Buenos Aires to Mendoza: 12-Day Culture, Nature and Wine

The rating is 3.8 to 4.0

We arrived to a bit of chaos. They picked us up and then took us to the wrong hotel in the city.  The traffic is horrendous there so it made the trip another 45 minutes after having flown internationally from NYC. Our first walking tour of BA was great.  Our first dinner reservation was kind of off because they didn't put in the itinerary that the restaurant is a speakeasy and was made to look like it was not open.  Also the itinerary was just a bunch of photocopies that were not nicely put together or a keepsake as ones I have received in the past with other agents.

Then we jetted off to Iguazu.  The resort was phenomenal(really beautiful) and one of our guides was very on top of things the other guide was a little creepy(staring without blinking).  One thing they do not tell you is that you are on the border of Brazil.  In the middle of the night if you are there on the weekends, you can here club music reverberating across the river. The hotel guide was responsible for booking the tours. We had two great tours and one that was marginal.  They were all centered around the water which we think we saw enough of after the 2nd: we hiked to the Falls, we went under the Falls(which we had to ask for outside of their normal offerings and a fellow plan passenger suggested that we do) and the last day was a small boat ride once again along the water ways where they asked us if we wanted to go swimming.  if you know anything about this area you will know that the basalt stone allows for this pinkish mineral to seep into the water so it is completely cloudy.  The day before we say Caymans(alligators) in the water. We said no thanks.

 I wish instead that the 3rd day that we had gone on a longer trip(which I felt the guides were not excited to do and they tried to 'unsell the idea') to see some ancient ruins or to go to one of the gem mines since they are known for their semi-precious stones.  We did have a cooking experience which was fun but absolutely commercial and not private as we are used to. Not much of an overview of the area to be limited just to the water.

 We then went back to BA for the 2nd leg of our tour.  The driving.... how can I say this. I don't know if our guide was lazy or was trying to maximize the use of the car or the agent just didn't read the details of how we like to book the trip. I almost jumped out of the car.  Going from place to place was always a hassle with the car. We would have preferred being on foot and walking little longer and taking the train. I would have loved for my kids to see what taking the train like was in BA. We couldn't wait to get out of the city because we weren't able to stretch our legs.... which is very sad because I did tell her many times. Let's walk and she didn't make any changes. That is not a private guide.... if you cannot be flexible. We never even made it to any museums. What a shame. I will mention though we did venture out to Estancia one day and the meal at the ranch was great.  The guide in the town was one of the best guides we have ever had in all of our travels.

The last leg of our trip was Bariloche.  This was an incredible part of our trip.  Our driver and guides were amazing.  Zero complaints here. Hiking tour and also a fishing trip were great. We rappelled down the mountain and went kayaking. We also caught their chocolate festival during Easter.

The primary issues were the disorganization at the beginning, some lost opportunities and a terrible BA experience.  By the end, everything was running smoothly and we had a great trip.  I doubt that we will invest that much time in Argentina again (too many other countries to see)  so I feel sad to have missed some of the things in BA or Iguazu that are special to the area.  If we do go back to Argentina, it  will be for Patagonia and for the steak which is truly superb.

I don't think we got the best agent for what could've been an amazing family trip. We traveled with our children (9yrs & 13yrs old) throughout Argentina over the past Xmas holiday season - Buenos Aires-Ushuaia-Calafate-Bariloche-Iguazu-Buenos Aires. I have a keen interest in travel and hotels and knew pretty much what I wanted from this trip but thought I would engage this travel agency through Zucasso to help with the itinerary. They seemed to be engaged in the planning process but once on location, things didn't run as smooth / didn't  make a lot of sense. A lot of the local experiences were not well thought out or the local suppliers were not great which was a tax on our high expectations for a fun family trip in Argentina moreover that for the price, we had pretty high expectations. Our schedule was fairly busy - 5 locations and 6 domestic flights and our travel agency was supposed to book the best local excursions suitable for a family and arrange transfers. We were somewhat disappointed that a lot of the trips weren't what we wanted - e.g. we had a day out to Ushuaia steppes it's a boat trip to the penguin island but turned out the trip we were on couldn't land on the island as the company wasn't licensed - instead we were booked on a 3hr trek through a rough marshland and terrain hardly suitable for children. Also, in Calafate, we were booked on a completely unessential trip to the Upsala glacier (which we couldn't see close anyway) involving 3hrs crowded ferryboat trip each way to estancia Cristina (where there isn't much to see/do) while it was perfectly fine to just do the one day trip to the Perito Moreno glacier which is a great day out with fantastic view and easy transfer. Finally, at Iguazu falls, we staid on the Brazillian side (at a great place) but for some bizarre reason, our travel agency thought it was a good idea to put us on a day trip to the Argentinian side involving two border crossings (as a bonus our driver got stopped by the police due to irregular documentation and we had to get a random taxi after an hour in the heat) - while it was perfectly fine to stay the two days at the hotel we stayed at and see the falls from there which actually had the best views! Luckily, parts of our trip went well as we were well looked after at the hotels in Buenos Aires and Bariloche - great properties with professional service. Nevertheless, we never felt like we get much out of our travel agent and at times it felt the opposite. It's disappointing as the company's manager seemed like a nice man who knows his stuff professionally. Maybe he wasn't engaged or his people responsible for our itinerary didn't deliver but it just didn't work for us. I am not sure what kind of standards Zicasso requires from its partners but I feel a bit conned to have chosen this agent in a market with so much competition and choice.

This travel agency planned an amazing trip. Almost everywhere we went and were discussing with people where we were goign next- kept commenting that we were staying at the best places, doing the best activities through the best companies, etc. All of their local guides were VERY friendly, cool people with TONS of knowledge. Not only did they plan/arrange an amazing trip (seriously.... every detail they thought of..), but they were constantly available if we had any questions or issues. I would DEFINITELY use them again. 

Full rundown: 

Buenos Aires Guide: He was amazing. He spent a lot of time throughout his life in the city and knew SO much about it and so many interesting tidbits and nooks. He showed us the map the first day and by the end of our 1.5 half day tour, we really experienced the full city- some areas more topical than others, but it was perfect. He had amazing stories because of his interesting life. We thoroughly enjoyed him.

Buenos Aires Drivers: All were very cordial, safe drivers. Cars were clean

Tango Performance: Food was pretty good, show was AMAZING. We thoroughly enjoyed this show and were sad when it was over!

Olivos Golf: Golf course was pretty nice. Our caddy was very friendly and helpful.

Hotel: Beautiful hotel, great amenities. We loved our stay there!

Iguazu transfer: cars were clean, drivers were safe.

Iguazu guide: very knowledgeable. He had spent a huge part of his life in the area and was able to answer all of our questions.

Iguazu: Each level was worth seeing. The water tour was pretty cool too... but some of the 'getting soaked' experience was a bit unnecessary... they seriously just put you in the splash of some of the big falls, and under some of the small falls to get soaked. Then you just cruised quickly to the end of the tour. We actually got food poisoning from the restaurant at iguazu.... so be careful!

Hotel was beautiful. We loved the setting... it felt very secluded and in the jungle. The food was ok. I'd say their breakfast offering was the worst of any of the hotels we stayed at and had very few edible/mildly healthy options. Servers had a bit of an attitude also and were very slow.

Mendoza: all drivers were very knowledgeable, friendly and safe drivers. 

Wine Tours: We HIGHLY HIGHLY suggest the Salentein winery- especially a private tour. It really is a remarkable winery with a remarkable story. The private tour really lets you ask your own questions and makes it more special.

We did the wine pairing lunch at La Azul... everyone local said it was the best and it was perhaps in our top 3 favorite meals for the entire trip. The food was divine, service was wonderful, and it was a very unique winery. LOVED this.

We missed the wine tour here (from the food poisoning we suffered in iguazu)... and heard from some friends we made that that was their favorite. You get to do a tasting and rank your favorite wines... and then create a custom blend with you & your companion... and then you do a blind taste test of the 3 blends and rank which one is your favorite and get to design your own label and everything.

Horseback Riding at La Quedabra del Kondor was an amazing experience that we will treasure. The horses are well cared for and very happy and strong. Our guides were very friendly and accommodating. Riding up into the Andes was truly remarkable, and the views were insane. The Asado lunch that you are served after your excursion is DELICIOUS. It has a nice and cozy feel and we LOVED the ranch. HIGHLY recommend visiting this one- our friends did horseback riding elsewhere and were fine with it... but didn't have as good of an experience as us.

The hotel here is one of the most amazing hotels. The food is amazing, the views are incredible, the service is flawless, the wine is delicious.... there is so much to do at the hotel that I wish we had had an extra day just to enjoy the hotel. You can do all sorts of cool things at the hotel- including empanada making classes. If they happen to have the Siete Fuegos dinner during your visit... you truly must participate! The rooms are exquisite and I wish we had more time there to enjoy.

Bariloche transfers: all friendly, smart and safe drivers.

Bariloche Guide: AWESOME! He customized a hike just for us based on our fitness level and maximing the coolest views. He also brought us cookies and Mate to enjoy at a perfect resting point looking over the ridiculous views. He then sneakily took photos that we both changed to our profile pictures as they are so cool. He seriously did everything and did it flawlessly. We had some extra free time, so he suggested we do a sunset sail on the last night of our honeymoon. WE WERE SO EXCITED BY THIS! and then the winds were too high... so the port was closed. But when he gave us this sad information, he also presented a few other options for us to do that he had already looked into. He was awesome!

The hotel here was wonderful- had all the amenities you could want. The breakfast was awesome! The food was pretty darn good! Service was great. Views were great. The rooms were wonderful. We also saw how good this resort is for families and hope to come back one day when we have kids... they have a kids club, activities and all sorts of things!

Our trip planners from this travel company planned our entire trip, we visited Iguazú, Buenos Aires and last we traveled down to Patagonia. Every step of the way, from the planning and communication beforehand to daily check-ins during our trip, was absolutely perfect. Our trip planners understood our priorities and what was most important to us, and they were always available and willing to answer our questions.  The entire trip was spectacular from accommodations, to transportation, to activities during the trip. Our planners made sure everything went as planned and were available to assist with any little issue that arose - some examples of this were being able to coordinate a private trip and boat tour in Tigre when we requested it the day before, our planner speaking with the airport personnel in El Calafate when there was an airline strike and we nearly missed our flight, and making arrangements for one of our hotels to hold luggage that we wouldn't need in Patagonia so we didn't have to worry about flying there with extra baggage. We highly recommend this travel company for assistance in planning a wonderful trip to Argentina, they recommended the perfect excursions for us and secured reservations at some of the most exclusive and sought after properties that we never would have been able to get on our own.  We could not be more pleased with our trip and will never forget it. Thank you for planning, organizing, and executing the PERFECT trip to Iguazu, Buenos Aires and Patagonia. We will be recommending you to all our friends and family and will definitely be using you in the future!!