Don't trust ByT
 

We had the most horrible experience with ByT Buenos Aires recently (April 20). I had followed their instructions all along and it seemed to ok, but only until we got there. The flight was late and I called the ByT agent from the airport and warned him we would get to the apartment 30min later than we had arranged. We arrived at 3am and there was no intercom (timbre) in the building. Since we did'nt have a cell phone, we were left alone at 3am by the taxi driver (who didn't have a cell phone either), in front of the building, in an empty street unable to communicate with anyone. A cab finally passed by. We stopped and payed the driver 10 US$ for a 1min phone call to the ByT agent. The agent came down to let us in (3:40am) as if there was nothing wrong. I told him we had trusted their ad, which said there was a 24h doorman in the building. No reply. The next day, another surprise: the building front door key he had left with us did not work and we could not leave the apartment because we wouldn't be able to get back inside the building! After that, the apartment being much worse than it looked in the photos was the least of our discontents.

My trip is not until next March, but I plan to review Groupon http://www.groupon.com.ar/deals/buenos-aires beginning a few months prior.

If you don't read Spanish, Google Translate works very well., although you may get a popup ad asking you to register.

My girlfriend and I are planning on spending a month in Buenos Aires. We're planning on renting an apt, and thanks to this thread have found Buenos Aires Habitat. We need some help with selecting an apartment though.

A little about us. This is our first time in South America. We've been traveling around the world for the last 9 months and want to really stay in a place long enough to see it in-depth and establish some sort of normal day-to-day routine.

My girlfriend is fluent in spanish and I'll be taking spanish classes in the morning. I'd like to stay in an area where my girlfriend can find something to do while I'm at the language school. We'd like to be in an area with cafes, parks and some night life. We're in our mid 30's and don't mind walking reasonable distances.

I've mapped them on google maps link here. Any recommendations on which apartment to pick?

So Mrs jvqb and I will be in Bs As this Friday to Sunday. We'll be meeting dome friends near La Plata Saturday during the day, but otherwise are free. We're staying at the Sheraton Libertador in the capital.

I was hoping for some recommendations on where to eat (not tourist places) and where to shop. I also wanted to grab some tickets to the Racing-Banfield partido Saturday night and find out if catching the Servant (playing this week at teatro colon) would be a better idea than taking the tour (tickets are about the same price). Also anything I shouldn't miss?

Thanks

Places to eat....
- La Dorita (grilled meats)
- Sottovoce (Italian)
- Oviedo (Seafood)
- Pura Tierra (Argentine, great tasting menu)

Places to shop.... you need to be more specific on what you are looking to buy.

If you are into wine, remember to check out the Malbecs and more.... ;) ^

When do you guys plan to be here...?

For areas to consider staying, I would say you need to stick to the following barrios (neighborhoods):
- Palermo
- Belgrano
- Recoleta

You will be offered places in Puerto Madero and also San Telmo... but in I think Puerto Maderi has too little true Buenos Aires character and San Telmo is a tricky area because some areas are great (but others not). One place that is safe in San Telmo is a pad that a fellow FTer has in town and is usually available for rent.... Im sure he will chime in on this thread shortly - you should speak to him and give that option some thought.

Regardless of my advice, I suggest you wait for the other resident experts to chime in.

♫♫ chimes ♫♫

We'll be arriving on June 3rd.

Two places that we're considering are:
1) Palermo Soho: Thames St. bet. Charcas & Güemes St. located in the Cardon Torre Rural
- the apt is on the second floor, is that street pretty noisy?

2) Recoleta: Pacheco de Melo St. & Uriburu St.
- not close to the subte... how hard is it to get around from there?

Any thoughts on these locations?

The location of the Cardon Tower is not amazing... it can get crowded, hectic traffic and quite a bit of noise. I would have second thoughts.... do they have double paned windows...?

The Recoleta location is much better... while its not the prime area of Recoleta, the area is far superior to the Cardon Tower.

Thanks for the advice, I'll cross the Cardon Tower location of the list. How would you rate the six places below? Thanks in advance.


Recoleta: Ayacucho St. bet. Alvear Ave. & Posadas St.

Recoleta: On Santa Fe and Ecuador

Recoleta: Pacheco de Melo St. & Uriburu St.

Palermo: Arevalo St. bet. Soler & Nicaragua

Palermo: Dorrego St. bet. Cabildo & Zapata St

Palermo: Fitz Roy bet. Soler & Guatemala

Thanks for this list Gaucho100K, I'm suddenly in BA next weekend for a conference. Are leather items a good deal there?

They can be. A caveat for this - make sure the person you are paying actually works at the store. (No this didn't happen to me, but it does occur). Someone may try and help you, pretend to work at the store, take your money, and when you go to actually leave with the goods, you find you didn't buy them.

Anyone have any favorites?

For leather, Im a fan of going to the well established places that have a track record. They will not be the least expensive of options, but I think that the reasonable difference is well worth it in no hassle and better workmanship. I suggest looking at some of the following brands...

Casa Lopez
Maggio & Rossetto
Rossi & Caruso
Etiqueta Negra

I didn't realize Groupon was international so thanks for that tip.