Hi from an expat now residing in Rio/Buenos Aires

[owl61]

I´m an ex pat American who married a Brasilian gal and who has now lived in Rio for several years. I´m a so-called Destination Expert for Rio on the www.tripadvisor.com site. We also have a residence in Buenos Aires where we occasionally spend large blocks of time.

If you haven´t been able to find answers to your questions in these CC threads, I suggest you consult the Rio and Buenos Aires tripadvisor forums especially if you are looking for general info about these cities or for tour guides for these ports. There are many knowledgeable Destination Experts who can provide lots of good information.

I´d be happy to answer any questions relating specifially to port visits in either of these cities.

[MightyQuinn]

I'd be happy to answer any questions relating specifially to port visits in either of these cities.

Owl, have you transited thru Sao Paulo GRU recently? Everything I've read on TripAdvisor & on SkyTrax is very discouraging. :confused::confused:

 

We have 3+ hr to make a connection at GRU from our international AC flight to a domestic TAM flight enroute to Rio. Is this enough time to navigate immigration, customs & baggage claim/re-check? Since we'll be restricted to domestic baggage provisions, do you know if TAM actually weighs & measures carry-ons? Any advice appreciated. Thanks Owl.

[owl61]

No, I have not transited thru GRU lately. I would defer to the Sao Paulo TA experts. I wish I could offer some words that would assure you that catching your connection will be problem free. All I can say is that there are lots of flights daily from GRU to Rio so if you do miss your scheduled flight, catching another should not be a problem. I have never known TAM to weigh hand luggage.

For future reference you might be interested to learn that baggage limits on international flights between No Am and Brasil are generous (2 bags, 32 kilos each) with respect to tickets purchased in Brasil. I am not sure if that limit applies to tickets purchased in No Am, but those No Americans who fly to cruises leaving from and returning to Brasil should check to see if they also enjoy these uniquely generous limits on flights to/from Brasil.

[Bermuda Longtail]

We are looking at doing the Veendam 20-night cruise leaving from Santiago going to Antartica and back into Rio on December 21, 2009. Can you tell me when the schools are on break? We were wondering if there would be children possibly on this cruise with their families from South America.

 

Thanks,

Sue

[owl61]

We are looking at doing the Veendam 20-night cruise leaving from Santiago going to Antartica and back into Rio on December 21, 2009 . Can you tell me when the schools are on break? We were wondering if there would be children possibly on this cruise with their families from South America.

Thanks,

Sue

As you know, the seasons in the southern hemisphere are reversed. Schools break for summer vacation around the beginning of December. Not all finish on the same day, but by Dec 21, 2010 ( presumably you meant 2010) all school children will surely have started their vacation.

Some cruise lines that ply Brasilian waters during the summer ( MSC/Costa in particular) apparently cater to families and provide deep discounts for kids. Not likely the other lines will be crowded with South Am children.

[Bermuda Longtail]

As you know, the seasons in the southern hemisphere are reversed. Schools break for summer vacation around the beginning of December. Not all finish on the same day, but by Dec 21, 2010 ( presumably you meant 2010) all school children will surely have started their vacation.

Some cruise lines that ply Brasilian waters during the summer ( MSC/Costa in particular) apparently cater to families and provide deep discounts for kids. Not likely the other lines will be crowded with South Am children.

 

My date was correct - 2009. Thanks your reply. We had a feeling the schools would be out then.

 

Thanks,

Sue

[Sea Day Cruiser]

I´m an ex pat American who married a Brasilian gal and who has now lived in Rio for several years.

 

I´d be happy to answer any questions relating specifially to port visits in either of these cities.

 

What would you recommend as the best way for a single woman to get from the airport in BA to the Marriott Hotel? Is there any kind of shuttle like many cities have or is a cab the best way? Thanks.

[greatam]

Or make it easy-spend a few more dollars and have the hotel arrange car service. Driver will be waiting with a sign with your name on it. Very easy and in most of SA, pretty price effective. Email the concierge at the hotel to determine if they have the service and the price. Most Marriott's world wide provide private pick up service (most for a fee).

 

I am a woman who travels for business in quite a bit of SA. I ALWAYS have the hotel send a car for me unless I am renting a car. Saves me a lot of hassle dealing with luggage and corrupt taxi drivers.

[owl61]

What would you recommend as the best way for a single woman to get from the airport in BA to the Marriott Hotel? Is there any kind of shuttle like many cities have or is a cab the best way? Thanks.

I previously submitted a detailed response but either it didn't "take" or was removed. Not sure what happened. I'll try again.

 

Shuttle bus service, private car (remis) and taxi are all available. A reputable remis service like Manuel Tienda Leon has a booth in the terminal and you can buy their bus shuttle for A$40 or a private car for A$ 141. See: http://www.tiendaleon.com.ar/home/home.asp. The shuttle bus goes to a station in Puerto Madero from where the Marriott is a 10 peso cab ride.

 

As mentioned above you can ask your hotel to send a remis, but often this get complicated by delayed flights or baggage delays. A remis from the terminal won't be any more expensive and is not subject to missed connections caused by missed signals or delays.

 

It costs more to take a taxi or remis from the airport than it does to go to the airport. A taxi to the airport costs less than 80 pesos. The taxis at the airport price gouge probably because a permit is required to enter the passenger waiting zone near the terminal exit. Originally enacted to protect passengers from dishonest pirate cabs, the permit requirement now has engendered those with permits to charge a non-metered fixed price which is considerably higher than the metered fare. Cabbies who pay a bribe to the cop on the beat can enter the restricted area so you can negotiate a price with them, but they have to build the bribe into their fare so you generally wind up paying about 130 pesos. Of course, to those on an expense account paying the inflated fare is inconsequential. I, for one, am sufficiently offended by the system to make an end run around it.

 

You can try to avoid the price gougers by walking around to the side of the terminal (turn right as you exit) to hail a cab making a drop off. You can negotiate a more correct price or just agree to use the meter. It should be about 80 pesos including tolls. Be forewarned, however, that the cops frown upon this approach as it tends to undermine their bribe income. They may not let you get into the cab that stops for you if the driver cannot produce a permit, but this is nevertheless quite doable as there are not many cops around.

 

 

I recommend that the savvy traveller call Premium Taxi Co upon exiting the controlled area. http://www.taxipremium.com/ (5328 -0000). It is the largest radio taxi company in Buenos Aires. There is a locutorio (phone/internet center) a few meters from the exit of the controlled area. You don't need coins to make calls and they accept dollars though there are ATMs in the terminal. Premium Taxi Co charges 75.80 pesos + tolls (3 pesos) for a cab ride to the Marriott. Many Premium cabs are Fiat Duplos which are like mini SUVs and are the most comfortable cab vehicles. Premium promises to have a cab arrive at the airport within 5 / 10 minutes after you call. Their drivers frequently lurk around the airport after making drop offs for just this purpose. When you have called a cab to pick you up it is permitted to enter the passenger waitiing zone right ourside the terminal.

Public buses from the airport to the city are available and cheap, but these would only be useful for the backpacking crowd as they take a long time and don't stop close to the terminal exit.