Buenos Aires: The Pre-Trip List

One of the questions we get asked a lot here at Jet Set Life is how do you find all those cool places that you put into your videos and guidebooks.  The short answer is – through trusted people that “get” how the Jet Set like to roll.  There’s really no magic formula, website or magazine.  It’s really about vetting the source.  For example, if I ask someone to tell me a cool restaurant in Buenos Aires, my answers can range from the common tourist trap to 5 star hotel concierge recommendations (which we’re usually not into unless it’s the right concierge).  So what’s a brother to do?  Find cool people and ask them! However, it doesn’t end there. We then have to vet every single place (and in many cases endure the crap-so you don’t have to) and boil it all to down to the best of the best spots.

It usually takes a few months of pre-trip planning to uncover the right spots.  I thought it would be interesting to give you a copy of my “raw” pre-planning list before we headed to Buenos Aires (this weekend).  Every location we travel to has different nuances that are unique to that location.  For instance, South Americans are late night party animals, but binge drinking is unheard of.  The scene is split up into a few categories: the sophisticated restaurant bar you go to before heading out to dinner “pre-dinner”, the bar you hit before heading out to a nightclub “pre-dancing”, and finally the underground bar culture where a knock on the door, the press of a buzzer, or password are necessary to gain entry to the “after hours club”.  The Jet Set scene in BsAs is sculpted for style, sex and meeting people rather than simply alcoholic indulgence.

A few notes about the Buenos Aires “pre trip list”.  It is a rough list.  You’ll see that it’s sectioned off into categories.  The categories represent the flow that I think the day to night will likely go in. The URL’s represent any websites, flicker photo links or anything else that may help me get a feel for what the vibe might be like at that particular venue.

If anyone reading this list thinks I may have gotten something wrong somewhere – bite me.  No, just kidding.  Tell me!  I WANT to know!  But, I’m a picky mutha – so tell me WHY you think it’s the wrong spot.

So, without further ado, I present to you my Buenos Aires “pre-trip” rough list (did I mention it’s a rough list)…

Hotels

1. Home Hotel

2. Legado Mitico

3. Noa Noa Lofts

4. Vitrum

5. Miravida Soho

6. Tailor Made Hotels

7. Faena

8. Mine Hotel

9. BoBo

10. Malaiba House

Lunch

1. Olsen

2. Bar 6 Cafe

3. Juana M

4. Morena Beach

5. Guido’s

6. Krishna

7. Oui-Oui

8. Social Paraiso

9. Sushi club

10. Home Hotel Garden

11. Croque Madame

Pre-Dinner Drinks 11:00 P.M.

1. Casa Cruz

Trendiest place in BA, see and be seen in Palermo Viejo.  Towering brass doors open to a dimly lit, high ceiling lounge and restaurant with red walls, plush velvet couches and iris filled vases.  Very NYC style and drinks are very very good.

2. El Gran Bar Danzon

A fashionable centrally located wine bar.  More low key than other venues, with a smaller and often crowded space.  It offers jazz on Wednesdays and Fridays in a candlelit setting.  Very crowded, but good.

3. Sucre

Owned by the same people as Gran Bar Danzon.  Among BsAs trendiest spots, cavernous space in Belgrano, happening Brazillin place, trendy, great bar especially on Fridays.  Go to Rumi after dinner, wouldn’t have dinner here they serve “boutique” dishes.  Bar is simply amazing.

4. Milion

Affluent locals and Ex-Pats Anglos gather in Milion’s courtyard for cocktails, then climb this marble staircase of this former mansion to the upper floors for avocado salad.  Try the basil daiquiri.

5. 647

Most impressive space to twiddle your olive stick and should be high on your list.

6. Bar Uriate

Great fusion cuisine, great drinks, classic trendy.  Only drinks.

7. Dominga

Trendy, located in Palermo.  Very good Tapas only.

8. Faena Library Lounge

Sit pool side if it’s a nice night.

Dinner 12:00 Midnight

1. Little Rose

Good sushi, small nice place.

2. Green bamboo

Vietnamese.  The best drinks in town, good music, cool atmosphere.

3. Maat

Private club.

4. Cabana Las Lilas

Best steak in Buenos Aires.

5. Cluny

Make a reservation for the couch.

6. Campo Bravo

Trendy.  Wait outside, no reservations, see and be seen.

Pre- Club Drinks 1:30 A.M.

1. El Carnal Bar

2. Mundo Bizarro

3. Congo

Clubs (Don’t go before 2 A.M.!)

1. Asia de Cuba

One of the best nightclubs in town, next to Faena Hotel.

2. Crobar

One of the best nightclubs in town.

3. Jet

The most fashionable nightclub at the moment.  Might be too fashionable (with dress code, not everyone gets in).

4. Museo

You can go early, around midnight.

5. Opera Bay

An after hours club.  Go first to Museo and then to Opera Bay or the other way round.

6. Club 69 Niceto Club

One of BA’s longest running and most famous night clubs.  They have international and local bands playing all the time.  Good music.  Hip hop on Thursdays.

7. Carnal

Go to Carnal then go to Club 66, which is a club in front of the bar.  Lots of fun!

8. Rumi

Very trendy, electronic.

9. Pacha

Another big club by the river, watch the sun come up on its terrace.

10. Mint/”Punta Classic”

Similar to Pacha, again, you can’t go home before watching the sunrise in its terrace.  Go Saturday.  Very very very young people (now the owners sold the place and it’s now called “Punta Classic”).

After Hours Clubs

1.Kim y Novak

Milongas

1. La Viruta Armenia

2. La Confiteria Ideal

3. Esquina Homero Manzi

4. Salon Canning

5. El Beso

6. Torcuato Tasso

Tango Shows

1. Rojo Tango at Faena

2. Piazzolla Tango

3. Club del Vino

Cafés Tea’s Cakes

1. Café Tortoni

2. Florencio

Lunch Tea.

3. Ateneo Book Store

The coffee shop is great!  Be careful since Ateneo is a chain.  Have tea at the stage, and go to coffee shop at the back that used to be a theatre and they kept the original building and turned it into a huge bookstore.

4. El ultimo beso

Based on the Italian movie (also in Palermo).

5. Confiteria la ideal

Classic place for coffee during the afternoon.

Ice cream

1. Munchi’s

2. Persicco

3. Volta

Shopping – Men

1. Bensimon

Not to be missed.  This is a typical Argentine.

2. Etiqueta Negra

Extremely cool.  Another excellent place.

3. Balthazar

In San Telmo

4. Ona Saez

5. Kosiuko

6. Bolivia

7. Mancini

8. La Martina

9. Felix

Hip Paul Smith type clothing.  This funky men’s boutique – with Persian rugs flung over its hardwood floors.  The Polyphonic Spree or The Jam blaring from the stereo, and mellow dudes manning the register – feels a little like rock-n-roll prep school.

10. Hermanos Estebecorena

Hip socks and underwear.

Shopping – Women

1. Trossman

A splattering of adornments such as feathers, beads, and photographic images over dainty halter tops and sleeveless dresses.

2. Maria Vazquez

3. Benito Fernandez

The most flirty, romantic, good quality, feminine dresses you have ever seen!  With a touch of rock-n-roll.

4. Lupe

So cool it hurts.

5. Tramando

For a fashion statement Rodrigue Cool design, chosen by local artists, actresses, socialités.  It’s colorful, and the representation of innovative design.

6. Maria Cher

Bohemian chic definitely one of the coolest.

7. Rapsodia

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