How to Find Cheap Hotels in Buenos Aires, Argentina

Accommodations in this cosmopolitan city will generally cost less than what you would pay in a major North American city, but careful planning will pay a return in Buenos Aires just as it will in New York. The porteños, as Buenos Aires residents call themselves, like to party into the wee hours of the morning; here's how to find an affordable bed for when you finally need it.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Passport
• Computer with Internet access for making reservations
• Map of Buenos Aires

Know Your Destination

1. Ask locals to teach you about yerba mate, the traditional herb tea of Argentina. It's more than just part of their cuisine; it can be a way of establishing friendship.

2. Win new friends in Buenos Aires by asking them to teach you Truco, their national card game. Better yet, study the rules online before your trip and then feign ignorance during your Argentina visit. Your subterfuge will be completely in keeping with the spirit of the game.

3. Visit the Recoleta barrio. Here in the city's northeast section you can visit Evita Perón's tomb at the Recoleta Cemetery, admire villas and palaces built in the French style, see the early 18th century church Iglesia de Nuestra Senora de Pilar, take in contemporary art at the Recoleta Cultural Centre and stay on for dinner at one of the restaurants in the pedestrian-only street RM Ortíz.

Book Your Accommodations

4. Conduct an Internet search looking first for recommendations from fellow travelers, and then to gather information directly from promising hotels. Look for notes about included services, meals and whether hotels offer rooms with good views. To book accommodations, contact the National Secretariat of Tourism and Sports at [phone] or visit their Web site (see Resources, below).

5. Use a map to check out the locale of candidate accommodations. Make sure your cheap hotel is not an expensive taxi ride from the places you want to visit.

6. Consider package tours (which can be guided or self-guided) and cheap airfare/hotel packages while you compare directly booked Argentina accommodations.

7. Learn about Buenos Aires hostels through a direct Internet search, but be sure to follow up with a search for independent reviews about the specific hostel that interests you.

8. Include renting an apartment in your list of possible solutions. Many Buenos Aires apartments are available for temporary rental at considerable savings over comparable hotel rates.

Tips & Warnings

• Inform yourself before your first stay in a hostel. If you prize privacy and quiet sleep, their cheap rates may lose their appeal.
• Be aware that some Buenos Aires accommodations are not hotels or hostels, but "telos." Also referred to as "albergue transitorios" or "transit hostels," these rent by the hour for sexual encounters.