Buenos Aires has always been known for steak, but for the past five years or so, it’s the sizzle that has been making Americans look to this very cosmopolitan city at the bottom of South America. It has a gr
eat aura—a heady mixture of Evita, tango, and European polish—and has filled out with a sophisticated mix of hotels, restaurants, and the sort of shopping that you find on the Right Bank, via Montenapoleone, and Mayfair. Right now, Avianca, American, and Copa (the airline, not the cabana) are offering Business Class fares starting as low as $1,850 round-trip (plus taxes and fees). See chart below for fares.
The Deal
Uncomplicated. These are straight-up, 50-day-advance-purchase fares on American (oneworld member), and no-advance-purchase fares on Avianca (earns miles on Delta) and Copa (earns miles on Continental).
Sample Promotional Business Class Fares to Buenos Aires for Under $2,300
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Logistics
Most flights to Buenos Aires are like those to Europe. You depart the U.S. at night and arrive in Argentina the next morning. With one big difference: There’s little or no jet lag because Buenos Aires is one hour ahead of New York, two ahead of Chicago, and four ahead of LA. The return is a different story. Of the three carriers, American has the best Business Class seat (171-degree recline, 21” wide, and 60” pitch) on its B777 from LA via Miami.
The Destination
Sights: Information about the major attractions are plentiful online and in guide books, so here are three gems easily overlooked in this avalanche of material. Top Tango Show: The nightly “History of Tango” at the Faena Hotel. Colecc
The city’s best contemporary-art museum shows provocateurs, both blue-chip and speculative.
Shopping
The sole of the city—three generations of shoemakers in a shoebox-size store in the Abasto quarter.
Hotels
Four Seasons: Stay in one of the seven suites in La Mansion, the hotel’s restored 1916 mansion, and you’ll understand how Buenos Aires got the nickname “Paris of Latin America.” Algodon Mansion; Something new for this city, a 10-suite boutique carved out of a 1912 French Classical mansion in Recoleta, BA’s enclave of Belle Epoque mansions. Palacio Duhau-Park Hyatt: Another Recoleta gem, a 165-room hotel in a 1934 mansion. The Palace Wing has original woodwork. Home Hotel: A boutique in the gentrifying Palermo Hollywood quarter, named for the production studios in the vicinity, offering seventeen spacious modern rooms.