Buenos Aires Disembarkation Transport

[teacherman]

We will arrive via HAL Zaandam in BA on a Thursday.  Our ship will stay there overnight, but we are leaving the ship on Thursday afternoon to go to our hotel, as we have an early morning flight on Friday to Iguazu.  What is the best way for us, and our luggage, to get from the port to our hotel in the Recoleta area?  Also, do our passports get stamped at the port, or do we get some type of "paper" that we present to our hotels in order to avoid the VAT taxes on our rooms?  Any information/advice is welcome.  Thank you.

[mcmarya]

To get to your hotel there are a couple options.  Take a cab that is waiting outside and try to negotiate a price--difficult if you don't speak Spanish.  I have read that the cabs there will gouge tourists and are not metered like the ones in most of the city.  You could also contact your hotel to see about arranging a pick up.  To avoid the VAT you just need to show your US passport at the hotel and pay with a US credit card.  This proves that you are not a resident of Argentina.

 

I think I just answered you on Trip Advisor.  We have been to Buenos Aires before, getting on the Zaandam instead of getting off.  We will be departing the Amsterdam in Buenos Aires in January and will have the same problem with transportation from the port to our hotel.  The few pesos we had leftover are now pretty worthless.  Not sure that cabs will take USD.

Edited December 7, 2019 by mcmarya

[barante]

Even though ther HAL Westerdam also overnighted in BA at the conclusion of our cruise, we, too, checked out the previous night. Didn't want to participate in the morning madness. We made the right choice.

 

One challenge in disembarking in BA is finding a cab big enough for you and your luggage. Some of the cabs are just too small.

 

With Argentine economy being what it is, I cannot see too many cabbies refusing US dollars. But, again, do agree on the price beforehand.

[cboyle]

We have used this company for tours/transfers twice on visits to South America and will be using them again in February, 2020.

http://www.defrantur.com/INGLES/Default.asp

[hoenichj]

On 12/8/2019 at 1:30 PM, cboyle said:

We have used this company for tours/transfers twice on visits to South America and will be using them again in February, 2020.

http://www.defrantur.com/INGLES/Default.asp

What tours have you done with them?  Thanks!

 

Judy

[cboyle]

2 hours ago, hoenichj said:

What tours have you done with them?  Thanks!

 

Judy

•  

John and I are going in to Buenos Aires two days before our Antarctica expedition cruise with Ponant from Ushuaia on February 3. 

 

Defrantur is picking us up at the airport for a private transfer to our hotel (2 nights), which they also arranged, in the Retiro neighborhood. In early afternoon. we are doing a private tour to the Tigre River and a wine tasting later in the evening. The next day we are being taken to a food tour in the Palermo neighborhood and being dropped off afterwards at the San Telmo antiques fair. They have recommended and made a dinner reservation at a restaurant near the hotel and are picking us up very early the next morning for a private transfer to the airport for the Ponant-included flight to Ushuaia. All of that (not including the dinner) is costing half of what Ponant was asking for 1 night in a hotel plus a city tour, dinner at a steakhouse, and the airport transfers for the two of us. 

 

If you want to read about other tours Defrantur has set up for us, this is our (very long) review of our "Around the Horn" cruise with precruise tours in Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls and wine regions of Argentina and Chile. They also arranged a tour to an estancia when the cruise had a port call in Buenos Aires. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80603

 

If you have any other questions, just ask.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Carolyn

Edited December 11, 2019 by cboyle

[hoenichj]

34 minutes ago, cboyle said:

•  

John and I are going in to Buenos Aires two days before our Antarctica expedition cruise with Ponant from Ushuaia on February 3. 

 

Defrantur is picking us up at the airport for a private transfer to our hotel (2 nights), which they also arranged, in the Retiro neighborhood. In early afternoon. we are doing a private tour to the Tigre River and a wine tasting later in the evening. The next day we are being taken to a food tour in the Palermo neighborhood and being dropped off afterwards at the San Telmo antiques fair. They have recommended and made a dinner reservation at a restaurant near the hotel and are picking us up very early the next morning for a private transfer to the airport for the Ponant-included flight to Ushuaia. All of that (not including the dinner) is costing half of what Ponant was asking for 1 night in a hotel plus a city tour, dinner at a steakhouse, and the airport transfers for the two of us. 

 

If you want to read about other tours Defrantur has set up for us, this is our (very long) review of our "Around the Horn" cruise with precruise tours in Buenos Aires, Iguazu Falls and wine regions of Argentina and Chile. They also arranged a tour to an estancia when the cruise had a port call in Buenos Aires. https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=80603

 

If you have any other questions, just ask.

 

Hope that helps!

 

Carolyn

Thanks, Carolyn.  that is great!

Judy

[teacherman]

I have made arrangements for a transfer from port to our hotel with Defrantour.  They were very responsive to my emails and the price was fair.  We may also use them for some touring in BA.  Thank you for the advice.