

Thank you for the warning, Gaucho100K. The situation does indeed sound bad.

I was going to purchase tickets on Southern Winds for either late May or early June. Would you now advise against this? Is May or June too far in advance?

Perhaps I should be thankful I have not yet purchased tickets on Southern Winds?

Here's the latest from DowJones about Southern Winds' problems. My own experience is that MOST second-tier South American carriers fail (even those with good service!), and that Southern Winds' future looks particularly questionable here. I would check with my credit card company before buying a future-date ticket, and I would probably hold off buying one beyond 60 days. This is most unfortunate, of course, because for foreigners especially, Southern Winds has some great deals.
__________________________________________________ _____________

Argentina Govt Ends State Airline-Southern Winds Accord


DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
February 24, 2005 9:26 a.m.

BUENOS AIRES -- The Argentine government is not renewing an 18-month cooperation agreement between state airline LAFSA and private carrier Southern Winds, which is embroiled in a drug trafficking scandal.

Cabinet Chief Alberto Fernandez and Transportation Secretary Ricardo Jaime announced the administration's decision in a joint press conference late Wednesday. Fernandez said the accord, signed in September 2003, will expire on March 2, with the public tender for LAFSA immediately following.

The government created LAFSA in July 2003 so that 800 former workers at defunct airlines Lapa and Dinar would have jobs. The airline didn't have any planes of its own, so officials brokered a deal with Southern Winds. The private carrier agreed to infrastructure-sharing rights with LAFSA in exchange for fuel subsidies, which so far have totaled about 8 million pesos ($1=ARS2.935).

"Obviously, the end of the agreement with Southern Winds supposes that the subsidies, which the national government was providing for fuel acquisition, are going to end," Fernandez said.

Nearly two weeks ago, local media broke the news that a September Southern Winds flight from Buenos Aires to Madrid transported four suitcases containing 60 kilograms of cocaine. The luggage had been placed on the plane without having been checked in by any registered passengers, a violation of security regulations.

The airline conducted an internal investigation and three employees have been charged with drug trafficking. President Nestor Kirchner fired top officials at the National Aeronautical Police and the Air Force within the same week, then created a civilian-led air security agency. He had also distanced his government from Southern Winds, saying in a speech earlier this week that "we have nothing to do with" the private carrier.

But the airline's president, Juan Maggio, had told Clarin newspaper in a Tuesday interview that the cooperation accord's "renewal is every six months and automatic."

Kirchner's administration has taken an active role in other public services, retaking control of the national postal service and creating a state energy company. The government is also reportedly interested in becoming shareholders in the country's airport operator and the water utility. But it appears Kirchner is not eager to wade into the airline sector, given the drug-trafficking scandal and ongoing blame game between government authorities and Southern Winds over which agency is responsible for the security lapse.

Fernandez insisted Wednesday that the administration had no knowledge of the matter until the investigation was reported in local papers.

"Regrettably, as the product of some decision by Argentine Air Force authorities, we couldn't know what they knew," Fernandez said.

Southern Winds spokeswoman Encarnacion Ezcurra said Thursday that the airline continues to "guarantee its flights and its operations," but declined to comment further.

Local media have already pegged regional carriers, including Chile's Lan Airlines (LFL) and Brazil's TAM Linhas Aereas SA (TANC4.BR) as interested buyers for LAFSA. Argentina's dominant airline is Aerolineas Argentinas (AR.YY), which controls about 85% of the local market and had long criticized the Southern Winds-LAFSA agreement for giving the private carrier an unfair advantage over other companies.

Im not sure I can venture out a specific date as being or not "safe" to buy a ticket. I would say that you check with your credit card company regarding what protection they may be able to offer you. If however, your credit card cannot offer sufficient assurance, you may want to consider going with AR at less attractive prices.

I have a O/W flight on Southern Winds March 20 from AEP-IGR. Should I be concerned? I could look into other possibilities (like Via Bariloche!) if necessary.

Thanks!

Hi Sugaree1:

I have a return ticket to Iguazu for Apr. 2. As your flight is roughly 10 days before mine, could you please post a report on this thread?

I hope you have a good flight.

Thank you.

This should help the country recover from the financial debt that has prevented growth... A thriving economy would be great for tourism!

http://www.businessweek.com/ap/finan.../D88FS8500.htm

What a great thread! Thanks to Gaucho100K and everyone else for helping and participating!

I'm leaving next week for Punta, then onto to BsAs for a week starting March 15. I read about the tragic nightclub fire in Once a few months ago, and the subsequent shut-down of bars and nightclubs until fire safety can be checked at many venues in BsAs. While I'm not exactly the world's biggest party animal, I was definitely planning on enjoying the great nightlife in BsAs. I read recently that many nightclub venues remain closed because of these restrictions. Is this true? Does it apply to all places, or just to those larger halls with live music? I'm not typically into big venues - my last visit to BsAs, I enjoyed places such as Gran Bar Danzon, Million, Deep Blue (the one in Recoleta), and places in Palermo such as Mondo Bizzarro. Can anyone tell me, what is the current status of re-openings of bars and nightclubs in BsAs?

Thanks in advance to all who can respond with helpful answers. I'm very excited to be returning to BsAs later this month!

I was down here when the fire happened, it was terrible to watch it unfold live on the local news channels. I'm down here again right now, but too busy to go clubbing I've talked to a couple of people about the situation, its just the big places (the boliches) that were impacted. Those that have passed their inspections are re-opening, I'm not sure how many have and have not done so. I'm not certain, but I believe all of the clubs you list stayed open. Gaucho would know, he knows *everything* about his wonderful city!

As the day of my trip South gets closer I take care of the last details related to Buenos Aires. In my visits to BA maaaany years ago, I bought several vynil discs, the only ones in existency at the time. Some of them gave me memorable and unforgetable moments, but unfortunately these records were bad technically when I bought them. Today, after so many years of use, there are more hisses and pops than original sounds. One example is a recording by "Los Arroye�os", that matches or even surpasses everything I have in the folklore style, from any country.

I would like to know if there is a really big place where I can find CDs with re-releases of rare recordings. I prefer something closer to the Centre, as I will stay there, but I am willing to go anywhere in search of my treasures. An e-link or phone number would be even better.

Thank you for your prompt replies.