Thoughts On Year In El Bolson, Bariloche, Or San Martin?

[Girino]

I'd give AirBnb (or similar websites) a try.

 

[on the brink]

San Martin de los Andes, definitely. Bariloche has become an ugly, traffic-choked nightmare, dangerous to boot. Stay away from it!

 

[Patagone]

Hi Everyone,
This is such a helpful thread! Thank you for all of the information. My husband and I just arrived in SMA last Thursday and have been scrambling to find a place for the summer. Can anyone provide tips on the best ways to find rental properties?

We are looking for a small place in or near the city centre. It seems most places charge per day in the high season but we're hoping to find someone open to cash upfront for the next three months.

Is this common in SMA? It seems uncommon based on our research so far but we think we might just be looking in the wrong places. So far we have talked to real estate agents, searched on alquilamicasa.com.ar and on the Facebook page, Alquileres Permanentes y Temporarios SMA, but nothing has panned out yet.

Hi Amanda, welcome to SMA! We are abroad, but should be back next week or so.
This situation is definitely the norm in SMA. As all income needs to be made in the 2 summer months + 2 skiing months, all houses are rented by the day. House owners would be crazy to rent a place in January for $600 USD if they can get over $100 per day as well in high season.

Our AirBnB has been rented out for all of January and most of February since last July. It is still available from today until the morning of the 20th and after the 26th of February if you need something now (listing here: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/101913), I can get you a better price, but January and Feb will be hard.

 

[UK Man]

Good luck.

if there's one place that would make me stay in Argentina until I kick the bucket it's SMA. Great scenery and trout fishing.

 

[plumerian]

Hi everyone!
It's been a while since someone discussed SMA, El Bolson, and Bariloche area, and I have a few more questions. Hopefully, someone has the answers.

My situation is kinda similar to the TS. I am moving to Argentina with a pregnant wife and 2 daughters (10, 2). It seems like SMA is the best fit for us and the safest of all but I'm hesitant.

1. How is the situation with the amount of expats there now?
2. Can you rent accommodations for a year in SMA? Or are you doomed to Airbnb and pay 5 prices during the high seasons if you want to live there?
3. Are there any extracurricular activities in SMA for 10 y.o.? Maybe in school? Things like dance class, choir, art class, swimming pool, etc.
4. If we have a new baby in SMA, El Bolson, or Bariloche, where do we apply for citizenship? My guess - Bariloche. Is there an English speaking attorney who can help? Is it faster to get things done than BA (if anyone knows by any chance)?

Thanks!

 

[LuckyLuke]

Hi everyone!
It's been a while since someone discussed SMA, El Bolson, and Bariloche area, and I have a few more questions. Hopefully, someone has the answers.

My situation is kinda similar to the TS. I am moving to Argentina with a pregnant wife and 2 daughters (10, 2). It seems like SMA is the best fit for us and the safest of all but I'm hesitant.

1. How is the situation with the amount of expats there now?
2. Can you rent accommodations for a year in SMA? Or are you doomed to Airbnb and pay 5 prices during the high seasons if you want to live there?
3. Are there any extracurricular activities in SMA for 10 y.o.? Maybe in school? Things like dance class, choir, art class, swimming pool, etc.
4. If we have a new baby in SMA, El Bolson, or Bariloche, where do we apply for citizenship? My guess - Bariloche. Is there an English speaking attorney who can help? Is it faster to get things done than BA (if anyone knows by any chance)?

Thanks!

Howdy Plumerian,

It's hard to know where to begin with your post and It's hard to tell what your situation is. Here's a few tips:

1) There's probably a few, they will come out of the woodwork with time. There are a few in Bariloche for sure.
2) Depends on many things. Perhaps with a 6 month deposit in dollars. AirBnB is probably the way to go to get started.
3) School in Neuquen is not the same as the USA. Each Provincia has different public school hours. Here in Neuquen Capital it's until noon. That's it. Private schools will sometimes have a longer schedule. There are likely small classes for swimming, art, dance etc. Sometimes you can find them on google and sometimes it's by word of mouth. School generally has physical education twice a week and a different activity on the days in between.
4) Who is "we" and for "who?" The baby or the parents?

 

[saucerfam]

We lived in SanMa for a couple years as an expat family. It's a solid place for families - quite chill and outdoor things to do. As there's tourist demand, the toughest piece will be renting a home or apartment - expect to pay $$$ if you want to be centrally located (move around without a car). We paid an arm and a leg to live in the centro for those two years. If you have a car, the area around San Pablo School has home options. For schooling, I would look at San Pablo or Escuela Del Sol. Both good schools - not US academic standard - but they each focus more on being a good human and other life skills. Each offer dual language learning. Not sure your language abilities - but will be helpful in opening social circles. Expect most to come from the parents of other kids initially. There is an expat community - though small, it mostly a seasonal thing (fishing guides, digital nomad, etc)

 

[plumerian]

Howdy Plumerian,

It's hard to know where to begin with your post and It's hard to tell what your situation is. Here's a few tips:

1) There's probably a few, they will come out of the woodwork with time. There are a few in Bariloche for sure.
2) Depends on many things. Perhaps with a 6 month deposit in dollars. AirBnB is probably the way to go to get started.
3) School in Neuquen is not the same as the USA. Each Provincia has different public school hours. Here in Neuquen Capital it's until noon. That's it. Private schools will sometimes have a longer schedule. There are likely small classes for swimming, art, dance etc. Sometimes you can find them on google and sometimes it's by word of mouth. School generally has physical education twice a week and a different activity on the days in between.
4) Who is "we" and for "who?" The baby or the parents?

Hi Luke,
Thanks for the answers; they are helpful!
4) As I understand, the baby will automatically get citizenship. I desire to get Argentinian citizenship for myself as soon as possible. My guess is that 90%+ expats apply in BA, so it might be easier and faster to get the ball rolling if my wife and I apply in a remote province. Can anyone confirm or contradict this? Thanks.

 

[plumerian]

We lived in SanMa for a couple years as an expat family. It's a solid place for families - quite chill and outdoor things to do. As there's tourist demand, the toughest piece will be renting a home or apartment - expect to pay $$$ if you want to be centrally located (move around without a car). We paid an arm and a leg to live in the centro for those two years. If you have a car, the area around San Pablo School has home options. For schooling, I would look at San Pablo or Escuela Del Sol. Both good schools - not US academic standard - but they each focus more on being a good human and other life skills. Each offer dual language learning. Not sure your language abilities - but will be helpful in opening social circles. Expect most to come from the parents of other kids initially. There is an expat community - though small, it mostly a seasonal thing (fishing guides, digital nomad, etc)

Thank you! It's amazing to have the info from someone who actually lived there for two years. If it's so expensive, we will probably be looking for an alternative location because I'm just starting with my remote income streams. We might come there for a month though. There are 12 options under $1000 on Airbnb for 2 bedrooms for the whole Octorber, which sounds reasonable for a one-month stay in paradise but definitely more than I want to pay in Argentina for a long-term rental.

I really like what you said about their schools. We believe that traditional schools are a big waste of time and if it's just for making friends, the time in school can be easily halved. That's why we homeschooled in my home country and now in the USA. But again, for the sake of making friends and learning Spanish, it might be a good idea to go to a school that focuses on real things instead of learning 2x2 for 5 years of elementary school. Just an opinion. I know many people won't agree.

 

[kpatagonia]

Thank you! It's amazing to have the info from someone who actually lived there for two years. If it's so expensive, we will probably be looking for an alternative location because I'm just starting with my remote income streams. We might come there for a month though. There are 12 options under $1000 on Airbnb for 2 bedrooms for the whole Octorber, which sounds reasonable for a one-month stay in paradise but definitely more than I want to pay in Argentina for a long-term rental.

I really like what you said about their schools. We believe that traditional schools are a big waste of time and if it's just for making friends, the time in school can be easily halved. That's why we homeschooled in my home country and now in the USA. But again, for the sake of making friends and learning Spanish, it might be a good idea to go to a school that focuses on real things instead of learning 2x2 for 5 years of elementary school. Just an opinion. I know many people won't agree.

Hi Plumerian!

I'm Katie, a Canadian married to an Argentinean living in El Bolsón for the last 13 years or so! We have a 9yr old and an 11yr old. We just spent last weekend in SMA - really cute and beautiful town! But yes, sounds like getting housing there is tricky. Our cousin's just bought a piece of land way outside of town but are struggling to find permanent housing in town in the meantime.

My kids go to a public school in the rural area of El Bolson. There is one private elementary school here but there are very few openings each year so nearly impossible to get in. Also one Waldorf school but same problem. We find that the public school is a great option and then we fill up our days with extra-curricular. My kids over the years have (or still do) climbing, mountain club, gymnastics, dance, drawing classes, music... you name it.

SMA seems to have a cool club community. My son is really climbing now and we went to SMA for a tournament so visited two different clubs, we really liked the atmosphere. Like all of these towns (Bariloche, SMA, El Bolson) - the summer is a much different story - over the last few years tourism has really exploded and January can be insanely busy! But the shoulder seasons will be amazing with kids. Anyways - if you want to get in touch I'd be happy to share my opinions/experiences with you.