Chronicles of On The Road Travel

Trip Tips for Argentina

The December issue of Budget Travel featured Buenos Aires in its Trip Coach column, providing tips to two sisters who would be visiting the city for the first time. Given it was a first-time trip, the usual suspects came up in the list: Casa Rosada, Evita Museum, the Recoleta Cemetary, and a day trip to Tigre. The article did have a few good suggestions for boutiques (a Buenos Aires specialty... there can never be enough recommendations here), including Divia Shoes and the Design Center.

Click here for more great tips on visiting Buenos Aires and unique things to do.

Where the dazzling world of the Patagonia Begins

The February 2008 edition of Travel and Leisure Magazine has a wonderful feature on Bariloche. I can't seem to find the article online, so I thought I would reference it before it leaves the magazine stands. The article chronicles a road trip through Argentina's outstanding Lake District, exploring the beautiful towns and parks along the way. The town of Bariloche (the starting point for discovering the region) has become an all-season resort with plenty to do in both the warm summer months as well as the cooler, snow-filled winters.

Bariloche itself is fairly small and can be covered on foot. However, we highly recommend renting a car for at least one day to explore the surrounding area. This will allow you to plan your own schedule and spend as much time as you'd like admiring the views from the surrounding areas. Click here for more information on driving the regions 'Long Circuit' through Villa Traful, Villa Angostura, the quaint town on the northwestern shore of Lake Nahual Huapi, and ending in San Martin de Los Andes, the stunning village set off the banks of Lago Lacar, the last of the lakes on the 7 lakes route. If this scene isn't laid back enough for you, continue on to El Bolson, Patagonia's Hippie Headquarters.

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

The Magic of Miró

If you're planning to be in Buenos Aires in the next few weeks, be sure to check out this exhibit. Over 60 works of art are on display at the Centro Cultural Borges reflecting the wide career of Catalan artist Joan Miro. There are over 35 drawings and 28 etchings in addition to a collection of paintings.

The Centro Cultural Borges is located inside Gallerias Pacificas - one of the best and most beautiful shopping centres in Buenos Aires. Historial buildings, boutique stores and lots of shiny surfaces - well worth a visit.

For more information on this and other events in Buenos Aires, check out our Calendar of Events

Buenos Aires: A Fashionista's Dream

Argentina is known for its high-quality, internationally renowned designers – whether it is fashion or home décor -- whose creations can be obtained at reasonable prices. Next month's Travel and Leisure Magazine has a great article on shopping in Buenos Aires, giving you a neighborhood by neighborhood breakdown of the Argentine capital's best venues. 

You don't need to travel all the way to Argentina to find some of these great buys (although that's half the fun). I recently purchased one of my favorite bags ever from Palermo's QARA store, directly online.

Click here to see some of OTR's favorite shops and boutiques, and find more articles about Buenos Aires.

The Body Exhibit in Buenos Aires

If you have missed this traveling exhibition, you can still catch it here in Buenos Aires. Consisting of 16 bodies and 200 human organs, The Body Exhibition, is confronting but highly educational. The bodies, which were donated to science, have been preserved in wax and stripped so that muscles and bone can be seen.

The exhibit is being held at the Abasto Shopping Center until March 3rd. For more details and other events in Buenos Aires, check out our calendar of events.

Travel Trends for the New Year

Travel & Leisure magazine has listed the top 5 trends that will change travel in 2008. Most of these suggestions are unremarkable (ecotravel has been on the rise for years, spas are always getting more luxe), but I did think it was interesting that they pointed to Latin America as a top destination offering good value, specifically Mexico, Brazil and Argentina. Again, this isn't a new trend, but is certainly a more obvious one in the face of a weak US dollar.

I would also commend their realization that hotels are moving towards providing a home away from home. These are exactly the types of hotels that we focus on in our recommendations:

In Peru's Sacred Valley, Kuychi Rumi offers six individual guest houses offering two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, a living room and a wonderful patio, all at a very affordable price.

On the shores of Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, you can kick back at Terraza Choi and enjoy the views from the comforts of this beautiful, modern home.

In Rio de Janeiro, the coastal city that never sleeps, you have your choice of a variety of bed and breakfast options in the artsy, hilltop neighborhood of Santa Teresa. Cama e Cafe will match your travel preferences with one of the 50+ homes in their network.

Despite its big-city feel, Buenos Aires has plenty of options for a 'home away from home'. Suites hotels such as Artsuites, Design Suites and Soho All Suites offer apartment-style accommodations with full kitchen and living areas. This is a great way to get to know a city at your own pace, relaxing in your suite with a meal on down days and exploring the city when you've caught your breath again!

Travel Advice & Recommendations From Local Experts

Buenos Aires: Deserted for the Summer?

          If you have just arrived in Buenos Aires, you may not notice, but to anyone that has been here a while – the city is deserted! January is the traditional time for holidays for many people living in the capital. If you are not on vacation, then you should be!So if you want to vacation like a local check out the followingU sea-side retreats and beaches. Read the full article with details here.

Mar del Plata (www.mardelplata.com) is about 4 hours by car from Buenos Aires. It is full of holiday apartments, crowded beaches, cars and generally frequented by families. For a younger crowd, try an hour down the road to Pinamar. For those with cash to splash, Carilo is the place to be seen. Full of designer clothes shops, designer cars and designer people, this small river-side village swells in summer – make sure you bring your Armani sunglasses and an attitude.

Only 45 mins by boat across the Rio de la Plata, Uruguay is a favourite vacation destination for Argentines who want to get away from it all. By far the most well-known town is Punta Del Este, the “Cannes” of South America. The rich and famous spend the whole month of January cruising from one party to the next, in between visits to the various beaches and night clubs in the area. A lot less pricey than Punta, La Paloma (www.balneariolapaloma.com) attracts a young, fun crowd who spend their days by the beach, or in the cafes along the beach.

For those with a yearning for golden sand, good surf and some good music, Argentines travel to southern Brazil to Porto Alegre and Florianopolis.

For more information and tips on the destinations above, read the full article at On The Road Travel.

This article was posted by Lucy Cousins, our editor in Argentina

Patagonia's Seven Lakes Route

CNN recently featured an article chronicling one man's trip along the Seven Lakes Route to San Martin de Los Andes with his brother and their wives. This stunning town, set off the banks of Lago Lacar, the last of the lakes on the 7 lakes route, makes an excellent day or weekend trip from Bariloche. A smaller, less populated version of Bariloche, San Martin de Los Andes is the gateway to the Chapelco Ski Resort. Since the opening of the ski hill, San Martin de Los Andes has become a booming tourist town year round and is a favorite destination of the Patagonian Lake District. A ruling against high rises has helped the town to maintain its charm despite expansive growth. The streets are lined with restaurants, artisan shops and chocolate shops, similar to those found in Bariloche.

The Seven Lakes Route is a stunning drive and should be on every itinerary to Patagonia. Although the first 50km of the route is paved, the second 50km is a dirt road which can make driving difficult, but definitely not out of the question. There are several viewpoints where you can stop off along the way. This makes it an ideal route for cycling or renting a car so that you are not at the mercy of other tourists on a bus when you want to stop and enjoy the view.

Check out our recommendations for traveling to Bariloche, Argentina.

Tango Queer

In the past thirty years the Tango has made a resurgence and is once again popular with young people in the bars and cafes of Buenos Aires. A new genre of Tango music has arisen which mixes traditional themes with electronica, and groups like The Gotan Project are now world renown. 

Also evolving is the idea and popularity of same-sex Tango, known as Tango Queer. This is partly a result of Buenos Aires’s reputation as the Gay Tourist capital of the World  - a title which it has won two years in a row at the international Gay Tourism Awards.

Just last November, Buenos Aires was host to the First International Queer Tango Festival and with it came record crowds of spectators who took classes, watched the competitions and listened to the music of Tango. Supporters say that Tango Queer isn’t just a form of Tango between two people of the same sex; it is about power issues and traditional roles within the dance. Having to learn both roles and dancing with the same sex changes the dance and the gender-issues related to it. 

There are now gay-friendly tango schools and milongas (dancehalls) emerging throughout the city, and the success of the festival ensures another one next November. To experience same-sex Tango visit one of the schools below – but remember if you are at a milonga (same-sex or traditional) and you make eye-contact with a dancer you will be required to dance. Whether you know how or not!

For more information:
A New Direction in Tango
The Kiss and Tango Guide to Buenos Aires
The History of Tango
Calendar of Events for Buenos Aires

Article and photo by Lucy Cousins, our editor in Buenos Aires

Argentina Revisited

If last week's post, about how Argentina is currently one of the best values for your dollar, wasn't enough to convince you, this weekend's New York Times Travel section featured Argentina with much of the same message: The US dollar has remained steadily strong against the Peso at over 3:1, making it a travel bargain. 

Be sure to check out our recommendations and advice for traveling to Argentina before you go.

OTR’s Argentina Photos