Buenos Aires Help please

Some guidance please, I am a solo traveller finishing my cruise in Buenos Aires this November and planning to stay in the city for one night before flying back to the UK (flight booked)

1) Can anyone recommend a safe hotel at a reasonable price.

2) Best way to get from the port to the hotel, I guess that's taxi but are there any suggestions or points to watch.

3) Best way to get from hotel to airport (EZE) are there any shuttles, it looks as if its a fair distance.

4) I shall be in BA from mid morning on a Friday thru to mid morning Saturday any suggestions on sight seeing and is it safe, is there a hoppy bus, I would like to have a nice steak dinner being in Argentina would that be possible if I booked a tango show or will I just get a regular meal at the show rather than a nice steak.

Thank you in advance for your valued assistance.

Yes, there is a hoppy bus. It looks like a London double decker with the top shaved off. Ours stopped in front of the cathedral.

For a solo traveller, Manuel Tienda Leon is the best and most reasonably-economical way to get from the city to EZE. Their busses leave (or used to) from the plaza near the north end of Avenida Florida.

Hotels: Anything along Avenida Florida or Recoleta would be good for a tourist, or even that big double-wide street (Carlos Pellegrini one way, not sure the name of the street going the other direction)? North end is preferable to the south end of that street.

Last time I was there, we had a short overnight between flights (out of AEP) and stayed at the Ibis Obelisco on Avenida Corrientes. It was o.k. (typical Ibis). If you can walk, it is a great walking city.

For airport-hotel or hotel-airport transportation, two suggestions:

1. Taxi Ezeiza http://*******.com/kp63v6f

2. Ask your hotel about a remis for your group. They should have one, in particular, that they use regularly. That way you will have assurances that they are legit. You should also have a fixed fee.

We stayed at the CasaSur Art Hotel in Recoleta during our recent stay in Buenos Aires. Prices were quite reasonable (I think about $140 or so including breakfast) Staff was very friendly and helpful and we liked the neighborhood. We had a great steak dinner at Fervor (just a 2 block walk from the hotel) Another dinner option that you might consider is the Argentine Experience. Check it out on Trip Advisor - lots of reviews.

We really enjoyed our stay in Buenos Aires - hope you do as well.

Mary

If you like to cycle, we loved our (easy) bike tour of the Recoleta and gorgeous gardens. The guide was great. They offer other tours. See http://bikingbuenosaires.com/parks-plazas/

Sent from my iPad using Cruise Critic Forums mobile app

Thank you all very much for your ideas and suggestions very helpful I am following up right now.

Thanks again david

Some guidance please, I am a solo traveller finishing my cruise in Buenos Aires this November and planning to stay in the city for one night before flying back to the UK (flight booked)

1) Can anyone recommend a safe hotel at a reasonable price.

2) Best way to get from the port to the hotel, I guess that's taxi but are there any suggestions or points to watch.

3) Best way to get from hotel to airport (EZE) are there any shuttles, it looks as if its a fair distance.

4) I shall be in BA from mid morning on a Friday thru to mid morning Saturday any suggestions on sight seeing and is it safe, is there a hoppy bus, I would like to have a nice steak dinner being in Argentina would that be possible if I booked a tango show or will I just get a regular meal at the show rather than a nice steak.

Thank you in advance for your valued assistance.

We had a great deal on a suite of rooms in a Bed and Breakfast. We paid $80 per night for rooms that could sleep five (we only had two). Breakfast was free (we had to cook it). It was in a typical BA apartment building in a good location near the subway line.

Here is the email and website for El Jardin del Tango.

jardindeltango@gmail.com

www.jardindeltango.com

We saw a wonderful tango show.

Tango Porteño

Cerrito 570, El Centro (next to Teatro Colon)

Tel 011 4124-9400

Dinner: 20.30 Show: 22.15 (90 mins)

http://tangoporteno.com.ar

Here are some free walking tours.

www.bafreetour.com/english-home

http://buenosairesfreewalks.com/?gclid=CLPj-bP_trkCFS1p7Aodel8AKQ

One answer to all your needs is a simple and downright inexpensive e-book that I used from amazon.com - Uncle Buck and Argentina. Saved me a lot of money on the entire cruise

We stayed at the CasaSur Art Hotel in Recoleta during our recent stay in Buenos Aires. Prices were quite reasonable (I think about $140 or so including breakfast) Staff was very friendly and helpful and we liked the neighborhood. We had a great steak dinner at Fervor (just a 2 block walk from the hotel) Another dinner option that you might consider is the Argentine Experience. Check it out on Trip Advisor - lots of reviews.

 

We really enjoyed our stay in Buenos Aires - hope you do as well.

 

Mary

This. On all counts. Recoleta, Fervor and Casa Sur.

Recoleta is a more pleasant, upscale environment than downtown. People live in Recoleta. Downtown is more business oriented.

Since you are only going to be there a day or two, if you find a great deal on a hotel you might consider downtown...but Recoleta is an altogether nicer area, particularly at night.

I have never stayed at Casa Sur but it gets very good reviews (hint: when you look at reviews on Trip Advisor, check the post history of the reviewer to see if they have posted about a variety of topics...not just reviews of a specific property in a specific location. Unfortunately, there are some fake reviews along with valid ones). The Sileo is another moderately priced hotel that is worth a look

http://www.sileohotel.com/

Fervor serves up some yummy steaks. If you are out and about, you might check out Don Julios in Palermo Soho, El Establo downtown, or 1880 Parrilla in San Telmo. They have some tasty steaks as well.

Some guidance please, I am a solo traveller finishing my cruise in Buenos Aires this November and planning to stay in the city for one night before flying back to the UK (flight booked)

1) Can anyone recommend a safe hotel at a reasonable price.

2) Best way to get from the port to the hotel, I guess that's taxi but are there any suggestions or points to watch.

3) Best way to get from hotel to airport (EZE) are there any shuttles, it looks as if its a fair distance.

4) I shall be in BA from mid morning on a Friday thru to mid morning Saturday any suggestions on sight seeing and is it safe, is there a hoppy bus, I would like to have a nice steak dinner being in Argentina would that be possible if I booked a tango show or will I just get a regular meal at the show rather than a nice steak.

Thank you in advance for your valued assistance.

1. A reasonable price depends on what level hotel you want to stay at. Generally speaking, the top hotels in BA charge international prices. These prices, along with the price of everything, else can be significantly reduced if you change US dollars for Arg pesos at a "cueva" or unofficial exchange house because the black market price for a dollar is now about 15.4 or almost twice the official exchange rate you would otherwise have received for each of your dollars. See www.ambito.com for exchange rates.

When you book the hotel of your choice, ascertain whether you may pay in local currency upon checking in and then have the hotel reverse the charge on your credit card used to confirm the reservation. The hotel should be willing to do this as it will benefit by receiving cash. If you do this you can stay at a top hotel like the Plaza, Hilton, Sofitel, Four Seasons, Mio Buenos Aires for under $150 per night.

2. There will be a line for cabs near the port terminal exit. Going from the port terminal to a Recoleta/Barrio Norte/downtown hotel can be a hassle because the taxi cab mafia serving exiting passengers usually establishes dollar denominated rates that far exceed the metered (lawfully required) fares. Using a street hailed metered cab, you should not have to pay more than 75 pesos to go to a Recoleta/Barrio Norte/ downtown hotel (75 pesos is now $5 at the black rate or $10 official), but it would not surprise me if the mafia hacks establish a rate like $15 or $20 for such a ride.

If you can manage to acquire some pesos before boarding or while aboard the ship you would be wise to avoid the ship passenger line - if you can - by walking across the street with your luggage and hailing a passing street cab. You might have to walk a block away from the mafia cabs as they tend to chase away competitors who are not creepy thugs like they are. Whether this exercise is worth the effort depends on the weight of your bags, your stamina and your tolerance for being ripped off. I took 3 cruises exiting the BA terminal earlier this year and never got in the line because while my bags were heavy and my stamina just so so, my tolerance for being ripped off is extremely low.

3. For two people going to the airport a regular radio taxi company called ahead of time by your hotel concierge or desk clerk (like Premium, Paris or any other radio company your hotel will call) is the easiest way to go. If you have changed dollars into pesos the approximately 300-350 peso fare (the fare to EZE can be lawfully pre-set since it is outside city limits) will only be about $20. Do not allow the hotel to use its car service for much more than that. Tipping cabbies is neither expected or required though you will be asked to pay the tolls (10-15 pesos). As I speak some Spanish I can also hail a street cab and negotiate a fixed fare that would probably be a few bucks less. You needn't have to do that though it is an option.

Be mindful it may take a longer time to get to EZE than normal if there is a street manifestation en route. Without unusual traffic it would take about an hour during a normal day. Shuttles are for the economically minded solo traveler who will pay about $10.

4. The BA streets are reasonably safe especially if you will be in Barrio Norte, Puerto Madero, Recoleta or Palermo during the daytime. Of course, sh*t happens, but the odds of it happening are de minimis if you exercise ordinary big city street smarts (no Rolexes, fancy jewelry or bags and avoid isolated streets). The biggest chance for harm on BA streets is getting hit by a car crossing the street. BA drivers are notoriously psychotic or, at least, pathologically aggressive.

The steaks served at the touristic tango shows aren't that bad (how do you screw up a steak?), but you will have a better meal if you make a reservation at a regular restaurant and catch the tango show without dinner for the reduced fee. I recommend 1880 at Av Defensa 1670 and then a short cab to Madero Tango in Puerto Madero. Expect to pay about $30 for the show only and if Raul Lavie is singing, it will be very good.

There are a myriad of other choices for both restaurants and tango shows. The location of your hotel may be a factor. Many tango shows are in San Telmo (where 1880 is), e.g Michaelangelo, Viejo Almacen. Good steak houses abound. See www.guiaoleo.com.ar for Zagat-like ratings and info.

Remember to change dollars for local cash, but only as much as you anticipate spending cause you won't be able to redeem the left over pesos... except at airport duty free. There you can get great bargains paying in pesos. Do the math. A bottle of scotch normally priced retail at $50 may be $40 in duty free, but if you pay with cueva acquired pesos it will cost you $20. Moreover, ask about exchange rates for US cash when dealing with any merchant including restaurants. Often merchants will give you a rate much closer to unofficial rates.

WOW, Thank you so so much for all your wonderful info. I thought my post had got forgotten it had slipped well down the page. I had not looked on the site for a while and have now booked a hotel near the Obelisk its called EXE COLON HOTEL it came up at an excellent rate of £36 (less than US$60) it comes up as 4 star so hopefully it will be fine. I think I will take my chance with the cab drivers at the port exit I do have some Argentine currency already the prices you quote are much cheaper than the shuttle firm has quoted. But there quotes for hotel to airport are very similar to what you state via a taxi.

Thank you once again for your info I shall make note of the tango for reference while I am there.

OP,

Inasmuch as you are staying in a Centro located hotel, you may want to consider the tango show at Tango Porteno on Av Cerritos , a few blocks from the obelisk near the Colon opera house. I saw the show there a few months ago and was amazed at the strength of the dancers. There were definitely some serious ballet trained dancers redirecting their talents into a more lucrative gig.

The show I last saw at the Borges Cultural Center in Galleria Pacifico on Av Florida was also exceptionally good. There are several different shows presented at the Borges Center throughout the week and I can't remember the title of the one I saw last in May - but it was probably the one with the most dancers (8-10) as opposed to a smaller cast. The tango dancers in the show were also extraordinary. I have written about tango for the BA Herald and know whereof I speak.

If you want to splurge on a steak, eat at Mirasol de la Recova, a short cab ride to either show. If you want fabulous mariscos, check out Vasco Francais on Av Moreno, also nearby your hotel.

Thank you once again pmacher61 your a mind of information. David