BA Precruise: Palermo vs. San Telmo

We're planning on spending 2 nights in BA prior to our Feb. 1, 2019 cruise and would appreciate comments from experienced travelers. Our interests are ~50% for a good hotel(4 star) and ~50% for an interesting, safe and walkable neighborhood with character/history, tango/milongas, restaurants, etc.

Two candidates gleaned from CC and other research are:

1. Fierro Hotel in Palermo Hollywood

2. Hotel Madero in Puerto Madero adjacent to San Telmo

Our target is $200+/- per night.

We'd like to "experience" authentic BA.

Thanks for your inputs.

You might check the Hilton in Puerto Madero although I'm going to guess it's over $200 these days.

It doesn't make much difference if you are only staying for two nights. Both areas have lots of good restaurants and are safely walkable during the day. San Telmo is a bit rougher so you'll want to stick to the busy areas at night. Usual rules apply about not wandering around with "Rob me" stamped on your forehead. Best to take radio taxis at night if you are going more than a few blocks. Credit cards are widely accepted at restaurants and stores but you will need cash for taxis.

Puerto Madero is a redeveloped port area and doesn't really have much character but is considered the safest area in BA. It's a nice walk along the channel and the Sarmiento is a old frigate that's worth a visit of you are interested in that sort of thing. The Costanera Sur is a nice break from the city but if you are only there two nights, who needs a break.

Keep in mind that the weather is likely to be hot and humid that time of year. Like Miami or worse.

BA is one of the safest cities in South America. It's not Europe but it's hardly New York in the 1970's either. Be aware of your surroundings and check with the hotel before wandering off into an unknown area. Don't go wandering around La Boca (there's only about a 4 block tourist area that's OK during the day) or the areas around the the Boca Junior stadium on your own. They are next to San Telmo but are much sketchier areas.

Cabana Las Lilas is a classic steak house in Puerto Madero while I like Don Julio in Palermo Hollywood. While there are many more dining options today compared to 10 years ago, I'd stick with the BA classics. Don't go looking for great fish or Mexican food. You want parrilla (meat on the grill), pasta (huge Italian influence), papas fritas (who doesn't like fries), pizza (overrated except for the pizza al la parilla at Morelia), and helado (great ice cream, Tufic, Lucciano's, Rapa Nui, and a billion other places).

While you can walk to San Telmo from the hotel Madero, it is in Puerto Madero, which is distinctly different than San Telmo. Whatever else it is, Puerto Madero does not meet your stated desire to experience “authentic” Buenos Aires. The neighborhood is new and lacks the ambiance of more established neighborhoods. Palermo seems closer to the type experience you are looking for.

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Thanks for the feedback so far. I'm leaning towards the Puerto Madero hotel/San Telmo option. This puts us closer to the sights we wish to see. The hotel location just across the canal from San Telmo and a short walk to Plaza Dorrego appears advantageous.

We stayed in Recoleta area and loved it.We could walk everywhere from there and as stated, taxis are cheap $7.00-$10..on average each time we used them.Lots of restaurants and people at night so it felt safer to be out after dark.There are many boutique hotels in this area.

We stayed in Recoleta area and loved it.We could walk everywhere from there and as stated, taxis are cheap $7.00-$10..on average each time we used them.Lots of restaurants and people at night so it felt safer to be out after dark.There are many boutique hotels in this area.

Yup

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