Scotsman In BA- Holiday Info Please !

[mikejourney]

Hi, I am heading to BA in a few weeks on holiday and was wondering if anyone could give me any advice or things to watch out for where to go etc. Is Buenos Aires a generally safe place ? What are the things that I should definitely do while I am there ? I am staying in two hotels whilst there1. The Presidente Hotel which I think is on the main avenue- Cerrito 850 ? Will this hotel be okay ? Any things or pubs nearby which anyone could recommend ?2. The Castelar Hotel - this is in the Congress District on the Avenue De May 1152. Again, has anyone got any advice on this ?Are taxis generally safe in BA or do they rip of tourists ? Is there an underground tube network ? What is the traffic like ? I have a flight from the domestic airport at 10.40 am. What time would I have to leave the Hotel Presidente to get there and checked in with plenty time ?I am going up to Igazu Falls (excuse my spelling) and spending one night at the Sheraton Hotel at the falls . Does anyone know how far this hotel is from the airport ? is it easy/expensive to get a taxi to it from Iguazu airport ? Many thanks,Mike

 

[AlexD]

Mike,

First off, great choice for a holiday... you'll find that Buenos Aires is an amazing place with an inmense array of things to offer: from entertainment, to nightlife, from culture to history, music both classical and modern.
There is no main avenue, Buenos Aires is a city with a population of 10 million, the city is huge and has many metropolitan areas. I don't have info on the hotels that you mentioned but look them up online and see what others have commented on their stay.
The taxis are safe and will not rip you off as long as you don't act condescending.
There is a great subway system and the buses run pretty well also.
Buenos Aires has museums, alot of theater, nightclubs, parks, restaurants, piers... you name it.. you'll probably find it here.
As far as things that you should not miss while in Argentina: depending on how much time you have, you should definitely go to the south of Argentina to San Martin de los Andes, it is in my opinion one of the most beautiful places on earth.
In the north you have great Canyons and Alien like landscapes, to the east you have the Coast which can be fun, and is very pretty as long as you don't compare it the shores of hawaii, the caribean or Capri, the scenery is very different ( it is not tropical and sand is coarse, but it is surrounded by pine forests).

I hope this helps, and I'm sure more people will chime in with their knowledge as well.

Good Luck
Alex

 

[SamBsAs]

Well Mike, bad news and bad news on your hotels, I checked a pretty reliable source here and he indicated the Presidente is a real dump and the Castelar actually has rooms with NO WINDOWS. He suggested you take a look at www.tripadvisor.com if you wanted more detailed information on your hotels. The Shamrock is one pub that you might enjoy, lots of expats. on Rodriguez Pena 1220. Here is a web site that might help you. It is the city tourist information site and is pretty good. www.bue.gov.ar/home Sorry for the bad news on your hotels and hope you can find alternates.SAM