Country Article / Postcards
The Buenos Aires Version
Date: 12/08/2003I wanted to bring my dad somewhere special for his 70th birthday. I considered Rome, London, Paris, and New York…but chose Buenos Aires: upscale, a little different, and very affordable.
Thanks to the help of Cintia Stella of WOW! Argentina (contact details below) we enjoyed the trip of a lifetime (and the world's best ice cream).
The price for quality accommodation is at least 70% less than the other cities I considered. Our two-bedroom, 1,000-square-foot apartment in the heart of Recoleta (Buenos Aires's most upscale district), decorated in a style reminiscent of Phillipe Starck, cost $90 per night, tax and extras included--daily breakfast, concierge services, and laundry; although dry cleaning was an extra $1 per item.
There is a huge array of distractions here: museums of every kind, weekly fairs, and endless tango parlors.
Festivals, restaurants, museums, and shops all have prices worthy of the pickiest traveler.
The food is incredible--for $5, I enjoyed perfectly cooked and sweetly served Osso Bucco, with a salad, vegetables and a glass of hearty red wine, set in surroundings that could rival the trendiest of restaurants in the States.
A pair of well-crafted, smooth leather loafers set me back $16.
I found a denim jacket lined with sheared beaver and generously trimmed with lush chinchilla, similar to a jacket my daughter saw in Los Angeles for $700. The Christmas present she will be receiving, the Buenos Aires version, only cost me $200.
I'm already planning my return trip--this time with my husband--to look at property. I'll let you know what I find in this city of high quality and low prices.
Tracy Lewis
For International Living
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