Our party of four stayed at James’s apartment for a week. The apartment reflected the Belle Epoque period with its sixteen-foot ceilings, period furniture and fixtures, hardwood floors covered by Oriental rugs and elaborate ironwork. Our jaws dropped open when we saw it all. It had a real old European feel, which appealed to us, and, clearly, our host had taken great care to present a comfortable authenticity to the beautiful décor. The apartment is on the corner of the building, so light came in from all directions, and there are views of the surrounding neighborhood. Each bedroom comes with a bathroom ensuite, and there are two additional bathrooms off of the living room and hallway. The beds were comfortable; there was ample space for storing our clothes and accoutrements. The kitchen was sufficient for our needs, although we did no cooking (why would we with all the wonderful restaurants around). Wifi is currently available only in the kitchen; it was not a problem for us.
We were let into the building by the building super who is aware of the arrangement and was very helpful. We were met at the apartment by a friend of James’s, who speaks English and gave us all the time we needed to show us around the apartment, answer our questions about the apartment and neighborhood, and even accompany me to a local grocery store.
E-mails between us and James and/or his friend were answered quickly and helpfully, both before our visit and during. James offered a lot of excellent advice as well, reflecting his familiarity with the city. He knows a neighborhood place that changed our U.S. dollars to pesos at an extremely favorable rate. His recommendation of a good neighborhood restaurant, Rodi-Bar, was spot on, and we got a better meal there -- superior steak, papas fritas, salad and wine -- than we subsequently had at the famous Don Julio’s, and for $100 US less! (Also try Las Canas on Montevideo 350 – excellent steak at a very good price.)
Potential visitors should be aware that the corner location of the apartment also means traffic from two streets, and there is a bit of traffic noise. We are used to living in a big city, so the street sounds quickly faded into white noise for us.
The apartment is in a convenient location to transportation and shopping. Two Subte lines are within five blocks, a couple of grocery stores are within three blocks, laundry facilities also within three blocks, retail therapy is a block away on Avenida Santa Fe, restaurants abound, and radio taxis and buses are abundant. Tea Connection across the street from the apartment was a nice place to enjoy breakfast, lunch or a snack. The Recoleta Cemetery is within a few blocks, and, while further away, we could and did walk to MALBA, Plaza de Mayo, Casa Rosada, Museo Evita and other sites. We look forward to returning to Buenos Aires and this apartment in the future.