Nordelta - Advice Please!

[AngeWP]

Hola a todos

Our family are a few months away from moving to BA from Australia. We have researched, sought opinions, looked for ourselves and made the decision, based on our family situation and my husbands office location, to base ourselves in Nordelta (no judgements please).
I was hoping to get in contact,have a chat, seek advice from people/families who live in Nordelta about the living there/schooling etc.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks
Ange

 

[Girino]

Well, I don't the know the area myself, but I saw they have an English school up there, I think it is Northlands in Pilar, plus many gated communities and malls roughly Americanized (meaning: in the middle of nowhere, with lots of parking space and just big retailers one next to the other). You are one hour away from the city centre, you won't enjoy Buenos Aires, just its country.

I believe there is no much public transport there, and a car is mandatory. I don't think there are many expats to connect with, over there, but I am just assuming. Anyway, good luck and welcome aboard!

 

[RodalfoWalsh]

Pilar isn't really that close to nordelta fyi.

There are several schools in Nordelta. Your also not that's far from buenos aires. It actually depends a bit on which side of nordelta your on as it can take a Good half an hour to drive through it. If you're by av nordelta you can be downtown at el obilisco or restroom colon in less than 40 min w/o traffic. Rush hour is another story of course. There is also a water taxi that while a bit longer is a pleasant way to commute.

 

[Natbar]

Hi Ange!

We have just moved to Nordelta a month ago and my kids (English mother tongue) ( I am British/Portuguese and hubby is Italian/Spanish) aged 8 and 10 go to Northlands here in Nordelta. The school has been very welcoming and have helped my kids to settle in. It is a bi-lingual school and the lessons are given 50% English and 50% Spanish (there are a few foreign teachers I have met) Majority of families are spanish speakers but speak English. I have been told there are other expats in the school but I haven't met many yet (only a Brazilian family) as School has just started and they are organising an International Family breakfast soon so we can meet and get to know each other. My kids have started The Special Spanish Programme at school and seem to be enjoying it! We chose Nordelta as my husband works out of the usual 9-5 working day so he commutes to the Airport in one hour and misses all the traffic . As you probably have seen Nordelta gives you security and not having to worry about crime etc. My kids are really enjoying the school as it is very safe and a clean environment. The negative is that it is very quiet here and I do miss the hustle and bustle of the City life which we had in Beirut,Lebanon where we were living before. You definitely need a car to get around, Unicentre Shopping Mall in Martinez is 15 mins drive away and to get to the City Centre takes 35mins with no traffic. We have been going at the weekends as there is no traffic if you feel the need to take in the sights! I am still adapting to life here but do see the benefits for the kids. How old are your kids? Not sure if you know though that The school year has already started 24th Feb and will end for Summer mid December. If there is anything else I can help you with please get in touch although I am still new here too! Natalie

 

[el_expatriado]

Which barrio in Nordelta will you be moving to? Have you decided? Although the leftist argies on this forum will tell you otherwise, Nordelta is hardly homogeneous. There are 20+ neighborhoods, each with its own flavor. There is something for everyone and for every budget. From starter duplexes in Sendero to multimillion dollar mansions in La Isla. I'm building a house right now in Nordelta and looking forward to moving in at the end of the year.

 

[Natbar]

Ange, also if you need help with looking for houses I can recommend our broker here in Nordelta. She has been brilliant and has become a good friend of mine too. Natalie

 

[Natbar]

Ange, also if you need a broker you can trust in helping you look for a house, I can recommend ours, as she is a friend of a colleague of my husbands!

 

[AngeWP]

Thank you all for your replies!

Our children are 2 and 4 and we are hoping to get them into Northlands for next year so my husband will meet with them when he visits next month.
We haven't looked in to what Barrio we will live in yet - again, he will look around next month but any thing you can tell us to differentiate them would be most helpful

One concern I do have is how quiet life will be out there but the safety/security of the area appeals and as my husband will be based in San Isidro it isn't too far for him to travel. Like you Natalie, I enjoy the hustle and bustle of city living but just not sure that would work with our little ones!
For some reason I had thought there would be a large expat community in Nordelta? I obviously want to make Argentinian friends as well but its always nice to connect with English speaking expats who are in the same situation as yourself.

So much to work through and organise before we leave Australia! Thanks again for your replies - and Natalie I will definitely keep in contact if you don't mind

Ange

 

[syngirl]

Thank you all for your replies!

Our children are 2 and 4 and we are hoping to get them into Northlands for next year so my husband will meet with them when he visits next month.
We haven't looked in to what Barrio we will live in yet - again, he will look around next month but any thing you can tell us to differentiate them would be most helpful

One concern I do have is how quiet life will be out there but the safety/security of the area appeals and as my husband will be based in San Isidro it isn't too far for him to travel. Like you Natalie, I enjoy the hustle and bustle of city living but just not sure that would work with our little ones!
For some reason I had thought there would be a large expat community in Nordelta? I obviously want to make Argentinian friends as well but its always nice to connect with English speaking expats who are in the same situation as yourself.

So much to work through and organise before we leave Australia! Thanks again for your replies - and Natalie I will definitely keep in contact if you don't mind

Ange

Just in case you're not aware, commuting could be a killer. Is your husband's job the regular 9-6pm style? If so, living in Nordelta and commuting to San Isidro he will be in for along commute due to traffic. ie it's about 35mins no traffic, but in the morning with traffic and accidents he should be thinking more like 45mins-1hr and the same home. On the other hand, if you lived in Belgrano or Las Canitas and do reverse commute (ie against the flow of traffic) he'd be doing about 15-20mins... we used to live in Las Canitas and my husband worked in San Fernando and it was about 20 mins, now we are in Villa Urquiza, 10 blocks from the hwy, and he works in Garin (the other side of the hwy from Nordelta/Benavidez area) and it is only 25mins to work.

So Nordelta-San Isidro may not be as convenient as you think. And if you like city living I would highly highly recommend Las Canitas, and if you want to be around other expats Las Canitas and Belgrano are perfect. Of course the drawback is apartment vs house.

 

[ghost]

Thank you all for your replies!

Our children are 2 and 4 and we are hoping to get them into Northlands for next year so my husband will meet with them when he visits next month.
We haven't looked in to what Barrio we will live in yet - again, he will look around next month but any thing you can tell us to differentiate them would be most helpful

One concern I do have is how quiet life will be out there but the safety/security of the area appeals and as my husband will be based in San Isidro it isn't too far for him to travel. Like you Natalie, I enjoy the hustle and bustle of city living but just not sure that would work with our little ones!
For some reason I had thought there would be a large expat community in Nordelta? I obviously want to make Argentinian friends as well but its always nice to connect with English speaking expats who are in the same situation as yourself.

So much to work through and organise before we leave Australia! Thanks again for your replies - and Natalie I will definitely keep in contact if you don't mind

Ange

Hustle and Bustle are one thing......chaos is another. Buenos Aires delivers the later.