How to Find Cheap Hotels in Argentina

There's sexy tango, famous penguins, scrumptious beef, European sights, sounds and tastes. You'll find cosmopolitan cities and a varied landscape, from waterfalls and glaciers to the pampas and desert. Enjoy fine wine, food and service at cheap prices. Argentina has it all and is considered one of the best countries in South America to visit for its varied attractions and hospitality.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Know Your Destination

1. Start with Buenos Aires, the country's capital and largest city. Then work your way out to other locales, such as the Falkland Islands, Cordoba and La Plata.
2. Bring warm clothes to visit the Perito Moreno Glacier and El Calafate.
3. Get adjusted to a relaxed sense of time with no attention to scheduled times.
4. Buy tickets to see a professional football (soccer) match.
5. Stop in a café and have a yerba mate or choose a wine bar.
6. Exchange your dollars. U.S. dollars are accepted but you may want to pick up Argentine pesos at the airport's currency exchange.

Select Your Accommodations

7. Be on the lookout for specials or packages for cheap accommodations at three- and four-star locations throughout Argentina. To book accommodations, contact the Argentina Secretariat of Tourism at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).
8. Save your hotel points and redeem them for cheap--and even free--accommodations at beautiful chain hotels in Argentina.
9. Choose from a wide range of cheap accommodations, such as student hostels and bed and breakfasts to boutique hotels and vacation cabins.
10. Look for weekend houses at the beach or in the mountains. These can usually be found in local newspapers and booked for short-term periods.
11. Book accommodations during the spring and summer for a fabulous ski vacation in Las Lenas and San Carlos de Bariloche.
12. Stay in a hotel located in Nahuel Huapi National Park, at the base of the Andes mountain range, for lots of outdoor adventures.

Organize Your Transportation

13. Book a flight into Argentina's international airport, Ezeiza.
14. Choose a motor coach, taxi or shuttle bus to travel to your hotel.
15. Take a tour to the many nature preserves around Puerto Madryn to see penguins, sea lions and whales.
16. Hitchhike your way through Argentina. Autostop Argentina began in 2002 and is a club dedicated to backpackers who hitchhike. It is relatively safe but caution is always best.

Tips & Warnings

• Don't forget that the seasons are reversed from the Northern Hemisphere.
• The biggest meal is lunch in Argentina and dinner is not usually served until after 8:30 p.m. in the evening. Breakfast is very light. Think continental breakfast.
• Only five-star hotels have large rooms.
• Car rental tends to be more expensive compared to other modes of transportation. Since driving is erratic, it might be better to leave the driving to someone else who knows how to maneuver through the speeding and aggressive behavior.
• Passengers leaving Ezeiza Airport have to pay a departure tax of $18.