Pre-Antarctica Tour Guide for Buenos Aires?

We're interested in taking private tours in or originating from Buenos Aires prior to flying to Ushuaia. Can anyone recommend a tour company or private guide they used. I found many online, but would rather have a recommendation.

I would post this question on the South America Ports Of Call Board.

Keith

OK, thank you for the tip.

we used Defrantur and like Ricardo a lot!

http://www.defrantur.com/ingles/

I ditto Ricardo.

He did a great job guaranteeing a great experience. He accompanied our group to the Tango show to assure good tables and proper service.

His guides who did the tours were all very well versed and entertaining.

Hi!

I am happy to recommend some wonderful people to you.

I was put in charge of arranging a pre-cruise and post-cruise Buenos Aires visit for my Dad and Uncle for the January 31, 2010 South America / Antarctica sailing of Celebrity Infinity. Both of the gents are 80ish, have mobility problems, and neither speaks much Spanish. Having never been to Buenos Aires, I wanted someone familiar with the city to assist with planning.

I found an ad for BA Cultural Concierge on Landingpad BA ( a sort of "What's on in Buenos Aires" site ), and I clicked the link to go to their website ( http://baculturalconcierge.com ). The proprietor of BA Cultural Concierge is Madi Lang, a native of Maryland, who's been living in, writing about, and sharing Buenos Aires with her clients for the last several years.

It was evident from Madi's website that she could provide all of the services necessary ( trip planning, transfers, reservations, tours, errands, shopping, accompaniment...even gift baskets! ) to make the boys' Buenos Aires visit as enjoyable, enriching, and stress-free as possible. Plus, the website has links to some of Madi's interesting and well-written articles on a variety of Buenos Aires topics. I was very intrigued after perusing the website and reading the articles, so I e-mailed a lengthy initial inquiry to Madi. The next day, I received a pleasant and very detailed reply from Madi's intern, Emily. Emily provided clear, well thought out answers to my questions, and had some good questions for me in return. After a few

e-mail exchanges, I felt very comfortable leaving the Buenos Aires arrangements to BA Cultural Concierge.

Madi and Emily ended up arranging most of the airport and cruise pier transfers, a tango show at Cafe Tortoni, a day trip to an estancia, an orientation tour of the Recoleta neighborhood where the hotel was located, a tour of the beautiful Recoleta Cemetery, a city tour in an air-conditioned van, a wonderful Sunday brunch at the posh Alvear Palace Hotel, a leisurely Sunday afternoon stroll through the San Telmo street fair, and a "cafe chat" with a local economist who discussed Argentina's economy, culture, and history. The ladies also put together a beautiful gift box chock full of Argentinean treats ( a surprise gift for my Dad and Uncle from the grandkids )! They even made a list of recommended restaurants near the hotel.

Madi was the very capable, and entertaining, guide for the tours ( though, please note that for specialized or "in depth" tours, or "cafe chats", Madi can make arrangements for local experts and specialists ). Also, per my request, one or both of the ladies was available to provide accompaniment to all of the other activities. For example, I thought that for the tango show and estancia visits, it would be nice for my Dad and Uncle to have one of the ladies along to provide translation ( if needed ), carry their camera bags, take photos of the boys, and provide good conversation, as well as a familiar face.

Sadly, my Uncle had to back out of the trip the week before departure, but, luckily, I was available to be his substitute. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a few weeks of quality time with Dad, go on a spectacular South America/Antartica cruise, and hang out with Madi and Emily in Buenos Aires. The ladies did a fantastic job of planning and executing all of our Buenos Aires activities. All of the sites we visited, and all of our transportation, were carefully thought out with my Dad's age and disability in mind. Everything went off without a hitch! Madi and Emily are both knowledgable, caring, full of cheer and good humor, and Dad and I truly enjoyed our time with them. We'll never forget them!

I highly recommend BA Cultural Concierge to anyone looking for a Buenos Aires private guide, trip planner, and / or "go-fer", especially for first time visitors, disabled travelers, cruise passengers, solo travelers, and elderly travelers. Their service is truly the next best thing to having a friend in Buenos Aires!

Please visit http://baculturalconcierge.com and read some of Madi's Buenos Aires articles. You'll be sold on her if you do!

Also, if you care to see some of the photos from our stay in Buenos Aires, here's the link to our album on Picasa Web Albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/101896291710545146815/BuenosAiresJanuary2010#

If you'd like to see the photos from the whole trip ( BA and cruise ), here's that link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/101896291710545146815/Antarctica2010#

Happy Planning!

Bill Hjort

Maplewood, Minnesota

Hi skjtrav---in all of our travels we've had good luck going with the recommendations of hotel (usually Hilton's) concierges. Any of the half day tours in BA should be good as long as you have a small group say 6-12 in small tourist vans. Get the lay of the land on the tour then go back to the districts you favor on your own for more exploration. The BA "subte" (subway system) is really good for that. Our guide gave us a BA tour book that was very comprehensive and it enhanced our experience with him. Try http://www.tripadvisor.com for a list of things to do, reviews for those activities, and links to websites for additional info. We are headed to BA again in December and will do a cooking class (empanadas) with Teresita and a tango lesson, dinner, and show with Complejo Tango which we understand is one of the places where the portenos (locals) go for a decent meal and a good time. Both are reasonably priced. The tango show and dinner at Carlos Gardel's (he was Mr. Tango in the 20's-30's) was pretty good a couple of years ago when we were there but it was quite crowded like many of the tourist centered choreographed tango shows in the city. Enjoy your trip!

Hi!

 

I am happy to recommend some wonderful people to you.

 

I was put in charge of arranging a pre-cruise and post-cruise Buenos Aires visit for my Dad and Uncle for the January 31, 2010 South America / Antarctica sailing of Celebrity Infinity. Both of the gents are 80ish, have mobility problems, and neither speaks much Spanish. Having never been to Buenos Aires, I wanted someone familiar with the city to assist with planning.

 

I found an ad for BA Cultural Concierge on Landingpad BA ( a sort of "What's on in Buenos Aires" site ), and I clicked the link to go to their website ( http://baculturalconcierge.com ). The proprietor of BA Cultural Concierge is Madi Lang, a native of Maryland, who's been living in, writing about, and sharing Buenos Aires with her clients for the last several years.

 

It was evident from Madi's website that she could provide all of the services necessary ( trip planning, transfers, reservations, tours, errands, shopping, accompaniment...even gift baskets! ) to make the boys' Buenos Aires visit as enjoyable, enriching, and stress-free as possible. Plus, the website has links to some of Madi's interesting and well-written articles on a variety of Buenos Aires topics. I was very intrigued after perusing the website and reading the articles, so I e-mailed a lengthy initial inquiry to Madi. The next day, I received a pleasant and very detailed reply from Madi's intern, Emily. Emily provided clear, well thought out answers to my questions, and had some good questions for me in return. After a few

e-mail exchanges, I felt very comfortable leaving the Buenos Aires arrangements to BA Cultural Concierge.

 

Madi and Emily ended up arranging most of the airport and cruise pier transfers, a tango show at Cafe Tortoni, a day trip to an estancia, an orientation tour of the Recoleta neighborhood where the hotel was located, a tour of the beautiful Recoleta Cemetery, a city tour in an air-conditioned van, a wonderful Sunday brunch at the posh Alvear Palace Hotel, a leisurely Sunday afternoon stroll through the San Telmo street fair, and a "cafe chat" with a local economist who discussed Argentina's economy, culture, and history. The ladies also put together a beautiful gift box chock full of Argentinean treats ( a surprise gift for my Dad and Uncle from the grandkids )! They even made a list of recommended restaurants near the hotel.

 

Madi was the very capable, and entertaining, guide for the tours ( though, please note that for specialized or "in depth" tours, or "cafe chats", Madi can make arrangements for local experts and specialists ). Also, per my request, one or both of the ladies was available to provide accompaniment to all of the other activities. For example, I thought that for the tango show and estancia visits, it would be nice for my Dad and Uncle to have one of the ladies along to provide translation ( if needed ), carry their camera bags, take photos of the boys, and provide good conversation, as well as a familiar face.

 

Sadly, my Uncle had to back out of the trip the week before departure, but, luckily, I was available to be his substitute. I feel very fortunate to have been able to spend a few weeks of quality time with Dad, go on a spectacular South America/Antartica cruise, and hang out with Madi and Emily in Buenos Aires. The ladies did a fantastic job of planning and executing all of our Buenos Aires activities. All of the sites we visited, and all of our transportation, were carefully thought out with my Dad's age and disability in mind. Everything went off without a hitch! Madi and Emily are both knowledgable, caring, full of cheer and good humor, and Dad and I truly enjoyed our time with them. We'll never forget them!

 

I highly recommend BA Cultural Concierge to anyone looking for a Buenos Aires private guide, trip planner, and / or "go-fer", especially for first time visitors, disabled travelers, cruise passengers, solo travelers, and elderly travelers. Their service is truly the next best thing to having a friend in Buenos Aires!

 

Please visit http://baculturalconcierge.com and read some of Madi's Buenos Aires articles. You'll be sold on her if you do!

 

Also, if you care to see some of the photos from our stay in Buenos Aires, here's the link to our album on Picasa Web Albums:

http://picasaweb.google.com/101896291710545146815/BuenosAiresJanuary2010#

 

If you'd like to see the photos from the whole trip ( BA and cruise ), here's that link:

http://picasaweb.google.com/101896291710545146815/Antarctica2010#

 

Happy Planning!

 

Bill Hjort

Maplewood, Minnesota

Wonderful report and great viewing. Thanks for sharing

Thank you, Joe! I'm happy to share our great experience!

Bill

Sorry for not responding sooner - I have been in China followed by more US travel with hectic schedule and haven't been online here.

Thanks for all the advice!

SKJ

Thank you, Joe! I'm happy to share our great experience!

 

Bill

Bill, I just can't say enough about what a fine cruise you guys had. I think I recognize Renaldo. I had the cabin below 7199 on one cruise on the Millennium. I saw a picture with Paw-Paw looking like he was talking to the guy in 6147. He should have invited you down to see it.

I wish I could talk my wife into the Antarctic one. Here are just a few pictures with memories.

CABIN FOR HORN CRUISE ON INFINITY 2004

http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=2016

Cabin 6147 just below 7199 on another cruise, but 7202 remains my favorite. Of course I would accept 7199 also. Only took 6147 because of family along. I had the kids in 7199 and then across the stern above us.

http://www.cruisemates.com/gallery/view.php?id=3337

My Antarctic trip was a little different, but really was too hard for me at 72 after the big heart surgery. I could do the Celebrity one better.

http://cid-f6fe23a6e5a9ec3f.photos.live.com/browse.aspx/ANTARCTICA%20NOV.%2022-DEC.4%5EJ%202009

Your cruise looked wonderful. My favorite Cruise ships are the Millennium class.

Hi Joe,

It looks like you were truly living the "penguin life" on your Antarctica expedition. Holy cow! What amazing photos, especially the orca shots!

What a great trip that must have been. I'm glad your heart surgery didn't hold you back.

After seeing your photos of the Millennium's lavish penthouse suite, I am now regretting that Dad didn't persuade the gentleman in 6147 to give us a little tour. The wood flooring and paneling are gorgeous! Piano ...fridge...huge dining table...expansive deck with wide, sweeping views... It looks like the suite must have been perfect for your family trip. I'm glad you all were able to get together for such a wonderful vacation.

I had never seen one of those B.O.S.S. underwater contraptions until viewing your pictures just now. Thank you for introducing me to them. I am adding the B.O.S.S. underwater contraption experience to my bucket list. I know my daughter would love to try one, too.

Thanks very much for sharing your photos and making me dream of new adventures! Enjoy your upcoming Silver Whisper cruise!

Bill

One of the highlights of our trip to BA was a walking tour which is free. If you go to the tripadvisor web site you can get the link. There are two free walking tours one in the morning and one in the evening. Both are given by natives of BA who speak fluent English. It is expected that you tip your tour guide. Our guide was very informative and seeing some highlights of the city with him.