Otto Graham in Buenos Aires

[Hunt99]

A lot of wisdom in this thread, though much of it is dated. A pity you didn't read the advice before you made all those silly mistakes, Marak.

[Marak5]

Hunt99 is so cute in all these reports. What happened to this guy?

[El Aleman]

Just to append Otto's last report:

There is at least one ATM inside the Airport terminal. It is located in the arrival area, when coming out of customs after all those taxi and remise booths on the left side. It gives (as far as I know) reasonable exchange rates and accepts most cards. I use it every time I arrive, it's more convenient than changing cash.

[OttoGraham]

The arrivals area at the airport in Buenos Aires is quite small and self-explanatory. You will first go through passport control, U.S. citizens and most Europeans that I know of do not need visas for short stays.

After passport control comes baggage claim. DO NOT exchange any money at the kiosk in the baggage claim area. You will be ripped off.

Just before you reach the customs clearance area (near the exit), there is a branch of Banco de la Nacion. Exchange some money there, the rate is normal. I usually exchange a couple hundred dollars' worth for walking-around money. In Buenos Aires there are lots of ATM machines which allow you to withdraw money, most banks have them. You will get your best exchange rates on withdrawals from them.

Now, to get from the airport to your hotel, I recommend you use the chauffeur services of Ana.

Here is her relevant contact information:

Ana lived in Florida for several years, and although her English is a little rusty, her accent will steal your heart!
She lives near the airport, and would be delighted to pick you up at the airport, whether your destination is the mansion or anywhere else in Buenos Aires. If you send her your flight info, she will get back to you shortly afterward to confirm your pickup, and be at the airport waiting for you when you arrive.
EMail: anairina280@hotmail.com
or
Phone/Cell
4202 3530 / 15-5567 0696
She is also available for any other trips with at least 1 day advance notice.
Her prices are the same as any other remis service, so why not be picked up by the prettiest driver in BsAs?

http://www.estrellas-argentinas.com/anna

If, for some reason, Ana is unavailable, just outside the doors from Customs there is a welter of private chauffeur services available from and operating from kiosks. Most of them speak English.

DO NOT accept an offer of a taxi from somebody who is not working from inside the kiosks.

The drive from the airport to downtown Buenos Aires takes about a half hour, and should cost you no more than 50 pesos.

More to come

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

One strong recommendation I have for anybody is to have Mayra do their hotel reservations for them.

Mayra@argentinatravelservices.com is her email address. She's always gotten me the best rates at places in BsAs, and has more than once gotten me into places which I thought were booked solid. Especially in light of recent reports about a lack of available hotels in the Argentine summer, you could do much worse than having Mayra take care of reservations for you.

More to come

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

Careful planning makes a good trip to Buenos Aires. So by now you've spent a couple weeks brushing up on your Spanish, finding a good airfare, and getting yourself a week off of work. Now, the question is, where to stay? Apartment or hotel? If it's a hotel, which one? How do I find it?

My advice to the newbie is simple - stay at a chica friendly hotel. "Chica friendly?" One which will not hassle you about bringing guests back up to your room (believe it or not, some hotels really don't want hookers traipsing through the lobby and down the corridor at all hours - the nerve.......)

Two places are on my most-favored list for BsAs hotels, but these choices are totally subjective, there are other good places to stay at for sure.

First, LoisSuites Recoleta, which is on the corner of Vicente Lopez and Junin, right next to Recoleta Cemetery. It is a solid four-star hotel with room rates around US$110-125 per night. Convenient to the Recoleta clubs, restaurants, and shopping.

Second, Dazzler Hotel, which overlooks 9th of July Avenue between Microcentro and Recoleta. It's a 2 star plus place, clean and functional, running about US$45 a night. A short walk to fun, restaurants, and diversions.

Neither place will give you static about guests, both have safes available (LoisSuites' safes are in the room).

I do not recommend staying in an apartment on your first trip. Frankly, it is because of the safety factor - there are some bad people out in town who would like to rip you off, and your chances of having a mickey slipped to you and being robbed is minimized when the girl has to surrender or show her identification to the desk clerk at the hotel when you bring her back to the hotel. (Don't be shy or embarrassed about doing this - do it as a matter of course.)

More to come

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

It seems to me that almost every fellow who goes to Buenos Aires for a first trip of 3 or 4 days ends up finding himself in monger heaven and wanting to extend his stay. On the other hand, I find that my ability and energy to enjoy this town start to flag after I've been there for a week. Buenos Aires is a NIGHTTIME town. Things don't ever get started until late in the evening. (i.e. - no 7:00 p.m. dinner reservations, unless you are a pathetic gringo.)

But even for a relatively young guy like me, there are only so many 11:00 p.m. evening meals and 4:00 a.m. dance-between-the-sheets parties that I can take.

This is Uncle Otto's guide for newbies, so I feel free to be very opinionated in my advice. Thus, my advice for you is: Leave home on Friday, arriving Saturday morning, and arrange to leave for home on the following Saturday evening. This gives you seven nights and eight days of time in town, but gets you back home for a day's rest before you get back to work on Monday. (Believe me, you'll need the rest after your vacation. )

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

Doing some pre-trip planning will pay dividends.

First, air fares are all over the map. If you are computer-literate enough to be using the WSG, then chances are you also use websites like Orbitz, Travelocity, and Expedia to search for air fares. More power to you. One downloadable utility which is under-used, however, is the excellent resource found at sidestep.com. It is a companion search engine which pops itself up when you use Orbitz or one of the other search sites. On my trips to Buenos Aires, I've saved as much as $250 on the exact same flights when bought from sidestep.com instead of another site. Download it, use it, and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

Technical problems with the site have kept me from working on my guide for newbies. Now that the site appears to be running smoothly again, I will continue.

Uncle Otto

[Guillermo]

Tio Otto,

Is this a private party, or can anyone join in?

Guillermo

[OttoGraham]

You ought to be learning Spanish as soon as you decide to visit Buenos Aires. Your next step is to read the Argentina posts on this forum for the last two years. While you're doing that, take notes, so that you can mark down important information such as names, addresses, telephone numbers, and the like. I can't emphasize this point enough; the accumulated wisdom recounted in these pages are like nuggets of mongering gold sitting and waiting for you to pick them up.

Uncle Otto

[MRLA]

100% correct, if you learn some Spanish you will SCORE big time. One reason why I picked BA over Rio. Speaking Spanish is a must if yiou go solo. I was mislead before that most people can get by without Spanish but that is absolutely wrong. We went to some real fancy restaurants and the waiter did not speak English.

[enricos]

Looking forward to your guide as I've not been to BA.

[OttoGraham]

One of the ways you will get the most out of your Buenos Aires holiday is to learn some Spanish. Keep in mind that most chicas don't speak English, and those that do are liable to command a premium over their colleagues.

While English is regularly spoken at most major hotels and a few high-end restaurants (and most mid-market and higher restaurants tend to have English menus), most locals know only a smattering of English words and phrases, if that. It will win you a lot of points from even English-speakers if you begin every conversation with "Buenos dias" and croak out your limited Spanish skills; by all means don't be shy.

That said, if you are starting from zero, don't go overboard with memorizing grammar. Emphasize learning how to speak and understand numbers, as well as customary greetings. There are a number of learn-while-you-drive programs, and I can't recommend one over another.

If you had some Spanish in high school or college, you will be far ahead of the power curve. Brush up on what you know; you will be surprised how easily it all comes back when you practice.

Uncle Otto

[OttoGraham]

So you're a newbie intrigued by the posts on this board, and have decided you want to visit Buenos Aires. Good for you! Except for Andres, all of us were once newbies to this wonderful city.

Don't be intimidated by fear over things like crime, political instability, or the like. Believe me, I've been all over the world, and Buenos Aires is one of the safest cities I've visited. No place is completely safe, and I can't guarantee you won't get into trouble if you go looking for it, but if you follow Uncle Otto's Guide for Newbies you are almost guaranteed to have a fun, hassle-free vacation.

Uncle Otto