We celebrated Heidi´s birthday at Restaurant 1884 Maximilian Mallmann: great atmosphere, excellent wine from Familia Gascon, but the food did not live up to the restaurant’s reputation, Mendoza, Argentina
We stayed 58 days in Argentina and spent no less than 2.840 Euros per person, which means an average of approx. 53 Euros per person and day. No need to say that this is a lot, even much more than Brazil, where we spent an average of 40 Euros per person and day, not to talk about Bolivia … What made our stay in Argentina so expensive?
Costs for hotels were high but not absurd: 27 Euros per night, which is actually less than Brazil (30 Euros) but much more than Bolivia or Peru. Only in the Andean Northwest did we find really cheap places, otherwise it is almost impossible to find a decent double room with private bath for less than 100 Pesos or 23 Euros.
We spent a lot of money, 515 Euros per person, on various tours like trekking Perito Moreno, whale watching, boat tour in Iguazu and many others. But there are so many things to see and do in Argentina that you do not really have a choice. These tours were definitely part of the overwhelming experiences that we had. So we can only recommend them.
A big chunk of the budget was travelling, with 794 Euros. The main reason is that we had to cross the country first to meet Gilles’ family in Ushuaia on December 23rd, and then come back to some places where we had already passed through like Salta. This could be done more efficiently.
Then, distances in Argentina are huge, so at times planes become a necessity and they are expensive! We also rented a car twice, once in Peninsula Valdez and once in the Andean Northwest, which added 320 Euros to the travel costs. Last but not least, we chose to travel in the more expensive buses, and luxury buses in Argentina are amazing but pricey! A “Cama Suite” costs about half the price of a plane ticket.
As a conclusion? It was expensive but partly because we decided to travel that way. We surely could have strongly reduced the costs. But one thing is clear: prices were no longer those that were quoted in the Lonely Planet from 2005, they had almost doubled. Argentina remains an affordable country, but it is no longer a budget destination!
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