Hi everyone,

I just booked my first trip to Buenos Aires (and my very first MR), just a weekend getaway. I arrive on the 1st of August and depart on the 3rd.

I've been reading up on the area, and Palermo sounds like just what I'm looking for. Does anyone have any recommendations for cheap stays and good eats in that area? Or well, anything really! I've never been south of Mexico, so this is exciting and I'm open to just about anything.

I'm 33, female, and will be travelling alone. I live in Montreal so I'm used to getting around by metro, and tend to avoid the noisy nightlife. I'd much rather have a nice dinner, a few drinks, and get up for an early breakfast than stay out all night and party.

This a link for a hostel in Palermo Viejo that is owned by a women and might be of interest to you. It is cheap and pretty nice place, but for a single female traveling might prove a good choice
http://www.casajardinba.com.ar/english.html

Here are a couple good links for information about Palermo Viejo, SoHo/Hollywood
http://trendypalermoviejo.blogspot.com/
http://www.palermohollywood.net/

For dining Bar 6 (lunch) -Armenia 1676, Olsen's (for Sunday Brunch) -Gorriti 5870, Sudestada -Guatemala 5602, El Trapiche (old world great food, a must) Paraguay 5599, Juana M, -Carlos Pellegrini 1535, and the cafe at the MALBA is a great place for an afternoon coffee or lite lunch. If you want something a bit more upscale then head to the Bo Bo (Bo Bo Hotel) Guatemala 4882 y Thames Tel: 4774-0505. Food is outstanding.

A couple other places to take a look at that are fairly cheap hotels
Che LuLu http://www.luluguesthouse.com/ and
The Hotel Costa Rica http://www.hotelcostarica.com.ar/eng/

Also, once you arrive at EZE do not, repeat DO NOT use the money exchange located at baggage claim. Nothing short of thieves they are. Wait until you are in the arrivals hall and you will find ATM's and a bank that offers much better rates.

Suerte
SAM

you may consider staying in Recoleta. it is much closer to the microcentro, has less of a night life but more day scene, nice little squares (piazzas) with coffee shops and small stores.
Teatro Colon, Casa Rosada, Recoleta Cementary, Puerto Madero, Calle Florida, Cathedral and San Telmo sunday market are all walking distance.
Safe at night.
And the architecture is way better than Palermo.

I just got home today from my first trip to Buenos Aires. I stayed at the Hilton in Puerto Madero and it was great. Absolutely felt a sense of security when I crossed that street each day into Puerto Madero - the obvious police presence makes itself quite well-known.

That said, I didn't necessarily feel unsafe anywhere while I was in B.A.

I will say that a couple of places I had considered (Sheraton Convention and Libertador) were less appealing once I had seen their location in person relative to the Hilton.

Palermo was quite busy during the time I visited on Saturday night.

I tned to walk a lot and while I did take taxis a few times and the subte a few times, i mostly walked. It was not unreasonable for me to walk through Recoleta back to Puerto Madero - did it several times and the exercise was a great way to work off those steaks!

I personally felt that the Puerto Madero area was rather sterile and lacked character. I vastly prefer Recoleta and Palermo as far as being interesting neighborhoods to hang out in BA. Although I would say that's a pretty long walk, from Puerto Madero to Recoleta.

I think Palermo feels more like the "real" Buenos Aires, mostly houses no more than two floors hight, althought in the last years has turned into a very commercial area. The con is it's a bit far from the main areas you'd probably like to visit, like Keisari said (you can always take the subte), but the pro is you'll find a lot of restaurants and design shops if you're interested in it. Last time I've been there I had dinner at La Dorita (Humboldt e/ Costa Rica), which is a very good parrilla.
Recoleta is convenient for the location, but in my opinion too crowded and noisy.
Puerto Madero is a nice area, but it doesn't feel like Buenos Aires at all to me. If you prefer luxury chain hotels (like the Hilton there) and very tidy streets, that's your place.

One must remember that Palermo is one of if not the largest of all the barrios in the city. There is not one Palermo but several, Palermo SoHo, Hollywood, Viejo, Chico etc...all very distinct and varied. Palermo adjoins the Recoleta and does have high rise apartment buildings, huge mansions, embassies, small side streets with 4 to 15 story apartment buildings, etc.. and then the more trendy area of SoHo with boutiques, clubs, restaurants etc. with smaller scale residential units.

Not certain that the Hilton fits the OP's request for some place "cheap" to stay. Hilton is a long way from cheap

suerte
SAM

I posted this in another thread, but a good find for a Parilla in Palermo is La Gran Hollywood. It is on the corner of Bonpland and Guatemala. Bife de Lomo and fries, big enough portions for two people will set you back about $8 or $9 US dollars as of 2 weeks ago.

We stayed at a nice, small hotel for US$40.00 on the corner of 9 de Julio and Moreno called the Hotel San Roman.

http://hotelsanroman.com.ar/

[Deleted]

I second the recommendation of the MALBA restaurant. It is professionally run, has a great location, fantastic seating options, is delicious -- and is surprisingly inexpensive. With that being said it is not authentically porteno or Argentine.

If you're interested in eating at a restaurant that will bring you back to what it might have been like to eat in Buenos Aires before the year 2000 I will strongly recommend: El Obrero. They serve delicious pastas and other local delicacies. It has been known to make U2 and the Clintons wait for a table. It is located in La Boca. I recommend going during the day (not at night). The best combination of cheap and safe transportation is to take the bus (152 is great) to the touristy part of La Boca and then take a cab to the restaurant.

Here is a link which includes the address: http://travel........ly.com/archives...aurant-review/


My other STRONG recommendation is to go to Cumana (http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=712). It is located in Recoleta, a very ritzy and safe neighborhood. Fantastically, they serve delicious food for stunningly cheap prices. A traditional oven is used to cook their Northern Argentine food: empanadas, pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, stews (highly recommended) and desserts. I recommend getting a few empanadas as an appetizer for your meal. Be careful though -- the prices have always made me order more than I could handle. This is my favorite overall restaurant in Buenos Aires. It seems others agree with me -- so be prepared to wait at peak times.

One last recommendation for a special (meaning more expensive) night out: Sucre (http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=208). It is located in beautiful Belgrano. Unfortunately it is not near many bus lines, so taking a taxi is probably the easiest thing to do. Modern Fusion Latin American food is served in their gorgeous building. An exceptional wine list only aids the already great experience.

These are the 3.5 recommendations that jumped into my head upon reading your post. I have tried restaurants all over Buenos Aires and Argentina; so feel free to private message me for an expanded list of recommended restaurants or if you have any additional questions.

Evan

I second the recommendation of the MALBA restaurant. It is professionally run, has a great location, fantastic seating options, is delicious -- and is surprisingly inexpensive. With that being said it is not authentically porteno or Argentine.

If you're interested in eating at a restaurant that will bring you back to what it might have been like to eat in Buenos Aires before the year 2000 I will strongly recommend: El Obrero. They serve delicious pastas and other local delicacies. It has been known to make U2 and the Clintons wait for a table. It is located in La Boca. I recommend going during the day (not at night). The best combination of cheap and safe transportation is to take the bus (152 is great) to the touristy part of La Boca and then take a cab to the restaurant.

Here is a link which includes the address: http://travel........ly.com/archives...aurant-review/


My other STRONG recommendation is to go to Cumana (http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=712). It is located in Recoleta, a very ritzy and safe neighborhood. Fantastically, they serve delicious food for stunningly cheap prices. A traditional oven is used to cook their Northern Argentine food: empanadas, pizzas, calzones, sandwiches, salads, stews (highly recommended) and desserts. I recommend getting a few empanadas as an appetizer for your meal. Be careful though -- the prices have always made me order more than I could handle. This is my favorite overall restaurant in Buenos Aires. It seems others agree with me -- so be prepared to wait at peak times.

One last recommendation for a special (meaning more expensive) night out: Sucre (http://www.guiaoleo.com.ar/detail.php?ID=208). It is located in beautiful Belgrano. Unfortunately it is not near many bus lines, so taking a taxi is probably the easiest thing to do. Modern Fusion Latin American food is served in their gorgeous building. An exceptional wine list only aids the already great experience.

These are the 3.5 recommendations that jumped into my head upon reading your post. I have tried restaurants all over Buenos Aires and Argentina; so feel free to private message me for an expanded list of recommended restaurants or if you have any additional questions.

Evan

From my experience of Buenos Aires, if you are eating or drinking much before 9.00pm you will be pretty much alone as the city doesn't seem to come alive until then.

*sigh* well that was fun. Just got off the phone with the hotel I'd booked, and they lost my reservation. I almost burst into tears. I leave on Thursday and I no longer had a hotel reservation. It's a damn good thing I made a point of calling ahead and asking before I just showed up and had nowhere to stay.

I ended up booking on points at a hotel chain (Holiday Inn Puerto Madero). It's not what I wanted where I wanted, but at this point I'm too upset to try risking another unknown entity. The Holiday Inn might not be as "real" Buenos Aires, but at least I know when I show up I'll have a room.

ick, that had to be nervewracking!

Thanks for posting Phedre - I'm headed to BA next month and my trip will be pretty similar to yours so I'm always happy when you post some info!
Glad you found out about your hotel snafu and were able to solve it. I haven't booked my hotel yet but I'll be sure to cross that place off my list! (I think it's the place you PM'd me, right?)

I'm sure your trip will be grand!

Yep, Livian House it was called, part of the "Trendy Hotel Group".

I hope so, I'm looking forward to it!