Tango lessons at La Viruta in Buenos Aires

Milongas are Tango Salons, which of course are found all over Argentina.  In Buenos Aires, one of the most traditional milongas is La Viruta, located in the Palermo Viejo neighborhood.  For $15 per person, you can get  Tango lessons in group style, in the largest milonga in the country.  They also feature delicious meals, bilingual teachers, and a big ballroom that’s fully air-conditioned.

Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, La Viruta features gust professional dancers and live bands from all over Argentina.  Even if you’re not planning on taking any tango lessons, you can still enjoy the dance, the style, and the molonga scene.

Mendoza Province in Argentina almost as big as the state of Idaho.  It’s located on the western side of Argentina, at the base of the Andes Mountains bordering Chile.  From Buenos Aires, it’s directly west to Mendoza Province, whose capitol city is Mendoza City.  The region has rich soil that produces grapes to make wine that rivals that of Sonoma and Napa Valley.  Vintners are able to produce wine at a fraction of the cost of wine in those places, and Mendoza Province has taken off as a new wine destination.

In fact, lots of experimental wineries have sprung up in the past decade, and it’s a very exciting place to be if you love wine.  It’s also a great place to be for hiking, with the Andes right there.  Mendoza City boasts slick hotels, lively restaurants and bars, and wine menus everywhere offering hundreds of different wines.

Mendoza City is close to several wine regions in Argentina:

• Valle de Uco
• Chacras de Coria
• Lujan de Cuyo

There are over a thousand different wineries in the Mendoza region!  If you want to sample lots of them, there’s a place in Mendoza City where you can sample them: it’s called a tasting room, and it’s near Plaza Independencia.  They have almost 100 local wines youc an sample, plus you can book Argentina wine tours there too.  It’s called Vines of Mendoza.

The wineries of Mendoza are spread over large swathes of terrain, sometimes on dirt roads.  You need an appointment for most of them, too.  Book a tour or hire a guide, that’s good advice.

Another Argentina estancia in the province of Salta is the historic Posada la Caldera, whose main house is two hundred and fifty years old.

There are exquisite gardens and the entire estate has been in the same family for more than two hundred years. The town of La Caldera is historic as well, having been founded by Jesuit missionaries in the sixteenth century. The town is known for it hand-woven carpets, so if you can peel yourself away from Posada La Caldera’s pool or hiking trails long enough, a trip to town is definitely worth the time.

In Salta province, about four and a half hours worth of driving from Salta City, you will find Estancia Colome. This is vineyard region, in the Calchaqui Valley, and this Argentina Estancia is a newcomer to the Argentine countryside collection of lavish estancia accomodations.

This particular estancia is more modern than the others mentioned above, but it still evokes the true character of the Argentine countryside. The outbuildings where the guests stay feature tiled roofs and low adobe profiles. The desert-ey structures are furnished with contemporary decor on terra cotta floors. Colome has wine production on site as well as a biodynamic farm. You will eat and drink well at Estancia Colome. You can take a tour of the vineyard and winery while you stay here, as well as go horseback riding, hiking or biking.

In a country province of Argentina called Salta, you will find the House of Jasmines.

 First let’s set the scene for Salta: this province is situated at the edge of the Andes Mountains, has pipe organ canyons and neverending chains of mountains as far as you can see in every direction. This is the Andes, after all.  House of Jasmines is a century old and yes, there are hundreds and hundreds of wild jasmine plants everywhere, along with cities of wild orchids and roses. There are three hundred acres and it’s situated on the Arenales River so the necessary ingredients are here for the perfect estancia getaway.

This is one of the top Argentina estancias.  The owners, Robert Duvall and his wife Luciana, who is from Argentina, have added to the natural beauty of the estate and the historical beauty of the main house. The seven suites feature shabby-chic decor integrating antiques and comtemporary casual designs. Imagine white four-poster beds and wrought-iron light fixtures and exquisite Argentine antiques. Of course, this being the Argentine countryside, there is a paddock of horses. There’s also a spa and a place to take a dip in the pool. Breakfast is included, too.