Thanks Moondog, CP, and Andres

As far as negotiating goes, that's probably the only "anxiety" jumping out at me from time to time, as my Spanish is, oh, I'd say, nonexistent.

However, when I finally make it down there (trip has already been delayed three times) I'm sure I'll make the best of it, language handicaped or not. My upcoming trip circuit will include Sao Paulo and I'm equally screwed with Portugese -I hope so, anyway. :-)

As a side note (maybe there is a better place to put this but what the hell..):
As you find when looking up my identity info, I have the board status of "lurker". Yes indeed, that I have done frequently since my entry into this unique world of Club Hombre two months ago!

I have had both the fortune and misfortune to lurk and participate on various boards over the past few years. Perhaps I am only seeing what my eyes want to show me, but the content and the vibe of this particular website is absolutely, amazingly, fantastic. Best board/website for the more adventurous that I have ever seen!

I have basically focused just on the South America parts of the site. My humblest thanks to all those who have contributed the humor, insight, and indepth information available here. When my South American adventures begin I will try and give back as much as I can.

"You are what you is" - Frank Zappa

Zappaman


(Message edited by zappaman on April 06, 2003)

I've got a question for the BA experts. This may, in fact, be for someone who actually has lived in the city.

Everywhere I read it talks about how you eat dinner at a nice restaurant around 10PM. The bar action doesn't seen to get started until close to midnight and maybe even later. So what time do these people go to bed? And does anyone work in the daytime?

Putting it another way, most of these businesses live off of local patronage. And I find it hard to believe that their customers are going to bed at 2AM and getting up for work 4 or 5 hours later. Who are the people that support these businesses and what is their life style like to keep such hours?

Tight fit:

From my experience, young people used to go out at most from Thursdays to Sundays. That means just skipping good sleep Thursday night and Sunday night.

Also, not the same peple go out every night. Those who go out on Wednesdays don't do so on thursdays (even less now after the 2001 economic collapse).

However, overall, porteņos behave like night owls: The prime time on TV is 10PM-12AM, they eat out very late and wake up late (business hours usually start at 9AM in Buenos Aires).

Hope this helps,

Andres

Work in some places is 11:00-7:00 others 10;00-6:00 This city has sooo org.'s with flex-time that it is an interesting workplace.

(Message edited by citydude on April 07, 2003)

Will be in BA for the first time next month (16 -21st). Normally I use ATM machines when travelling abroad. That's worked quite well for me in Europe (and Brazil, which surprised me) but I'm not sure what to think about BA.

I'll be staying in the Recoleta area. Is relying on ATM's an OK concept? I really don't dig the idea of bringing a lot of U.S. cash with me...

Thanks for any help/ideas

Zappaman

ATM's are all over the place in BA. It should not be a problem. The two main banks I used were Citibank and Banco Frances. There are others as well. The only thing that confused me was that they seemed to have two different ATM's in one bank. One for the bank's customers only and another for non bank customers. If one doesn't work, just try another.

Also, if you go after dark or closing time just slide your card through the card reader on the door to gain entry. They don't have any ATM's out in the open.

I'm new here but I'm coming to BA for the first time next month (June). Sad to hear of the demise of the legendary BA chicas and clubs as widely reported. I'm interested in the website girls though (Escorts-Argentina) but there don't seem to be many reports in the section dedicated here. Could anyone give me help and maybe post some reviews? Or perhaps send me a note (although I'm not sure how you would do that - newbie) with your recomendations. Call me greedy but I'm only interested in the smoking hot beautiful ones that will drain me and be good company. And I don't speak hardly any Spanish. And I'm not rich. See, easy....
I'll be interested to hear anything you veterans have to say.
Bottoms Up!

From what I hear you should defintely try Gema and Sandy. Barbarella is supposed to be good as is Lizzy.

I must say though, I think that if you don't know at least some Spanish, that is going to be a barrier to arranging dates with these girls. Since the escorts-argentina girls do not use managers, you will most likely be calling the girl directly. You should probably email the webmistress there, Adriana. Perhaps she can help you out some. I hear she is very helpful and speaks good English. She also personally knows all the girls.

Also, I would not completely rule out the club scene based on a few recent reports. I would go and check out the scene and then make a decision for yourself. If I were you, I would check out a little bit of everything. Check out the nightclubs, check out the escorts, check out incall brothel apartments, etc. Don't limit yourself from the start based on one or two people's opinion. Things can change overnight and perceptions are different based on who is experiencing them.

Wriggles,

Adriana will help with the arrangements, but does not like to talk about the price with the girls. The prices that are quoted on the website are maximum prices, much like the sticker price on a new car.

A lady by the name of Roxana can be a lot of help, and she is very open minded, and will arrange a nice meeting and negotiate a price for you. She charges $10 U.S. or 30 pesos for this service, and you pay the money directly to her, or leave it in your hotel for her to pick up. her number in BA is: 15-5103-3905. You can tell her that I referred you.

Moondog

Two posts up: Sandy is in Peru now, Adrianna doesn't know when she will be back.

I was at Adriana's office the other day, and she offered to help out some guys there, but as Moondog says, she doesn't like to mess with price; you will pay what is advertised on the web site if she arranges for you. At least that is how she explained it to me. The prices on the web site are in USD.

Roxana has a great reputation and is a really cool lady, but in my opinion, you can learn enough Spanish to do this on your own in a very short time, for a much smaller cost.

Hey guys, I just found this board and I am kicking myself for not finding it earlier! I have made a dozen trips or so to Europe but this will be my first time in BA. I'm going the end of June. I've heard about the Art Suites and Design Suites. Are these apartments or more hotel types? Is there a doorman? Any problem taking a girl up? I was thinking of staying at the Hilton, but I think it may be a bit far away from the action plus these places look great from the pics and are much less expensive. Any drawbacks to these two places? Location looks great, just wondering if there is something better for roughly $100us/night or less.

I stayed at Design Sutes in April. They call these places ApartHotels but it is really just a hotel with some extra services. Design has two different room types: A small studio suite and then a larger two room suite. Both have a mini bar, small fridge, big bed, coffee maker, etc.

Design Suites is nice, but I had a few minor problems there so I will be trying something new the next time I go. There is no doorman at Design Suites, but there are three guys at the reception desk to your right shortly after you walk in. Around 1 or 2 am they turn off the power to the glass sliding door and open it manually for you. But from what I understand, it is usually not a problem to bring the girls back. Art Suites, Design, Etoile, should all be guest friendly.

Art and Etolie are in the middle of Recoleta, Design is about five minutes away by taxi if that.

Hey, where in Europe have you been? This board needs some guys that know the scene in Europe and that provide some information and anwers to questions.

Xenono, thanks for the info. I may try the ArtSuites, sounds like they have high speed net access in the room as well which is a nice bonus. You mentioned the Etoile, but from the photos the place looks really dated. I'm sure its nice in person, there must be a reason a lot of people stay there.

One thing I'm really starting to worry about is whether I will have any problem meeting girls just speaking English. My Spanish is non-existent! I'm mainly planning to check out escorts, hopefully Adriana will have some recommendations for me. Also wanting to check out the girls at Black's and the Orleans. Will I really struggle with the girls not knowing Spanish? I'm not looking to carry on deep conversations with them, but do many know basic English? This is really starting to worry me.

As for Europe, I've been to Amsterdam, London, Paris, Frankfurt, Brussels, Geneva, Prague, Berlin, Munich and some other smaller cities. Most of my time with the ladies have been in Prague and cities in the Netherlands. I will check out those boards here and hopefully I can help contribute.

If anyone will be in BA between June 27th and July 1st, it would be great to meet up. Drinks and/or dinner are on me. Feel free to email me as well.

Superunknown,

Trust me. I speak almost zero spanish outside of a few words, and have had absloutely nothing but fun in that town over the past few years. See my regularily updated guide to BA in the reports section

The language definitely helps, so learn a little before you go, but do not worry about it.

Enjoy the life,

Moondog

Super, I'm a Hilton man myself. But it does cost more than the others posted. If your a gold or diamond honors member? Stay at the Hilton, it has a great executive floor and corresponding service!

Regarding guests, you can invite one chica in at a time. But she must register at the front desk, and have a picture ID! Daytime, if you pick-up at the numerous cafes? You can usually just walk right up to your room without registering. Enjoy!

Sf4dfish, thanks for the info. I am a gold with Hilton..what does that get you in BA? Exec floor and lounge access? I'm a bit concerned since Puerto Madero doesnt seem to be near the action like in Recoleta. Sounds like it has some great restaurants to go to though. I dont like the fact that you have to register guests..did they hassle you at all about it? I'm wondering if the girls would turn away if they asked for ID. I can understand they want to protect themselves from a security standpoint, but that sounds like a real turnoff.

Has anyone stayed at the Art Suites or Design Suites lately? It looks like they are very near each other. Art Suites looks to be a bit better value for the money. If I read correctly it looks like there is high-speed DSL/Cable hookup in the room. A real bonus! I read a report here that mentioned something about a "policy change" at Art Suites lately but didnt mention anything more than that. Is there any downside to the Art Suites? The location and the fact that it is more like an apartment, fridge for drinks, high-speed internet for checking out the escort websites and with fewer restrictions (ie no Hotel Manager) sounds like this place is a no brainer. I'm ready to book it, just want to be in the right place this first trip since I'm unfamiliar with the city.

Current Rates:
Design Suites (Junior Suite) $80US/night + Vat
Art Suites (Executive Apartment) $68US/night + Vat

I have stayed at Art Suites 4 times over the pāst two years. Two Bedrooms suites are nicer than one bedroom...but both are fine....technically, I think ArtSuites is considered Barrio Norte rather than Recoleta, at least it is not in the heart of Recoleta....just around the corner is the brothel on French, a real plus...but I would suggest taking a cab at night, since the street is dark even though it is only a few blocks from the clubs in Recoleta....

Contact Mayra at Argentinago.com. She is the "go to" persons in BA for hotel choices, apartments, cellphones, as well as a really fun person to meet. Myself as well as many other mongers have used her services and I've never heard a complaint. She speaks English and you can ask her about chica friendly hotels etc. She'll know, and be able to book for you. Won't cost you anything more than booking directly. Enjoy!

i also stay at artsuites regularly (3 times last year). great friendly staff, nice newly remodeled rooms/furniture. great location if you want to be in a residential area and 'feel like you live there', vs. etoile which will make you feel like you're a tourist (still it's nice, but it's very different feel).

art has a nice feature, which is channel 99 on the tv which is a camera of the front door, so you can see your chicas arrive.

i will never stay anywhere else in b.a.!

book thru mayra at argentinago.com.ar, she's the best!

Thanks for the reviews on web chicas guys. Keep them coming! I just had a thought. "If" me and my buddy were to take the 2 bedroom suite at the Art Suites, would it be cool to take 2 girls back. i.e. would the hotel mind or would the girls mind? do they prefer total one-one discretion or would they end up having a "who can scream the loudest" competion? Just a thought.

I guess the reports that the Art Suites were not letting chica's up are unfounded. Nobody specifically said they were denied, but I read in a report that that it was a rumor. I guess its just a rumor??? THanks for the help guys.

I've been looking at the girl "Wendy" from Platynum. I've high hopes for this one. I can't believe no one out there has done her. The only thing I'm slightly concerned about is her age. Still looks tight though. Good photography? Can anyone help 'cause I'd hate to be disappointed. Keep up the good (ahem!) work.

Out.

there is not front desk at the artsuites, you can do what you like in your apartment, take 3 back at a time if you want.

now, there is an office on the second floor, and they may be monitoring the lobby by camera, so don't cause a scene or abuse the situation...

but this is not a hotel with rules.

Super, the Hilton is less than four years old. Try to book the cheapest rate, and upon arrival they should up-grade you to the EF. Like I stated before, very nice EF rooms and very nice EF lounge. With all the trimmings!

Getting the Portenas checked in at the front desk is quite the norm. And catching taxi's to and from Recoleta is easy and cheap.

Try this, book yourself a nite or two at the Hilton. To get some points and to get your bearings straight. Then stay at the other joints located in Recoleta to try out? sf4dfish

Does anyone know about the place at 623 Lavalle, Cafe Lindo? Is it a rip off joint?

All the area around Lavalle and Esmeralda is a rip-off joint.

From the name you mention, it seems to be one of these cafes in which waitresses wear only underwear and serve expensive beverages for guys who are allowed only to watch, with no other service provided.

Hope this helps,

Andres

Ahhh. I walked by one of these places and wondered what it was.

Someone else told me of a place where people basically eat off of a chica's body.

I heard that the "chica dish" service is offered at Sydney, Australia.

i will be in b.a. june 24 for 10 days. any other mongers there at that time? i'll be at the marriott plaza. is that hotel chica friendly? for incalls?

Baller, check out the Argentina TripBuddies section...There are a few of us in town. Email me.

Anybody going to be in BA around the middle of August?

Would like to hit the Flores area clubs, and would also like to check out Nuevo Estilo and Salome.

This will be my third trip to Argentina, so I'm at that awkward state, not quite a newbie, but not a seasoned vet yet...

Hopefully I can squeeze in a trip to Colonia or Montevideo, Uruguay as well. E-mail me at uhalum@excite.com if you're gonna be down there. Hasta entonces...

Forget Colonia and Montevideo. If you want to add another country to your passport, ok, but if you want to spend more time inside a chica, stay in BA.

OH

I can't say anything about Colonia, but the Whiskerias in Montevideo have potential. They are downtown and if you do not feel comfortable taking a chica back to your hotel you can go to a hotel transitorio - the taxi will take you right into the place. Some of Whiskerias have a nice live sex show in addition to strippers.

Where are the Wiskerias?

OH

My thoughts about visiting Montevideo definitely lean towards adding another stamp to my passport. It definitely pales in comparison to BA from all accounts, but as Waterrat says, there are some places worthy of at least checking out...

After a day or so in Montevideo, I'll probably bus it up to the border area near Parana, Argentina and check it and Santa Fe out. Before heading back south through Rosario (a great place for the hobbyist. I can't wait to experience Rosario again...

The Whiskerias are near av. 18 julio there are some on Andes and a few blocks around there. THe best that I found was Pikaros. It had the best talent and the most people. The economy there has suffered so many guys just sit around and drink. A Norte Americano is seen as a real find. Total cost 500 Uy pesos, 2 drink bar fine. THe drinks aded up to almost as much. THe peso is worth about .1 AR pesos

Good news for me as a newbie! I will stay at an apartment located Vcente López beetwen Pueyrredon & Azcuenaga one month end of aug.to end of sep.. From Moondog's guide I learned that this apartment atuactually is situated next to for clubs and not very far from
several others. I don't know what to say...it's to good to be true, since I had no idea...

sometime ago I emailed adrianna, the webmistress of escortsargentina. I asked about the currency in wish the prices are presented, she answered US$. Then I emailed Sandy, of many considered to be the clubhombres firstlady Argentina, who answered that her prices where in pesos! That's of course good news. From this I learned that you always should pay in pesos.

Glad I could help you. Enjoy your time in BA.

Moondog

the girls are adriana's client, she must open the quote with the higher (us$) vs. lower, in case some stupid gringo agrees. she can't negotiate for the girls, so she can't agree to ar$ for them.

but if you go to the girls direct, all will accept the ar$ price, although many will open with us$ also.

Adriana does not, and will not negotiate a price. The prices quoted in www.escorts-argentina.com are maximum prices.

Negotiate directly with the girl in Pesos.

The absolute best times, and the best friendships, have developed where money has never been mentioned, even from the first time.

Enjoy the life,

Moondog

I read here some time ago, but I can't find the report, about a new Vitamine V for women, which had worked excellent. It would help me alot if you who wrote about this can present the detalis again

Thanks forehand, arild1

A boring practical question: can someone recommend a good electronic English-Spanish translator? I understand there are voice-controlled ones (rather costly), and the ones where you type a word or a phrase...Is this all useful, and which ones are recommended? I could spend about $100 - $150, I'd think, if it makes sense.
Thanks!

Radio Shack has a good multi-language translator.

I recently purchased the Lingo Euro 6 pocket translator from 123Language.com. It translates German, French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and English. It has about 150,000 words total. I used it for the first time on a recent trip to Brazil. The multiple language feature comes in handy. I plan to also use it on my upcoming trip to Buenos Aires.
I found it to be very helpful when you are in need of one or several more words to get your point across. It works well in all types of situations. It was a big help in restaurants. It also has the ability to do currency conversion and metric conversions. I also found these functions to be of use. It also served as a good prop since most of the girls were interested in seeing how it worked. The cost is about $40.

Leonid,

I highly recommend the Franklin English-Spanish translator, model DBE-1440, with the Larousse dictionary (newer models have the Webster dictionary which isn't as good). This translator is small enough to fit into a shirt pocket. I've used it extensively in my travels and it has helped out my Spanish language studies. It also has a number of Spanish learning games which I've used to pass the time in airports and on airplanes. It also has phrases for travelers and a currency converter. Do a Google search or check out the customer reviews on Amazon.com on this item. The more I use this translator, the more uses or functions I find.

Now the bad news. . .this model has been dicontinued.

Now the good news . . . this model is available on e-Bay (search word "Franklin Spanish")! A surplus company must have purchased all the remaining stock from the manufacturer of this item and is auctioning them off on e-Bay. It retailed for around $45. On e-Bay, you can get it for around $10 plus shipping.

I've been lucky enough to have the winning bids on two of the Franklin translators. When I was in Buenos Aires, a girl that I was with wanted one so I'm stocking up for gifts for my next visit to BA. The ones that I've received have the Larousse (which I prefer) dictionary.

Thanks Moondog, Buffer, Yujin!
This morning I actually registered in eBay for the first time following Yudjin's good advice, and I may still buy a translator for about $10 there (and a few other things, once I know the system, which seems to be great!). But in the meantime I saw Franklin Speaking Translators there, and they seem to go for about $70 + $(10-12) delivery. Having little time left before my trip, I went to Circus City and bought brand new Franklin "Speaking Spanish-English Dictionary" model BES-1850 for $100. At least I have it right away, and its under warranty. Have you ever dealt with these speaking units? It seems that they may be great for a gringo like myself. I will try it out and report the impressions.
Thanks again!

I tried the Franklin Speaking Dictionary, and I think I will return it to the store. The sound quality is pretty awful, like in a very bad telephone, so that I can not get and repeat most of the words, and it's also too quiet. (This reminds me of an old joke about the food: "The food here is awful; practically a poison". -- "Yes, and such small portions")
Plus the display is hard to read (surprizingly bad liquid cristal display). I think I will just get one of those units without speach capability; I suspect now that all speaking units are not worth the money (they go from about $100 to $200).

OK, I do not know if anybody is interested in this, but since I promosed: I got the "Lingo 6 talk" unit (about $120); it seems to be much better. It has decent sound level and a better display. The sound quality is still not great, but tolerable. There are earphones; they do help. I will take it with me to BA.

RE: BA I understand a bunch of Mongers meet every night at Etoile hotel. Is this still true and what time? My first trip and want to meet up with some of the guys. Thanx!