Buenos Aires Vacation Tips

Buenos Aires, Argentina has two airports, and flying in from Mendoza, we arrived at the bustling Jorge Newbery Domestic Airport located on the shores of the Rio Plata. The scenic drive en route to the Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt took about 20 minutes, and was our first look at this attractive city of some 12 million residents. Impressions included wide green spaces, lots of memorials, and lots of dogs, both being walked on leashes, or roaming about on their own.

Buenos Aires is an amazing city, with a number of distinct neighborhoods, each with its unique charm and characteristics. The top luxury hotels are mostly in the Recoletta district, which is full of Parisian-style buildings from the belle-epoque period, and populated by numerous luxury shops. The city’s top visitor’s attraction, the cemetery where Eva Peron’s is now buried, is also here (though her tomb is hardly the main reason to visit).

The Palacio Duhau Park Hyatt is an amazing destination onto itself. This oasis within a magnificent city truly offers the best in service, ambience, and comforts. The hotel is in two buildings that face each other, both overlooking an outdoor patio and green space between them. The older building was the original private residence of the Duhau family, where rooms are more classic, and the public areas ornate and regal. In the newer wing, rooms are contemporary in style, and the sparse lobby more utilitarian. Both buildings are connected underground via an art gallery. The Ahin spa offers a variety of treatments and modern fitness center, and the indoor lap pool, lined with marble, just begs one to take advantage and swim some laps.

In the palacio wing there’s the smoking bar, a lovely wood-paneled old-style lounge, dining venues, and a wine and cheese bar. We had lunch at Duhau Restaurante, and without a doubt had the most luscious beef the entire trip that you could cut with a work and nearly melted in your mouth.

A few of BA’s top hotels are in the area, so it’s definitely the fashionable place to stay. There’s a shopping mall just up the block and the Recoleta Cemetary, BA’s top attraction, and Saturday craft fair are few short blocks away.

Nearby is the Palermo district, with beautiful residential community and some top museums, and further afield the fast growing and modern Puerto Madero district, anchored by the attractive Bridge of Woman.

In the historic Plaza de Mayo area is the Presidential Palace and Metropolitan Cathedral, and the area seems popular for local [peaceful] demonstrations, which often take place in the middle of the streets and block traffic. (On our visit there were two such demonstrations on two adjacent streets off the plaza.) Another old historic district is San Telmo, full of antique shops and outdoor cafes around Plaza Dorrego.

One can’t comment about Buenos Aires without mentioning La Boca district, the city’s Little Italy.

There’s plenty to see and do here. There are also a variety of day trips possible, including a visit to an estancia (ranch). Golfers will find two great courses here, too, Olivos and Pilar. Our flight home was through the Ezeiza International Airport. If you need to find a travel agent, we’ve had about ten of our South America travel experts that have traveled in Argentina in the last month. Contact a member of our team of travel experts to begin planning your custom Argentina vacation today!