One for the Road: Hedonist Guide to Buenos Aires

by Kelly Amabile on

This sexy guidebook is one you want to be seen holding if luxury travel is your style. It’s fresh, fashionable and smart in both design and content. The Hedonist Guides package the very best of “independent advice for intelligent travelers” in sleek black books accented in soothing colors — as cool as the travelers holding them. The latest in the Hg2 series is a guide to Buenos Aires that is available this month.

Maps in the front introduce the city and each neighborhood, followed by sections that cover where to sleep, eat, drink, snack, party, play and shop. The emphasis here is on pampering and indulgence — travelers who prefer gourmet dining, chic bars, stylish clubs and elegant hotels will find Hedonist guides to serve as indispensable traveling companions. They distinguish themselves further by offering post-production online access to listing updates, keeping sophisticated travelers in the know at all times.

In 2006 Hedonist Guides (published by Filmer Ltd.) released a bunch of titles in this series, including Istanbul, Berlin, Marrakesh and Moscow. Buenos Aires is their first new title in 2007, although they have done some creative online launches of mini-guides for London, Rome, Paris and most recently, Barcelona. Other new hard-copy titles to be released later this year include New York and Prague.

Visiting the End of the World

by Neil Woodburn on

The End of the World is an actual, physical place known as Ushuaia.

Located at the tip of South America, this small city of 55,000 is the very last outpost before falling off the earth and into the cold waters leading to the Antarctic.

I had never heard of this place until coming across an article by Patrick J. McDonnell describing how this alluring destination has become even more alluring in the last few years. Tourists are flocking here–to the tune of 250,000 last year–to bask in the novelty that only The End of the World can provide. Those with “I’ve been to Hell (Norway)” t-shirts in their closets can now add an, “I’ve been to the end of the world” to their collection.

In addition to the draw of such novelty, tourists are also heading this far south to use Ushuaia as a starting point for frolicking with penguins and exploring Antarctic icebergs a few hundred miles away.

There are fears, however, that the tourist boom is slowly destroying the uniqueness of this isolated city and the beauty which surrounds it. What else is new!

Looks like I have to add another destination to my short list before it is ruined.

Looking for Value: Three Options

by Jamie Rhein on

When I saw “Value Vacations” at Kiplinger.com, I thought that meant cheap. Nope. What that meant was vacations that were less expensive than others. Three of these not cheap vacations caught my attention as future possibilities for my own overseas destinations.

The price tag on the Prague trip for two was $5,100 for 6 nights. That included the airfare from Chicago, a overnights in an inn and concerts tickets. Prague is a value destination because you get more bang for your buck if you’re heading to Europe. This was an upscale trip for not upscale prices.

Another place is Buenos Aires. This trip cost $2,000 less than the Prague trip and tango lessons were part of the price tag. According to the article, American actor, Robert Duvall is in love with the place and has been there 60 times. Since the man makes terrific, thoughtful movies, I trust his judgment. I’d say with that many visits, he knows something.

San Juan, Puerto Rico, the last of five destinations, seems like the best fit for a family with a 5 year-old and a 14 year-old like mine. Historical sites, beaches, scenery and cultural activities make for enough variety to make everyone feel satisfied. The family mentioned in the article stayed in a $200 a night 3-star hotel. I checked with one on-line source and saw hotel rooms that range from $60-$120. Perhaps you can take this value vacation and actually make it cheap.

Aconcagua Not Tallest?

by Erik Olsen on

I think it was just a year or so a go that a good buddy of mine spent three weeks down in Argentina acclimatizing and then climbing Mount Aconcagua in the Andes. Why did he do it? Well, because it was there And because it is the tallest mountain in the Western Hemisphere. There is pride to be taken in an accomplishment like that. Especially for desk jockeys like us.

But it turns out my friend’s accomplishment may lost some of its luster. A team of French and Chilean climbers are undertaking an effort to determine whether Americas’ highest summit really is Aconcagua in Argentina, or if that title should actually go to Ojos del Salado in Chile.

“Proving that it is the highest spot in Latin America could change world climbing history,” one of the French climbers said. And he’s right. That would be a big, big deal. And just think of the increase in tourism in Chile, not to mention the blow to national pride in Argentina. Marc Turrel, editor of Andes Magazine, said such a change would dramatically effect the appeal of Ojos and draw climbers to Chile instead of Argentina. Aconcagua is listed in the record books at 22,841 feet, while Ojos del Salado comes in at 22,614 feet, but the new measurements may change that. But it looks like we’re going to wait not just for these new results, but for the results of another climb to the top of Aconcagua, which they are also remeasuring.

Why they didn’t already have this figured out with all the high tech wizbangery we have at our disposal is a mystery to me, but we’ll find out soon, I guess, which mountain and country gets the honor. The answer could be a big deal for both these countries and for my friend.

Flying Through Iguazu Falls

by Willy Volk on

Iguazu Falls is actually a series of 270 waterfalls flowing out of the Iguazu River, which serves as a de facto border between Brazil and Argentina. A World Heritage Site, some of the individual falls reach 269 feet in height, though the majority are only 210 feet. The most impressive of the waterfalls is the Devil’s Throat, a 2300-foot-long cliff that discharges as much as 45,000 gallons of water per second.

Aerial still shots of Iguazu are enchanting, and panos are mesmerizing, but nothing equals flying through the falls.

Towering over Niagra, the only waterfall in the world that rivals Iguazu is Zambia’s Vic Falls. Whereas Iguazu is wider — because it’s composed of many falls — Vic Falls is the largest single curtain of falling water in the world.