Mendoza Province

Posted in Argentina Travel

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.

What’s New in Buenos Aires

Posted in Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires is very hip right now, thanks to a blossoming of art and design culture.  Find examples everywhere from chic new hotels to street art.  The new scene in Buenos Aires has it roots in the financial problems of 2001.  Imports became expensive, so arts, design, and crafts took off.  Design is hot, thanks also to an international scene in this city, which is more vibrant than ever.

For the new design culture in hotels, check out the Home Hotel.  For examples around town, let’s take a look at Nobrand.

Nobrand is Buenos Aires shopping at its best.  This is not a tourist shop, but a store full of unique whimsical designs based on traditional Argentine symbols.  Take the cow:  Nobrand’s logo is a cow, which symbolizes so much about Argentina: the rough wild areas of Patagonia and the reputation for exporting superb quality beef.  The logo is a simple, deco modern cow face, great design.  They have gaucho espradrilles, but with a modern twist: there’s a cow motif printed on them.  And of course there are Che Guevera T-shirts, but with a new, stylized Che face on them  Tres Chic.

Nobrand
Gorriti 5876
011-54/11-4776-7288

Home Hotel

Posted in Buenos Aires, Hotels

Buenos Aires hotels come in many forms, but right now staying at a boutique hotel is a special treat.  One such is is Home Hotel, opened in 2005 by a local paired with a Brit.  They make a great team:  Home Hotel was one of B.A.’s first boutique hotels, and their collection of mid-century furniture and vintage wallpapers is wonderful.  The interiors are eclectic without being outrageous, and quietly underscore the pair’s love of collecting modern furniture from the 1950s.

The building has many strong elements of glass and cement, forming the perfect backdrop for the mid-century modern details of the hotel.  There are twenty rooms in all, and vintage wallpaper permeates the strict harsh lines created by the glass an concrete.

Home Hotel has a pool and garden, and there are two rooms with kitchens and lofts.

Home Hotel: Honduras 5860,  011-54/11-4778-1008

Estancia: Posada La Caldera

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.

Estancia Colome

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.