My wife and I arranged for "taxi Eugenia" to pick us up at the airport for a reasonable fee. It was great to be greeted at the airport after a long trip from Toronto.

Upon arrival, the apartment was absolutely spotless. It is a charming modern place with an understated style that Eugenia actually renovated herself. The air conditioner worked perfectly, making the apartment our refuge from the blazing heat. Fast WiFi Internet is also available. The apartment has an AC adapter and a cell phone to contact Eugenia. We didn't have any emergencies, so I messaged her via the Airbnb website and she was very responsive in answering my questions.

Upon arrival at the apartment, Eugenia helped us confirm our tango show reservations (I don't know Spanish, so I had exchanged some confusing emails with the tango place using Google translate). She also helped us call a whole bunch of closed-door restaurants (puertas cerrada, a recent development in Buenos Aires) and even made more calls on our behalf later that evening. Sadly, I left it too late and the places were all booked up on the two evenings we had free.

A valuable service that Eugenia provided was assistance in navigating the exchange of US dollars at the so-called "blue" rate or street rate, which is the best rate for tourists. We brought enough US dollars with us to cover all our expenses. At the time of our travel in January 2014, the blue rate got us about 50% more pesos per US dollar than the official exchange rate (we got 10 pesos instead of 6.7 pesos per US dollar). Converting US dollars at the blue rate instead of the official rate saved us hundreds of US dollars and more than paid for our stay at the studio. This help is a huge bonus.

The studio is centrally located, close to Obelisco and the Opera House, close to subway (Subte) stations with nearby convenience and grocery stores. The area felt safe as there are plenty of police in the neighborhood due to the number of banks and government buildings in the vicinity. I took it as a good sign that every police officer we saw was casually chatting, smoking, texting, or looking extremely bored. My wife and I ate late evening dinners within walking distance of the studio, walking both to the restaurants and back after dark with no problems. As with any trip abroad, we used common sense, such as preferring the most well lit streets with the most people.

All I expect from an Airbnb booking is a place that is honest to the photos, clean, and a host who might give some advice. Eugenia went far beyond my expectations, adding a welcome personal touch to a visit of a beautiful city.