Help plan a trip to SA
 

Hey guys,

My wife and I are planning a trip to either Europe or SA in February. Since Europe will be cold, we were thinking Brazil or Argentina. We will be going for 9 days and towards the end of february. We want culture, beach, and relaxation. That said, we want to go somewhere safe and somewhere we don't have to worry about our things being stolen or robbed (i know the problem during the World Cup was real).

What would you guys recommend? This is an "award" trip. Any where you guys would suggest to go with a pregnant wife? :)

Argentina is great, with a lot of beautiful scenery. BsAs is a nice city with beautiful architecture and ample cultural attractions. There are nice day trips from there, for example Tigre and Colonia. The Bariloche area has beautiful mountains, well worth a couple of days. El Calafate is beautiful, too, I've heard, though I didn't make it there. Of course Iguazu Falls is spectacular. For beach, you could visit Punta del Este in Uruguay fairly easily from BsAs.

I never felt any concern about safety in Argentina, certainly not more than in any big city. February should be a nice time to visit.

Not to be alarmist, but definitely consider Zika virus when planning where to go if your wife is pregnant.

My wife and I are both in the medical field, so that is definitely a concern. I think Brazil would be too much of a headache with crime and Zika. I feel like its not as much of a problem in Argentina. Besides Buenos Aires, is there any beach/resort cities that we can mellow out on a beautiful beach (carribean style? ).

We thought about Ecuador and galapagos, but its a little pricey for us right know... Any other suggestions?

I've been to Punta del Este, a beautiful beach town, pretty easy to get to from BsAs.

I haven't been to these beaches: https://www.tripping.com/explore/bes...n-buenos-aires

I'm sure you can find a good beach spot in Argentina, but will have to defer to some of the Porteños who frequent the board for specific recommendations.

If you want nice beaches, relaxing, Zika free, definitely consider Hawaii, maybe a couple of islands.

I just got back from Australia. Fantastic, incredible beaches, lots to do, but it's a long ways away.

I love Puerto Vallarta that time of year, too.

bump!

Ummm, if you want Carribean style beach relaxation, why don't you just go to the Carribean? These destinations are a lot closer than Argentina. Buenos Aires is eight hours flying time from Miami and, trust me, is NOT a beach/resort city, so you're looking at several hours additional travel time if you want to get to a decent beach (Mar del Plata is four hours south of BsAs by car, if I'm not mistaken).

Brazil is huge.
Olympics were small.
That's like an Australian saying they won't go to the USA because they've seen the traffic in LA. :confused:
You truly need to invest a bit of time and money with a travel agent who specializes in Brazil. Preferably a Portuguese speaker.
The exchange rate is good, the food is good, the natural beauty is....Brazilian.
However...Pregnant wife and zika don't mix.
Bermuda, maybe?