When I took my cruise to Antarctica last year Atlas Ocean Voyages had us all meet in Buenos Aires before flying to Ushuaia so it seemed like a no-brainer to spend a few days exploring the city since I had never been!
The cruise was quite expensive ($7k regularly $14k!) so it was important to me to minimize my other costs. My friend and I flew from Seattle to LAX on Alaska Air using my yearly $122 companion fare. In LAX I had a 4- hour layover which I passed in the Amex Centurion Lounge and the Star Alliance Lounge (the later was *much* nicer).
I had booked Copa Air business class thru United for 88k transferred from Chase + $6.85. The flight didn't leave until 1am but Copa biz has the 737 Max with lie flat beds so I basically just got onboard and went to sleep for 6 hours! I had a short layover in the Panama airport which I spent in the Copa Club upstairs lounge. Then another 7 hours to Buenos Aires, again with a business layflat. The only disappointing thing on Copa was the food- it was really not very good.
*pro-tip if flying Copa biz on your own, book the aisle seat so that you don't have to climb over anyone to get out!
On the advise of one of my travel groups I had booked my airport pickup with Cesar Zelaya who has a tour company in BA. This worked out really well as I landed at 10pm and he was already there and waiting for me! I ended up using his company 3 times on this trip, highly recommend!
Atlas Cruise was putting us up at the Hilton Buenos Aires the night before departure so I just stayed there the entire time. I got checked in to a nice big room & headed to the bar for a burger, martini, and to catch a bit of the Oscars.
After breakfast at the hotel, which was complimentary since I'm Hilton Gold, my friend Caitlin met me and we headed to the San Telmo neighborhood for a tour of El Zanjón. This elaborate set of tunnels under the city streets were discovered in 1958 when the new owner of the mansion set about doing some restorations.
It was a short walk from here to the San Telmo Market. This is a great lunch stop as the market has a ton of stalls selling all sorts of deliciousness. We did a lap before deciding on De Lucia Tapas where we sat up at the counter and (over) ordered plates of croquettas, tortilla, zanahorias (carrots), etc and washed it all down with a couple of beers. Such a fun and tasty meal!
After lunch we headed to BA's colorful La Boca neighborhood. Historically these buildings were a mashup of colors because the working class who lived here used whatever paint was leftover from the nearby ship port. The residents were typically European immigrants, most from Genoa, Italy. In the 50's a local artist encouraged people to continue and it ended up drawing tourists to the area.
This is also where tango originated and if it hadn't been raining we probably would have seen tango in the streets. And if it is a game day, the local football club Boca Juniors have a very large fan base so you would definitely hear the cheers.
Just as the rain stopped we grabbed an Uber to Plaza Mayor and walked around the famous square known for its political demonstrations. If it had been a Thursday we may have seen the Madres de Plaza de Mayo; Argentine mothers wearing white head scarves, who have been walking the square weekly since 1977 in silent protest of the more than 500 children who went missing at the hands of the military junta dictatorship from 1976 to 1983.
It's easy to spot Eva Peron's balcony in the Casa Rosada at one end of the Plaza. The other end gives you views into nearby downtown.
The architectural all over BA is absolutely stunning! There are mixes of Spanish Colonial, Baroque, Neoclassical, Brutalism, Modernism, etc. And a walk from Plaza Mayor to the Puerto Madero really shows off all the different styles. The Puente de la Mujer pedestrian bridge is a bit of the cherry on top!
That evening, Caitlin and I had a wonderful dinner at tiny Julia. 8 team members, 22 seats, beautiful presentations of traditional-with-a-twist dishes like this prawns, vanilla sour cream, and lime.
After-dinner drinks were had at Floreria Atlantico, a lovely cocktail bar which has been on the scene here for years racking up lots of awards and press. As it's really no secret anymore, I'll tell you that to find the bar you must first go into the flower shop at the address. They'll help you out from there.
Quiet and calm upstairs, but downstairs was packed! We waited for a bit before getting seats at the bar and also waited for the seemingly sole menu in English to make its way to us. But once we settled in we had a great time and stayed for a couple of rounds of expertly made cocktails.
Buenos Aires is a super international food city. Italian and Spanish influences are everywhere, and there is a particular food culture here called Porteno that is actually a blend of the two, vs being one or the other.
I started my 2nd day with breakfast at the hotel and got to try the Argentinian classic medialuna. This a horn shaped sweet roll made with either butter or lard and a cross between a croissant and a brioche. Delicious. I also had an alfajores, which I had seen everywhere the day before. These shortbread sandwich cookies filled with dulce de leche are the national snack and they are so decadent! Breakfast of champions!
In the Barrio Norte neighborhood, Caitlin and I explored El Ateneo Grand Splendid. This bookstore, housed inside a historic theater from the early 1900's is Argentina's largest bookstore carrying over 120,000 books! It's an incredible shop and was even awarded the world's most beautiful bookstore by NatGeo.
There's a coffee shop on the stage and 3 floors of books to explore, not to mention the frescoed ceiling and ornate balconies to check out. Stunning.
Lunch was at 1 Michelin star Don Julio Parrilla. Parrilla means grill and this restaurant specializes in grass-fed Argentinian beef (they also have a vegetarian menu). Arriving at the world-famous location with its signature green & white awning we were offered glasses of sparkling wine while the team took care of seating everyone. There were also mini empanadas being passed but I didn't want to spoil my lunch!
We were seated in a smaller room that was connected to the outside terrace which was nice as it was quieter. We missed being able to watch the kitchen & grill action however. As we looked over the menu we were offered empanadas again and this time accepted, my first Argentinian empanada and they were delicious!
I know there are widely differing opinions on Don Julio; many say best steakhouse in the world, currently #10 on The 50 (name changed from 50 Best), others say overhyped and overpriced. Well we had an absolutely fantastic 3 hour lunch here and I personally would say don't miss trying it.
I enjoyed a stellar Chenin Blanc from Argentina producer Michelini i Muffato. Chenin is an unusual grape in the country, the signature white grape is Torrontes, and I loved that they were using a Coravin as I was only having a couple of glasses. We also had our first provoleta, the grilled sizzling provolone cheese of the Porteno culture. Um, yes please!! And of course a perfectly cooked and especially flavorful bife de chorizo similar to NY Strip cut which we had along with a green salad and fries. Dulce du leche ice cream and coffees to finish. Our bill was about $150 for the both of us.
We had planned on walking off our lunch at the Recoleta cemetery but by the time we got there it was closed! So we headed back to the Palermo/Hollywood area and had a couple of drinks at Tres Monos which is just down the street from Don Julio.
The bar is inspired by punk rock so it tends to be a bit loud and chaotic, but at 5:30pm on a Tuesday it was pretty chill. They sent us shots, served us very good cocktails, and also explained that they run a bartending school and a bar consultancy program. All ingredients used here are local so the team creates their own spirits too. Currently they are #10 on The 50 bar list.
We then had an absolutely lovely walk to our next destination #26 on The 50, CoChinChina. I really liked this spot! It's a restaurant and a bar with multiple areas to choose to sit in. We sat up at the bar which is always my favorite. Drinks were fun, creative, and delicious. Service was top notch! Highly recommend!
Caitlin and I both had very early mornings the next day so we said our goodbyes. She was taking a boat to Uruguay and I had a 3am bus to the airport to head to Antarctica!
After Antarctica my friend Gail and I had one night & one full day in the city before flying home. We had arranged for Cesar's company to pick us up again and this time were staying at the Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. This gorgeous property is housed in the Palacio Duhau which was built and lived in by the Duhau family from 1934 until 1995 when they sold it and it became part of the Hyatt portfolio.
I had booked the room for 25k per night (normally $697!) and then used my Hyatt card for incidentals as I had a bi-annual $50 statement credit still available.
After a drink at the hotel's tony Oak Bar with it's garden-view terrace we headed to El Preferido de Palermo which has been serving classic Italian dishes since 1952. It's a great space and we sat at the pass with a full view of the kitchen. Food was excellent, especially this gigantic milanese of mine!
The next morning we set out for a big walk around a few neighborhoods including Recoleta, Bellas Artes, and Palmero. We walked thru an artist fair, saw a crazy old ficus tree, and had some more of delicious provoleta with lunch at La Ferneteria.
We continued our walk to and through the Botanical Gardens which was absolutely gorgeous! It's really the perfect place to just wander and enjoy.
And then we took an Uber to the Cementerio de la Recoleta and went in search of Evita. This cemetery is very similar to the ones in New Orleans or Paris, it is a little city and you definitely want a map in order to find who you are looking for. We found one online and found Eva without much work (psst her last name was Duarte and she is in the family crypt). But there are so many beautiful burial spots here, give yourself some time to explore!
Our flight back to the states was at midnight so we had booked our room for 2 nights so that we had it the entire time- another bonus to booking with points as I don't feel like I'm "wasting money" by not actually sleeping in the room! We got back to the Park Hyatt, got cleaned up, finished packing, and headed out for dinner at Roux.
Another delicious meal! Roux reminded me of a French bistro- small room, lots of locals sitting close to each other, great food and presentation, lovely small wine list.
Then we met one of Caesar's drivers (we had scheduled in advance) back at our hotel and made our way to the airport.
I was so impressed with Buenos Aires, not only is it gorgeous but there are a crazy number of parks all over the city and it is surprisingly quiet! Drivers don't honk and we didn't encounter any construction or other city noise makers. It's a big, beautiful, and peaceful city and I'm really surprised that more people don't talk about how fantastic it is!
We flew home on Copa in biz class, I wasn't able to score a seat with points so opened a new card and purchased it to work on the SUB. Sometimes that is how it goes!
Why Gothenburg? When I was traveling solo in Stockholm in 2017 everyone I spoke to asked if I was also going to Gothenburg. I didn't even know where it was but since everyone so enthusiastically kept recommending it I added it to my list of places to explore in Sweden. My note says "everyone loves Gothenburg!"
And after spending 3 nights in this adorable city I can also enthusiastically say, I love Gothenburg!
After my friend Gail and I spent a few days in Stockholm for the Eras Tour we took a ~3 hour train southwest and walked out to an almost movie-set cute city. The Hotel Eggers, built in 1859, not only looked like it was straight out of a Wes Anderson film on the outside but inside it was like a little fairy tale! This is the 3rd oldest hotel in all of Sweden!
Gothenburg is built on a series of canals, has a ton of parks, and is wonderfully quiet! Gail and I started our first full day walking through the Haga neighborhood, the oldest in the city.
We stopped in at Café Husaren for their hagabullen, a giant cinnamon bun that the two of us couldn't finish! Not just a gimmick though, the bun is delicious as were our coffees.
There's a ton of good shopping in this area; we found hand-knit wool socks and gloves, pretty housewares, and all sorts of fun Swedish trinkets.
We crossed the Vallgraven canal and walked towards the gorgeous Feskekörka, which means fish church! This is the city's best known fish market, built in 1874 and recently reopened after a big renovation.
Inside the bright airy market are multiple shops selling both fresh and smoked/cured/pickled fish as well as veggies, herbs, spices, etc.
We had a lovely lunch at Haldis Kok right in the middle of everything. In the summer they also have seating outside on their floating dock but we were a little early in the season for that, even though the weather could not have been better!
We continued our stroll past the Gothenburg Cathedral and through the Stora Saluhallen (big market hall) built in 1889 and filled with lots of restaurants and bars and shops. This city is so pretty and flat it is perfect for walking! But it was time for a sit-down so we decided to check out the Dorsia Hotel's rooftop bar, which was a great stop! They had a lovely cocktail menu which included some nice gin & tonic selections made with Sweden's own Herno gin. And the waiter was nice enough to even give us a taste of some of the limited edition ones.
That evening we walked across the square from our hotel to the Clarion Hotel Post which is in the historic 1920s postal building. And inside that is Norda restaurant, owned by celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson.
It's a beautiful space, and the food was all good if a little bit more European than I had hoped for. Interestingly, the restaurant boasts it has one of the largest cellars of American wines!
The next morning I started with breakfast in the hotel which had an awesome waffle bar! Then Gail and I jumped on tram #11 and rode all the way to the end where we then caught a ferry out to the Gothenburg Archipelago from Saltholmen dock. The ferry is included in tram price so no need to buy multiple tickets.
It was about a 30 minute tram ride, and it was nice to go through a few neighborhoods on the way out to the harbor.
Sailing through the islands the first thing we noticed was how rocky they were! And cute! Most are also car free and at one ferry landing we noticed the locals all had their wheelbarrows parked at the dock so they could easily transport stuff up the hill to the houses.
There are over 7,600 islands between the northern and southern archipelago. We'd be visiting 2! Our first was Styrsö, about an hour from Gothenburg and home to around 1400 residents. This is one of the car free islands but here the parking lot at the dock was filled with golf carts.
We picked a road and started to follow it, past some lovely houses with lovelier gardens, through a very woody park, past a big church and cemetery, and ended at the local grocery store which also sells garden supplies and hardwares.
We looped back towards the ferry dock but kept going towards the bridge to Donsö. It's a really pretty walk along the water and the bay has multiple bevies of huge swans!
Since we were visiting before the true summer season, there weren't a lot of options for lunch yet. We made due with a pizza near the ferry landing while we waited for our next boat.
Island #2, Vrångö is the southernmost island, also car free and is much smaller with only about 400 permanent residents.
We followed the small road across the island to the western harbor and came upon Hamnkrogen Lotsen, a casual restaurant with tons of outdoor seating and some seriously good looking shellfish. As we had just had pizza (meh) and dinner was soon we sat with a cold bottle of wine and enjoyed the surroundings.
A short walk back to the ferry dock and we were headed back Gothenburg. It had been a very relaxing and pretty day in the Archipelago!
That evening we had an absolutely lovely dinner at 1-Michelin starred Koka where we had a 6-course tasting menu with wine pairings. They focus on western Swedish ingredients and the majority of the menu is seafood and vegetable focused.
The next morning we took a ~3 hour train to Copenhagen airport for our flights home. We were both flying IcelandAir; I had purchased an econ seat from CPH to KEF for $327 but used an annual $300 travel credit on my CSR card . Then I purchased Saga Class from KEF to SEA for $1400 using an Amex card I was earning a bonus on.
If you have time while in Sweden, or if traveling from Stockholm to Copenhagen, Gothenburg is an absolutely lovely place to spend a few days!
Let's start with a drink, always the best way to start IMO!
I always have lists going with places I want to check out in cities around the globe. I don't always know where I read about a place or who recommended it to me, as was the case when I suggested checking out the rooftop bar at Hotel Dame des Arts to my BFF Forest. But we thought it was odd that she wasn't familiar since she worked in the cocktail industry.
Off we went before dinner one night, and were told that the rooftop wasn't open since it was winter. We decided to stay anyway and have a drink in the cute restaurant/bar of the little hotel. As we sat there we both had the feeling that we had been here before. We started to search online for what the hotel had been before and found that it was the old Holiday Inn with incredible rooftop views of the Eiffel Tower where Forest had taken me years before!
The waiter invited us to take our cocktails up to the rooftop even though there wasn't anyone working up there, so we bundled up and enjoyed the entire terrace and views all to ourselves.
Next on my list was dinner of oysters at Huitrerie Regis. Again, I couldn't remember where I had read about it but Forest was game so we walked over to the 6th to find the address. When we came upon the TINY shop Forest laughed and told me that she had passed this place once and meant to come back to try it.
There are only about 6 tables and a small selection of the oysters they feel are the best at the time. We had a great dinner and great wine. The oysters here were served both with butter, as is pretty normal in France, and also Baume de Bouteville balsamic vinegar, made in French cognac barrels, standing in for the more typical mignonette. It was delicious!
After dinner, Forest took me to a little hotel, tucked back off the street and looking like it was from a Wes Anderson movie. Hotel de l'Abbaye had indeed been a home for nuns in the mid 17th century before being converted to a hotel in the 1990's.
We enjoyed a nightcap in the sweet little bar area, but be advised that normally this is only open to guests of the hotel. We just feigned innocence.
One afternoon we had lunch at a very traditional cafe near her place. There were no tourists at the L'Os à Moelle, and our meal started with lovely little amuse soups, served gratis, before my hearty main of duck. We finished with cheese bien sûr.
Late that afternoon, after some spa time at Hotel Crillon, Forest and I met our friend Matt at the hotel's uber ritzy Les Ambassadeurs Bar. This bar is such a stunner!
But it's not just for looks, the drinks are excellent. And spendy! The "Pear", their take on an Old Fashioned with Michter's bourbon, calvados, sauternes, and pear juice was delicious and €29!
That night we walked over to the restaurant Chez Rene in the 5th. I had first eaten here with my mom in 1999 while we were staying just blocks away. My mom liked it so much, and they treated us so well, that we went twice on our 10-day trip. Then a couple of years ago, my friend Albert posted about his dinner here! I was surprised as this isn't a trendy spot but he said it's on his semi-regular rotation. I really wanted to go back and Forest and our friend Cli said they would be up for it.
Well the girls thought it was great and that is high praise as they both live in the city and eat at MANY cafés. The restaurant was full and bustling and obviously very loved by its regulars. The food was still classic and wonderful and the service still kind. Cli's only complaint was that they brought the bill when we were done instead of asking if we wanted to order more wine. Which we did and then basically closed the place down! It was really a sweet trip down memory lane made even better by sharing it with friends.
Another afternoon I stopped into another neighborhood café, close by Forest's and a fave of another friend, A la Tour Eiffel. I enjoyed a simple lunch of duck confit and roast potatoes. What can I say? I love the classics!
Bar Nouveau had opened a few months before I was in town and was getting all the love so we went early one evening (there are only 8 seats upstairs so plan accordingly). The menu is also tiny with just 6 drinks listed. We had time for a couple of rounds and everything we had was wonderful. My favorite was their take on the Ramos Fizz made with vanilla yogurt and peated whiskey. They unapologetically use a milkshake machine to mix the cocktail for a full 3 minutes.
Dinner that evening was at Petrelle, my first time. The restaurant has been around for 20 years, and under its old chef was a favorite of celebs like Madonna and Mick Jagger. He sold it to sommelier Luca Danti and chef Lucie Boursier-Mougenot years ago and Forest and I were both excited to try it out.
They only serve a 4-course tasting menu, with an optional 5th choice, which is great for me, and the room is cozy and dim with lots of antiques and candles. When we were seated we were amongst the only one's in the room and I think we were both a little worried, but within an hour the restaurant was completely full.
We had such a fantastic meal and loved all our courses including a wonderful dish of amberjack in tigre de leche with Meyer lemon, pasta "candies" with roasted squash and bisque with saffron foam, a juicy cut of pork with candied leeks and a broth made of seaweed. A generous plate of cheese followed and then a small deconstructed apple tart. Everything was excellent. We also had a great conversation with Danti about a few of his wines and when we inquired about one he was pouring by the glass for another table he gifted us the remainder of the bottle. I really can't recommend Petrelle highly enough!
Without a doubt the highlight meal of this trip was lunch at the famed 1-Michelin star Tour d'Argent. Originally opened as an inn in 1582, during Henry III's reign, it evolved into a fine dining establishment late in the 16th century when Henry IV started using a fork to eat at the inn (forks having been used for serving only in France until then).
In the 1890s the restaurant was owned by Frédéric Delair who hosted the Wright Brothers for dinner! In 1911 the restaurant was purchased by André Terrail, and in 1947 he handed it over to his son Claude, and in 2006 after Claud's death, his son André took it over. The restaurant was closed in early 2022 for a huge renovation and had just reopened 6 months prior to our lunch. Part of the renovation included adding a lovely ground floor bar which is where we started.
Bar des Maillets d'Argent, named after Claude's polo team, welcomed us with complimentary mini cocktails and amuse bouche mini polo balls on a dish looking like polo turf. Then André came out and introduced himself to Forest and talked to her all about the bar and the concept. The bar area is also filled with cases holding all sorts of family and restaurant history. It's a great spot!
When it was time for our lunch we were led through a door disguised as a paneled wall, down a little hall, also with cases of memorabilia, and into an elevator waiting to take us to the 6th floor restaurant. The floor to ceiling windows have views of the Seine, Notre-Dame and the Ile Saint-Louis. It's fantastic!
Our table was set with a heavy glass duck paperweight, silver goblets and plate chargers. The entire restaurant seemed new and shiny! We started with perfectly poured rosé Champagne (by our possibly hungover young server) followed by some lovely amuse bouche.
At lunch they serve a wonderful 4-course menu so really the only thing we had to was pick a wine. Not so easy though with their famous cellar of nearly 300,000 bottles!!! Holy hell, the wine menu was the largest I have ever seen! We finally settled on a 2005 Saumur from Château de Villeneuve since we are both fans of Chenin Blanc from the Loire.
First course was a silky mushroom soup, poured directly into monogrammed china bowls. Second course was "Egg Mystery" a signature dish of sous vide egg, coated with breadcrumbs and then surrounded by sauce and shaved black truffles! Woah!
Third course was a perfectly cooked piece of bass with a foam sauce that was so airy! A sprinkling of various seeds lended great texture to contrast. And of course the fourth course was the dish the restaurant is most famous for, "Canard à la Presse".
The dish, created in 1890 by the owner at the time Frédéric Delair, uses a specific process for the pressed duck, and is served with sauces and garnishes based on the season. Delair also started getting the ducks from just one family farm, Maison Burgaud in Challans, on the west coast of France. And he started the tradition of numbering each duck served. Customers get a little card or certificate, mine was 1,182,459! That's a lot of ducks all still coming from the same family!
It was all fantastic; the food, the service, the people watching, the newly renovated room (google some photos of the old decor! Hello grandma!), and the million dollar views. We finished with a lovely selection of cheeses off of their cart, some more rosé Champagne, two dessert dishes (one a light sorbet and the other a chocolate & pear combo), then a small platter of chocolate mignardises.
We were almost the last ones in the dining room and when the bill finally arrived were were surprised and thrilled to see the hand written note from André letting us know it was on him! Incredibly generous! He was very excited that Forest was there and really valued her opinion.
One of the servers then took us on a tour of the rooftop, which has little tables and chairs, and looks like the perfect spot for a sunset cocktail. And on our way down in the elevator they also told us that there is an apartment for rent. So basically you don't ever have to leave the Tower! We chose to extend our stay with a few cognacs back in the bar (which they also comped).
Early the next morning I was in an Uber to CDG in A LOT of traffic (1 full hour on the road) but once at the airport I was checked into my biz class flight on Air France and thru security in 15 minutes total. The lounge in T2 is really basic, especially in the morning with not even Champagne on offer, so I did a bit of duty free shopping and then had a short flight to Heathrow. Even on this short hop, AF biz breakfast was a poached egg in tomato sauce, a wedge of Cantel, fromage blanc, croissants, and jam!
One thing about using points to fly is that a lot of time there isn't a direct flight available. And since I really try to only fly business when going international that makes picking slimmer. I would be having a 6-hour layover in LHR. Some might cringe but Heathrow is such a madhouse that as my friend Albert said, "I hope that gives you enough time to transfer!" ha!
I spent most of my time in the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Lounge, which is easily in my top 5 fave lounges in the world. I sat in the restaurant and enjoyed a full service lunch of a cute sausage roll and champagne.
After lunch I went to the bar area and relaxed with more champagne for a bit before also hitting the duty free shops on my way to my boarding gate. I flew Delta One back to Seattle on their A330-900. The Suite was very nice and had lots of room and lots of privacy with the door completely closed.
The service, food, and wine was all very good but they don't give you pajamas or put mattresses on the layflats like many other airlines do! So it was very good for me but not excellent. Bonus points for serving high tea before landing though!
