S. America (Buenos Aires, Santiago) Gay Tips?

We just booked a S. America cruise (for January 2015!) on Celebrity Infinity from Buenos Aires to Santiago/Valparaiso. We'll be spending a couple of days in BA before boarding and possibly a day or two in Santiago at the other end.

Any advice? (We're a couple of bears and at the time, we'll be 59 and 65). Looking for any great pointers - bars and restaurants you've enjoyed, hotels you'd recommend, any sights that we might overlook by just checking the usual tourist sites. ...as well as any advice from those who've sailed on the ship. (I've heard mixed reviews on the SS United States restaurant).

As the date gets closer, I'll start (or join) a roll call.

Mark & Steve

Hi Mark and Steve,

My spouse and I (married female couple, your generation) just sailed on the Infinity TA. We had a wonderful meal in the SS United States --beautiful ambiance, tables far apart, exceptional service, and really good food. I can't say what it will be like more than a year from now, but if we were sailing on the Infinity again we'd eat there again. Also, we were in the Pied Piper group and ate at Qsine with a group of 8, and had a very fun time. I'd recommend that as well for an enjoyable evening. (The physical design of the buffet on the Infinity is horribly obsolete and made it feel crowded all the time. We wound up eating more breakfasts and lunches in the MDR than we usually do.)

As for Buenos Aires -- we spent three very enjoyable days there in January on the front end of a trip to Antarctica. We weren't doing "gay things," just being tourists and seeing the city; we had a fabulous private guide for the first day a half. I have details (and photos) at the links below (part of "My Journey to Antarctica" blog). I absolutely would not miss seeing the inside of the Teatro Colón.

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/lets-start-at-the-very-beginning-a-very-good-place-to-start/

https://antarcticjourney.wordpress.com/2013/07/06/lindblad-day-one-sunday-in-ba/

If you have more questions, please ask. I hope you have an amazing South America trip; I would like to do that cruise some day.

Mark and Steve

My partner and I (now 50 and 55 and bears too) went round the horn a few years back. Like you we had a few days in BA pre cruise. We LOVED our hotel, Babel. It's in the old part of town, 9 rooms, great breakfast, incredible staff. While not "gay" they were very welcoming and helpful. Would stay there again in a minute. If you can book one of the two rear rooms on the ground floor, I recommend them...folks who stayed on the rooms overlooking the street said it could get noisy at night. Only downside was lousy internet.

We didn't get to experience any gay life other than touring with a hottie that DDP had chatted up on b411. Whatever you do, be sure to carry some wine aboard...even if you have to pay corkage (we didn't-they didn't ask, we didn't offer) you will find much better wine for basically nothing at the grocery store than you will on the ship. We paid less than $3 a bottle for some incredibly delicious malbecs!

Have a great cruise...it is one of our favorites!

Dave and Mark, bears from SF here. Interested in BA information. We just booked a RT from BA in Jan on Azamara to Antarctica.

For those interested in other options, Norwegian is returning to South America in 2015 after a five year hiatus:

Norwegian Sun will return to South America for the first time since 2010, sailing 14-day South American voyages between Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina from November 2015 to April 2016. Ports of call include Puerto Montt, Chile; Puerto Chacabuco, Chile; Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia, Argentina; Stanley, Falkland Islands; Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay. Guests on board will also enjoy a scenic cruise through the Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan and around Cape Horn.

We did this cruise in 2010 and it was great! The people (well except for the pickpocket) are wonderful, the scenery incredible and half port and half sea days so we really enjoyed it. I HIGHLY recommend.

I spent a week in BA in June last year. Go to San Telmo area. Old area but best vibe. Especially the huge markets on Sunday. Centra area is also great for shopping. I hear the free opera house tour is good. Must go to see the tango. And find a tango club to go to. La boca area is a bit rough but great colours and street art.

In Santiago I think it's bellavista area? Nice sauna ;) great places to eat and some clubs :)

Hope this helps :)

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Hola,

I live in Buenos Aires for part of the year and have been on the Infinity cruise around the Horn. You will enjoy Buenos Aires and also the cruise is wonderful.

Be sure to take an organized tour to the penquin rookery in Puerto Madryn to Punto Tombo. It is worth the price to see so many penguins in their natural habitat. This is the largest rookery in the world.

Have a look at the past cruises for Infinity to get an idea of the different ports to get an idea of cruise excursion or self excursion when in port. We had no problem with self excursion in Ushuaia, Punta Arenas, and Puerto Monatt. There are people at the port who will organize a group for you. Also, since you are going towards Chile then you will get to see all the glaciers by daylight after leaving Ushuaia.

For Buenos Aires then I live in Recoleta which is a centrally located beautiful neighborhood for sightseeing and for gay venues. Have a look at GayBuenosAires for some ideas but the bar Contramano is walking distance and has bear nights. Also, there are a couple of saunas and clubs nearby which you can walk to. Also, the club/resto bar Inside has a nice dinner and male strip show and taxi close to Recoleta.

Two hotels which many people enjoy are Bel Air and Concord Callao in Recoleta. Both are listed on Expedia with good rates.

If you like the vibe and architecture of SFO then you will enjoy the neighborhood of Recoleta.

You can also read my posts on TripAdvisor which I post under RicardoBA.

Have a great trip.

Hey guys, I am envious! I love Buenos Aires! I too would recommend Recoleta as the neighborhood to stay in BA. Excellent Drag or Dancers at the bar, Kilometro 0 on the Avenida Santa Fe. If you understand Spanish, it will be hilarious, if not you will still have fun.

There is a Tango Queer movement in BA that you should not miss. If you are there on a Thursday or Friday night, check it out. They offer a beginner class for free or just grab a glass of wine and watch the wonderful dancers in a local hangout. Very intimate and much more interesting than the tango shows for tourists.

In Santiago, the Providencia neighborhood is great. If you are in Chile for a couple of days, stay in Valaparaiso or Vina del Mar at least one night. Valpo is bohemian and very hilly. Stay in the Cerro Concepcion area. It is great. Vina del Mar is much more Monaco/Palm Beach: fancy. We did not stay there for the night, but it is beautiful to drive up the coast.

Santiago is about 2 hours from Valpo.

Have a great trip!

Based on my admittedly limited experience, if you can swing a tour from BA to Iguazu Falls, it'll beat any queer bar in the city hands down. One of the most unforgettable things I've ever seen.

For those interested in other options, Norwegian is returning to South America in 2015 after a five year hiatus:

 

Norwegian Sun will return to South America for the first time since 2010, sailing 14-day South American voyages between Santiago (Valparaiso), Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina from November 2015 to April 2016. Ports of call include Puerto Montt, Chile; Puerto Chacabuco, Chile; Punta Arenas, Chile; Ushuaia, Argentina; Stanley, Falkland Islands; Puerto Madryn, Argentina; and Montevideo, Uruguay. Guests on board will also enjoy a scenic cruise through the Chilean Fjords, Strait of Magellan and around Cape Horn.

We bit. We are taking this cruise in December 2015. We like the laid back feel of Norwegian. Thanks for the suggestions in Buenos Aires. Any good suggestions for hotels? We are two early fifties bears.

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We (also 2 bears of similar vintage) loved our stay at Hotel Babel. Small place not gay but very friendly staff, nice accommodations - ask for one of the rooms on the first floor - folks upstairs complained about street noise, great breakfast, and right near the square in San Telmo.

I agree that Iguazu Falls is incredible and well worth the trip. I've been twice and it is still one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Keep in mind that it is a flight away. Last time I checked, it was around US$350 each round trip.

You will need a couple of days to do Iguazu right also. Most flights leave from the downtown airport (Aeroparque Jorge Newberry). Also US citizens are required to have a visa to visit Brazil.

For one, I would recommend having dinner at Casa Saltshaker. (http://www.casasaltshaker.com) This is a casa cerrada or closed door "restaurant." I put that in quotes because it's not really a really a restaurant, but a private home that hosts a handful of diners each night. The chef is a gay man who worked in several restaurants in New York, went to BA for a visit, fell in love, and stayed. He cooks, his partner assists. You get five (or so) courses, local wines, a cocktail, plus the chance to meet other interesting travelers.

Also, for the trip to Punta Tombo, there is no need to book an overpriced ship's tour - rent a car instead. It's a relatively easy drive, and if you get off the ship early and get your car, you can be communing with the penguins before the hordes arrive.

Also, there is a restaurant in the heart of Buenos Aires called Bistro Dada. The beef is amazing and the bartender was an artist. Each cocktail is constructed by hand with fresh ingredients - the best pisco sour on the trip. And we had several!

We bit. We are taking this cruise in December 2015. We like the laid back feel of Norwegian. Thanks for the suggestions in Buenos Aires. Any good suggestions for hotels? We are two early fifties bears.

 

 

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We also prefer the laid back atmosphere of Norwegian and are booked on the same cruise as you.

We also prefer the laid back atmosphere of Norwegian and are booked on the same cruise as you.

Great. Are you on the Dec 5 cruise? We are doing a few days in Rio, and then a few in Buenos Aires. Not sure when we will next be in SA, so thought we would get Rio in there.

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Great. Are you on the Dec 5 cruise? We are doing a few days in Rio, and then a few in Buenos Aires. Not sure when we will next be in SA, so thought we would get Rio in there.

 

 

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Yes we are booked on the Dec 5th 2015 cruise on the Norwegian Sun. We haven't really started planning it yet. Once December rolls around and the flights open up we will start our planning.

We were in BA for a stop on our RCI Cruise on Splendour. Check out buenostours.com . We had a wonderful private tour with Jessica. She was friendly and personable. Doing this tour gave us a great idea of the layout of the city and saw some great highlights including the cemetery where Eva Peron is entombed. If you can get another couple to go on the tour with you it's even less expensive, but I enjoyed being able to go at our own pace and ask lots of questions.

I agree about the wine, take some onboard with you. it's inexpensive in town.

We were in BA for a stop on our RCI Cruise on Splendour. Check out buenostours.com . We had a wonderful private tour with Jessica. She was friendly and personable. Doing this tour gave us a great idea of the layout of the city and saw some great highlights including the cemetery where Eva Peron is entombed. If you can get another couple to go on the tour with you it's even less expensive, but I enjoyed being able to go at our own pace and ask lots of questions.

I agree about the wine, take some onboard with you. it's inexpensive in town.

Were, may I ask, did you stay in BA ?

We actually didn't "stay" there, it was just a port day for our ship. Sorry I can't help with any hotel info.

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