family move

[nic]

Hi I've just stumbled on this site and hope that it might be the answer to our prayers! We're a young Irish family with two kids who are planning on moving to Argentina for the guts of a year from mid February. I'm going to be on maternity leave and my husband is taking leave from work so we will be living off my maternity pay and the balance of renting our house out in Dublin and what's left after paying the mortgage. Not quite sure what the total is yet but I suppose roughly it would be around 7000 pesos a month or maybe less. We'll have global health insurance.
We visited your country last year and really, really loved it and with 2 kids would like to spend time along the coast from mid Feb to May and in Mendoza from May til November. We spent time in Pinamar and Vila Gesell and liked it. However an Argentinan acquaintance recommended Carilo - but when we sussed out a few estate agents we were shocked at the cost of renting a modest house. It was working out at about 30000 pesos or nearly 6,000 euro a month!!! Our mortgage here is about 800 euro a month. Is rent really so expensive in Carilo? Or are we stupidly looking in the equivalent of St Tropez??!! We're not looking for luxury, pools or maid service - just a modest little house preferably by the beach where we can live a peaceful life with our 2 babies (3 years and an infant)
I know this is strictly a BA forum but are desperate to get any info we can so hoping someone can throw us a few crumbs!
Thank you!

 

[syngirl]

Rent IS that expensive in Carilo. For off-season you should be able to find something for about 10000 a month. Carilo is very upscale, so the more modest properties get snapped up very quickly, and a lot of people will return to the same place year after year.
Try Mar de las Pampas or La Gaviota even. Mar de las Pampas is very nice, similar feel. La Gaviota will be cheaper then Mar de las Pampas, it's just on the southern side.

 

[nic]

Thanks Syngirl - wow that person we know must be in a completely different financial league to us We will check out Mar de las Pampas and the other town you mentioned and confine Carilo to a one day visit to oogle the millionaires!!!
One thing I meant to ask last time was if there is a hospital nearby? I'm nearly embarrassed to ask because I know it sounds like i'm a paranoid safety-freak but just with the little baby, we don't want to take unnecessary risks in case of sudden illness or, god forbid, meningitis. Thank you!

 

[Fishface]

Don't bother with Carilo it is VASTLY overrated and the traffic there on those dusty roads is awful. Its like Butlins for the so-called middle/upper classes of Argentina.
The next village up the highway is almost connected to Carilo called Ostende (like the dutch Ostende) is where you can hire a big house for half a shack in Carilo. Much nicer, less knobheads, same beach - and it is windy on the coast no good for babies. Imagine the wind at North Wall with sand in your eyes.
I suggest to get a place in Mar Del Plata and travel up and down the coast as you like. Carilo/ostende are isolated.
Try Uruguay - its wayyyy more chilled out there - north of Punta del este.

 

[tangobob]

Fishface, you are obviously a Brit. No one from across the pond will have heard of Butlins. No one but the Brits would save all year to get locked in aprison camp.

 

[Stanexpat]

Punta Del Este and surrounding areas in Uruguay are a lot better than any beach area I've seen in Argentina.
Living near any of the larger beach towns/cities should have adequate medical services available. The more remote area the less will be available.
Also remote area's may raise security issues, you need to consider this when selecting a place to rent.
Good luck on your adventure