South America on Sale

When I travel, I just walk around cities and soak up the atmosphere. I like to see what it feels like to be a "local" and actually live in the city. I had wanted to visit Buenos Aires for the past 10 years, but was always told it was too expensive. Because of the currency crisis, everything now costs about 60 percent less than it did 9 months ago, which puts it in reach of nearly any traveler. The prices are actually about the same as in Mexico, if not slightly lower. This is a very beautiful, civilized, and comfortable city. I felt very much at home here.

Quick Tips:

If you've already made a reservation at a hotel, go straight to the counter of transportation provider Manuel Tienda Leon; it's located just outside the arrivals door when you enter the airport. They only charge US to take you from the airport to downtown B.A., then they take you for free directly to your hotel. This service was recommended by friends who live in B.A.

Best Way To Get Around:

Taxis are so cheap here . . . I never paid more than US to go anywhere, and some trips were lengthy. Buses are 80 centavos (approx US.25), and the subway was 70 centavos. Take the subway if it's going where you need to go . . . it's fast, although it closes around 10:30pm.

The website and the brochures from this hotel make it look much more luxurious than it actually is. However, it is a clean, comfortable place to stay and in a good neighborhood. Check out their website at http://www.hotelrecoleta.com.ar/index.html

In March 2003, the rooms cost 50 pesos per night (less than US$20), but they only take cash. The rooms have air-conditioning, but you must call the front desk to have it turned on and off -- there's no thermostat. There is also a ceiling fan and cable TV in Spanish. The bathroom is small and lacks a shower curtain, so everything gets wet when you shower.

The windows have Italian-style roll-down wooden shutters that block nearly all light from entering the room, so it's possible to sleep very late in the day if there's no noise. The hotel tends to be noisy in the morning because of the thin doors and narrow hallways. If you get up early anyway, this would be a nice place to stay, but I'm a night person who went out to nightclubs often and the noise became too bothersome.

The hotel is on a very quiet street with absolutely no traffic. Nothing was ever missing from my room and they have a safe at the reception desk for valuables. The employees at the front desk all spoke basic English and were very helpful. The hotel serves free breakfast from 7am to 11am. There were two elevators. The checkout time is 10am.

After staying here for a week, I decided to try Hotel Principe, which I liked better.

I didn't actually stay at the Lion d'Or, but I did look at some of the rooms available, so wanted to pass on the info I learned.

This place is so cheap . . . the rooms start at only 25 pesos per night (US$9). The rooms at that price are bare-bones -- twin bed, no TV, and no phone. The main reason I didn't stay here is because I needed a phone so local friends could reach me. Next time I go to Buenos Aires, I plan to take my cell phone with me and stay at this hotel. Even with these low prices, the hotel wasn't full and the clerk showed me several rooms. The more expensive rooms (they go up to 45 pesos) have larger beds, phones, and a TV costs 4 pesos extra per day (in any room). There are rooms available in the back that would be quieter.

All in all, I would recommend this hotel to the serious budget traveler. The rooms were clean, but very basic (think Mexico), but certainly acceptable considering the price. If you go there, don't settle for the first room they show you . . . ask to see several rooms since they are all very different from each other. Some of the rooms have updated or completely remodeled bathrooms.

This is a good budget choice for someone who's not too demanding. They have rooms from 40-60 pesos (US$14-21). The cheaper rooms have a fan instead of air-conditioning and are a bit smaller. They all have cable TV.

This hotel is located in a normal residential neighborhood and gives you a feel of where normal people live and work. The restaurants in this area are also cheaper than those in the Recoleta tourist area. There's a gym just a few doors down on Gallo that's only 3 pesos a day to use!

This place only costs 15 pesos per night (US$5.25). You might think it's a horrible place, but you'd be surprised. The rooms are certainly acceptable, the mattresses comfortable.

There are drawbacks, of course. There are limited times when you can come and go. The door is attended only until about 10pm by the manager, so if you are a late night partier, it won't work for you. There is no A/C or TV in the rooms, and no phone either.

That being said, if you need a cheap place to stay and don't want to be in a youth hostel, this is a good place. Rooms in the back are quiet, and the rooms are actually nice, especially considering the price.

What a great place! I moved here after staying at the Hotel Recoleta for a week. Hotel Principe was only 5 pesos more per night than the Recoleta had been at 55 pesos (less than US$20) and was infinitely better. (Update from 2004: it's now 60 pesos per night).

There are three rooms per floor (seven stories total). Rooms that end in one or two (i.e., 71, 72) have windows facing the street. Rooms that end in three are in the rear of the building and offer more quiet. Laprida isn't a horribly busy street, so noise shouldn't be that much of a problem anyway. All the rooms have Italian-style roll-down shutters that block most light. My room (73) was very large, had a double bed, two nightstands, several windows with an interesting view of other buildings across the way, a small dining area with a round table, a kitchenette with a granite counter, a small fridge and a sink. The bathroom was medium sized and had a bidet.

The front desk people were very helpful. The man who worked at night was determined to speak English with me (to practice, I imagine). They serve free breakfast from 7-10am daily in the lobby or you can have it delivered to your room for two pesos. Check-out time is a very early 10am. There is cable TV with English and Spanish channels (over 40 channels). There is a restaurant on the ground floor and an elevator. They only take cash.

The location is superb for a tourist because it's within two blocks of Avenida Santa Fe, which has a subway station, good restaurants, ATMs, internet cafés, etc.

Everything was in good condition and I warmly recommend this hotel.

This place isn't all gay, but has a sizeable gay clientele, especially on the ground floor. I found this place by accident . . . I was walking by and noticed a large number of tables near the windows with attractive men. That aroused my suspicions and it turned out that yes, this place gets gayer as the night goes on. Gay guys (mostly in their 30s and 40s) tend to start showing up around 7pm on the ground floor and more show up as the night goes on.

That aside, the food was very good and the prices good too. Try the "Menu El Cid," which is only 15 pesos (US$5) and includes an appetizer, a meal and a dessert. The ground floor is more for a quick drink and a snack, while the upper level is more for dining.

If you are in the touristy area and find yourself near Patio Bullrich (an upscale shopping mall), you might want to try this restaurant in the food court. For only 7 pesos, you get a slice of quiche with a choice of two of the 12 different salads they had, and a soft drink or bottle of water. I had the zucchini quiche with the carrot salad and green bean salad. You'll find great food at a great price in a very upscale mall -- vegetarian selections galore.

Do you want to eat in a neighborhood where there are no tourists? Take the subway (line D) to the end of the line and you'll be in the Belgrano neighborhood on Cabildo Street. This is a major street filled with stores and bustling shoppers. This is where the average people live, shop and work in Buenos Aires. You'll find several inexpensive restaurants in this area, including the one in this review, La Farola. I had a submarino (hot chocolate), a strawberry licuado (smoothie), and pasta with tomato meat sauce all for US$4. The service was excellent and so was the food. There are a few vegetarian choices on the menu. If you don't understand all the descriptions on the menu, just point to what another diner is eating when you order.

There are lots of restaurants in the Las Canitas area of Buenos Aires. I ate at three and this one was my favorite.

It's located right on a corner with interesting well-dressed people walking by. You can sit inside or outside. The food and service were excellent.

For 25 pesos (US$9), my friend and I had a delicious dinner with bottled water, freshly squeezed orange juice, steak with mashed potatoes, and ravioli with mushroom sauce. The menu also had pizza, other types of meat, pastas . . . very varied. You'll definitely find something you like.

There are several of these restaurants around the city . . . this one was in the Puerto Madero neighborhood.

It cost 21 pesos (US$7) per person for all-you-can-eat grilled meat (chicken, sausages, pork chops, etc.), all-you-can-eat salad bar, a soft drink, and dessert -- a great place for hungry eaters. You walk right up to the grill, point to the type of meat you want and the cook puts it on your plate. The price drops to only 15 pesos during the week (I was there on a holiday weekend).

The quality was good, but all-you-can-eat doesn't appeal to me that much for some reason -- it can be kind of a zoo, with people walking all over the place (to and from the salad bar and the grill).

This was my favorite budget restaurant/café in Buenos Aires. It was located only a couple of blocks from my hotel (Hotel Principe).

The food was always good and cheap, and the service very good too. I had a peach licuado (smoothie) for 3.5 pesos and pasta with a veggie sauce for 6 pesos. The whole tab was about US$3.50 for an excellent meal. Just about anything you could want is on the menu, including pastas with 12 different sauces to choose from, pizzas, sandwiches, milanesa (thin chicken-fried steak), desserts, smoothies in 8 flavors, etc. If you just want a light meal, try a fruit licuado with a ham and cheese tostado (a toasted ham and cheese sandwich on thin white bread).

It's right on Avenida Santa Fe and I never saw the "closed" sign on the front door. However, I went there at 5pm one day and found that the kitchen is closed around that time. It's just too early to consider eating dinner in Buenos Aires!

Price update 2006: prices have gone up by about 2 pesos per item, so a meal will be closer to US$5.00 now.

This is an Asian-owned veggie place with good food. Lunch is served from noon to 3pm. Dinner is served from 8pm to midnight. Lunch costs 5 pesos Mon to Fri and 6 pesos on the weekend. Dinner is 6 pesos. Prices as of 2004.

It's all-you-can-eat and you get to serve yourself cafeteria-style, so there's no problem understanding a menu. There's an Asian influence in the food, but a little bit of everything is there, including desserts. Even non-vegetarians would find something they would like here. It's a good place to go if you're very hungry.

This is a good veggie restaurant, but it used to be better and cheaper. The decor and the music are very nice. It's the most expensive veggie option I found as well, since the minimum lunch price is 12 pesos. Just a couple of years ago it was 9 pesos for a fixed lunch which included a drink, but they raised their prices and no longer have the drink included. You can just request a glass of regular water for free. Dinner is served Tuesday through Saturday with higher prices. You can order one of the 3 specials of the day, or order a la carte.

This restaurant has two locations, the other one being at Ave Cordoba 1587. The one on Cordoba had better service, and similar food. This one had great food, but some of the worst service I've experienced in a restaurant. The waitress was rude, and I waited forever.

The only juice available is orange. I got the ricotta onion pie "con guarnicion", which means "with garnish". The garnish is a rice, bean, and veggie mixture. It’s located in a nice neighborhood full of hip shops and cafes.

I prefer the one on Cordoba... it's near the Callao subway station. I recommend the "plato variado" as it comes with about 6 different things on it so you can sample. It costs 14 pesos as of April 2006.

This is my favorite small cafe in town because of its attractive decor and low prices. For 8 pesos, you get a ham-and-cheese tostado (grilled ham and cheese) with a glass of OJ, coffee, or water. Pasta dishes are available for less than 9 pesos. It has good service and is open from about 7:30am to 9pm, except closed Sunday. It's just south of Ave. Santa Fe, near the Callao subway station.

This is an all-you-can-eat place, but it's much better than you're used to in the USA. For starters, there's the grill section with all-you-can-eat filet mignon (bife de lomo) and NY Strip (bife de chorizo) steaks. If that isn't enough, there's a salad bar, Asian bar, individual cooks that will prepare your pasta choice, and Benihana-style Japanese food (without the fancy show). Then there are desserts, 10 different ice creams, and pancakes.

I recommend going at lunch, because you'll be so full, you won't have to eat dinner that night. Lunch Monday through Friday is 14 pesos (you must also buy a beverage of at least 2 pesos). They stop serving at 3:30pm, and I recommend arriving no later than 2pm, especially if you want filet mignon, as that cut is not unlimited, though the NY strip seems to be always available. Dinner is 18 pesos, and on Sundays and holidays it is 25 pesos (prices as of April 2006). Argentines seemed to be tipping the waiters 2 pesos per table, and 1 peso each to the specialty chefs (if they make something for you.)

I noticed a lack of reasonably-priced men's clothing stores when I was in Buenos Aires, so I asked around and was told to go to the 4700 block of Avenida Cordoba. They were right. There were lots of clothing stores geared for men and the prices were great too. My favorite was Tascani at Avenida Cordoba 4701. They sold somewhat trendy to extremely trendy clothing in an attractive environment, and there was great music playing too! It's open 'til 8pm most nights. I paid US$8 for a tank top that would have been at least $25 in the USA. Also on this street, I bought some tennis shoes made in Argentina for only US$12.

I found an apartment rental service that I would like to recommend. It's called ByT Argentina and their website is ByTArgentina. I looked at their website while in the USA and then I actually went by their office while in Buenos Aires. They were very helpful. They have a huge collection of apartments that they rent from approx. US$85 per week up to the thousands. The apartments are privately owned by other people and this is an agency that rents them. You just pay the rental rate, plus a US$30 administrative fee, and you do have to leave a security deposit directly with the owner. This is a good choice if you are going to stay at least a week. It's usually cheaper to stay in a fully furnished apartment than to stay in even a budget hotel. I rented an apartment right on Santa Fe Avenue (the main street through the Recoleta neighborhood). It was very lovely and only US$125 a week and was completely furnished, right down to knives, forks, dish towels, micro and fridge. I would never stay in a hotel again in Buenos Aires!

I found two good places to get haircuts for men in the Recoleta area. The first one is at Rodriguez Pena 2765; it's 12 pesos for the cut and then they wash and style your hair. Beard trims are 6 pesos extra. Jose cut my hair. The other place is 9 pesos, but still good... it's at the corner of Juncal and Aguero.

Laundry to wash clothing: all the following cost 6 pesos for wash, dry, fold one load of laundry and did a good job. On Uriburu between Pena and Pacheco de Melo, on Aguero between French and Pena, and Pagano between Tagle and Lucerna.

ATM machines: nearly all banks will give you cash from your home account. Even though the screen may say dollars or pesos, you can only get pesos. I recommend asking for 90 pesos as the machine will give you a 50 and 2 twenties. If you ask for 100, it will give you a 100 peso note which is nearly impossible to change, except in a supermarket. When the machine presents you with amount choices, click the button that says "other quantity" and then type in the 90 and click "continue". None of the ATMs charged me a surcharge, but your home bank may.

Gyms: a nice one for 30 pesos for the day is called Megatlon located in the Alto Palermo shopping mall on Ave. Santa Fe in the Recoleta district. A cheaper (12 pesos) more basic option is Bulls Gym at French 2320 at the corner of Azcuenega.