Our Buenos Aires Apartment

It is about time I told you more about our “digs” in Buenos Aires. Our apartment is great. We are – near the corner of Vincente Lopez and Azcuenaga in the Recoleta District of Buenos Aires. We are on an upper floor – accessed by a classic old elevator that reminds us of being in an older building in Paris. It has real charm. It never stops exactly with the floor level – it stops and starts with a jerk and you have to pull shut two sliding doors before the elevator will work.

The apartment is modern (with WIFI) – one bedroom plus a Murphy Bed in the living room. The kitchen has a good sized refrigerator/freezer, stove with oven, and a microwave/toaster combination. Yes you read that right. Microwave/toaster! Actually it is a great idea for saving space - must look for one when we get home. It is perfect for high rise condo living in San Diego!

View from the Bedroom!

The best part of the apartment is the view – or I should say the views! All rooms – including the bathroom have incredible views of the Recoleta Cemetery – one of the most interesting sites in Buenos Aires. We can see the Rio de Plata – vaguely – in the distance. You can take a shower and look at the view. You can sit in the living room and look at the view. You can sit on the balcony and look at the view. You can lie in bed and look at the view. You can even sit on the toilet and look at the view!!! Absolutely wonderful – and with all the windows we have there are very nice breezes and cross ventilation.

Downstairs and two doors away is a market – not huge – but big enough for our needs. Larger markets are a few blocks away. Two blocks away is Recoleta Village – a very large cinema complex with restaurants on the front with sidewalk cafes. We have had drinks here in the evening listening to the sidewalk guitarist. The Cemetery entrance is a short walk from the apartment and the Basilica where we encountered the religious cat last Sunday is next to the Cemetery! There are other restaurants along a sidewalk near the Cemetery that are great people watching sites. La Biela – a famous Buenos Aires landmark – is in the area. The outdoor café is under a giant gum tree that is more than two hundred years old. We are also in walking distance of museums, the Rodeo Drive of Buenos Aires, and many excellent restaurants and shops.

Over 200 years old - THE TREE that is!!!

So how did we find this gem? On Vacation Rentals by Owner, of course! We have used this site for apartments in France, Italy, Argentina, and Chile. We have never been disappointed. This apartment is one of the best due to the owners - Valerie Watkins and Jim Millerick who live in Miami. They have been so helpful and accommodating. Their local manager, Frank, is an American who has lived here 5 years. He is very helpful and gave us a long list of his favorite restaurants. Valerie and Jim also own the apartment next door where our friends from Escondido, Antje and Georg Funke, are staying. Their apartment has been redecorated more recently and has some features that are better but their views are not as spectacular. The apartments can be found on VRBO at http://www.vrbo.com/59534 but be sure to click on the link toward the bottom of the page for Website with additional pictures and more information. We can recommend these apartments to anyone interested in a true Buenos Aires experience.

One note of warning – Buenos Aires is considered the 4th noisiest city in the world according to a World Health Organization study. They are right! Fortunately the apartment has air conditioning if it gets too noisy at night. The Portenos (resident of Buenos Aires) do not get started until very late and on the weekends they are still in the café below us at 4am!!! We are now sleeping well but it took some getting used to. One thing that helps is to follow their lifestyle – well – almost. We find ourselves staying up very late and getting up late – oh well – we ARE on vacation!