For those who have never been to Argentina, this may be the year to go. With the Argentine peso hovering around 3 to a dollar, good deals can be had at most hotels, restaurants and stores. Unfortunately, the most difficult thing to find at bargain prices is a polo horse. Horse prices continue to rise, and even most Argentines are surprised when world-renowned players purchase well-bred yearlings for as much as $40,000. Of course, less expensive horses can be found if you have the time and patience to look. It also helps to have the right contacts who know where to look.

Despite concerns expressed in the media about safety issues when traveling in Argentina, as with any city, some areas are safer than others. Abiding by common sense and knowledge of where to visit usually is enough to keep you out of trouble.
After a visit last fall to see the city and watch the Palermo Open, I felt comfortable enough to bring my kids and husband along on a return journey. There never seems to be enough time to really get to know a foreign country. This time we chose to split our time between the confines of cosmopolitan Buenos Aires and the rustic allure of millions of acres of gaucho country. What we got was the vacation of a lifetime.

Buenos Aires is an amazing place with beautiful, French-inspired architecture, rich in history and culture. There are several very nice hotels scattered throughout the city, including the Four Seasons, the InterContinental and, although it is closed for year-long renovations, the famous Alvear. We chose to stay at the recently renovated Sofitel Hotel, located in the heart of the Retiro neighborhood and were we ever pleased. It was centrally located, within walking distance to several wonderful restaurants and a variety of shopping areas—from the not-so-fancy to luxury boutiques.

One nearby area is called Puerto Madero, a cluster of brick dock buildings along the water, which have been renovated into restaurants, shops and offices. The downtown area, or Centro, has restaurants, shops, opera houses, including the historic Colón Theater & Opera house, and the famous obelisk, which stands in the center of Avenida 9 de Julio, the largest avenue in the world with some 25 lanes. The Retiro neighborhood and Barrio Norte has the usual fine restaurants (we enjoyed La Mirasol) and shops as well as art galleries and antique shops, including several blocks of shopping along Florida Avenue. The shopkeepers openly compete for the passerby business and street performers seem to be everywhere. If you’re looking for a real bargain, then this is the place to be. In the Recoleta neighborhood you’ll find many top high-end stores, like those you would see on Fifth Avenue in New York, and many wonderful restaurants. You may also visit the National Fine Arts Museum and a cultural center. Also, the Recoleta Cemetery, where Evita Peron is buried is in this area. Throughout the city you will find an amazing number of parks, many with large statues.

With the many fine restaurants to choose from and with the weak peso, you can have a full meal with appetizers, wine and dessert for about $20 a person. Argentina is known for its beef and lamb, but you can find delicious poultry, some seafood and even lots of memorable Italian food. The Sofitel even has a wonderful French restaurant, Le Sud, on its ground floor. Some restaurants are truly hidden treasures. A friend took us to one called El Claustro located inside the Santa Catalina de Siena Monastery in Retiro. The building was built in 1745 and was the city’s first nun monastery. It is built of brick and lime with beautiful stained-glass windows. The rooms used by the restaurant are bright with large archways, simply decorated. Though it only serves lunch, the restaurant served one of the best meals of our trip. Another day we went to a restaurant called Le Biblo tucked away in a building whose interior resembled a library.

Argentina has many vineyards, especially in Mendoza, and Argentine wines are a treat. If you like red wine try the Malbec, what Argentina is known for. Coffee in Argentina is exceptional, and you can’t leave without trying dulce de leche, a caramel-like spread that is used on toast, in crepes, cookies, cakes and many other desserts.

Also tucked away in the city we found two different boot maker shops. Both specialized in polo boots. They can be purchased off the shelf, or for a few more dollars, custom made. One of the boot makers gave us a tour of his factory, which had hundreds of boots in every stage of development. My husband was measured for a pair of boots that were delivered to us three days later, fitting him like a glove.
Though we ran out of time, the hotel recommended taking a day trip by train along the coast to Tigre for a boat trip on the Paraná River. Another trip, also offered through the Sofitel, is a two-hour trip by plane to Patagonia, where you can visit the Nahuel Huapi and Lanín national parks. Depending on the time of year you may also hike, ride, ski or raft.

The hotel itself also has a lot to offer. The original building, the Bencich Tower, was built in 1929 by a ship owner who wanted the highest building in Buenos Aires so he could see his ships sailing into Rio de la Plata River. In 2000 the Accor group began renovating the building along with two others across the street. The buildings, on three blocks, were eventually joined. What was once the street is now the main lobby, which is glassed in so you can see its dome with original moulding and cornices. The interior is a blend of traditional Art Deco with French style, offering a modern, elegant yet cozy environment. It has 144 rooms, including 28 suites and one two-bedroom apartment. The rooms are spacious and nicely decorated. For the business traveler, a business center is available with all the latest equipment, and the hotel has four conference rooms that can accommodate up to 350 guests. Aside from Le Sud restaurant, the hotel has a traditional café, Café Arroyo, which connects with the library and is loaded with wonderful books and comfortable sitting areas, decorated in an equestrian theme. There is also a fitness center, indoor pool and gift shop. Customer service was remarkable and most of the staff was bilingual.
We enjoyed our visit to the city so much we were wondering if we were making a mistake staying in the country. We were pleasantly surprised.

Again, there are many estancias to choose from. We decided to try Estancia El Rocio, located in San Miguel del Monte, a little more than an hour outside the city. It is run by Patrice Graviere and Diego Cacace. On our drive out from the city we stopped in at a small, dingy-looking building next to a gas station for lunch. Surprisingly we had a delicious meal of fresh meats, homemade pasta and fresh bread. The owner of the restaurant brought out several scrapbooks that were signed by the many people that had stopped by for a meal. The book bore the names of almost every high-goal player in the country, royalty and visitors from all over the world.

Continuing on our way, we were amazed at the terrain. The pampas are vast flatlands of cattle and horse farms. The unencumbered skyline makes for beautiful, wide-open skies. On clear nights you can’t imagine how many stars you can see, even the stardust of the Milky Way is clearly visible. When we got to the estancia we settled into our warm and cozy rooms, then went for a tour. The ranch is a traditional polo estancia but with all the comforts of home. The wooden floors are heated and most rooms have a fireplace for comfort in the winter. It has a cozy living room with fireplace for relaxing and plenty of sitting areas outside, including hammocks, with views of the beautiful courtyard, large lawn and horse pastures beyond.

Graviere and Cacace work well together making sure every detail is taken care of. Graviere, a businessman, is multilingual, having lived and worked in the United States, France and Spain. Cacace is the former manager of La Martina Polo Club and holds a degree in marketing. They were both personable and enjoyable to be around during our stay. They can arrange activities, day trips and outings to keep you busy or allow you to relax in one of the hammocks on the veranda enjoying a good book. A housekeeper and chef also tend to your needs.

The estancia is also an authentic polo pony breeding and training ranch. It has four stallions, several broodmares and their offspring in addition to green horses from other top polo farms. From early in the morning the gauchos work with several groups of horses. They do imprinting with the foals when they reach 4 months, handle the yearlings, break the 2-year olds and train the 3-year-olds. After stories we have heard about the rough training some horses get in the country, we were pleasantly surprised to see how gentle the gauchos were with the young horses. Jota Guiraldes, the head gaucho, who looked more like a movie star, was training a gorgeous 3-year-old to compete with at this year’s 118th annual Exposicion Internacional de Ganaderia, Agricultura e Industria in Palermo, organized by La Sociedad Rural Argentina. The exposition attracts horses of all kinds including Arabians, Percherons, quarter horses, etc., and all disciplines, including polo and jumping from all over the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia and England. For polo, gauchos compete for the best-trained polo pony. His training was impressive and Jota is sure to have a good chance. The estancia is so vast, Pandora, a sweet, 6-month-old orphaned foal, had the run of the place.

Though you feel like you are so far away from everything, with just a short trip into town you can find food stores, pharmacies, liquor stores, etc. There are even plenty of stores offering traditional bambachos (about $8), alpaca shoes ($7) and belts ($4) and other traditional Argentine gifts and accessories. On one trip we visited the town of Lobos. Almost every town has a large, well-maintained park area in the center and at least one impressive church building.

Had we traveled alone, we would have missed so many of the things the country has to offer. Our hosts took us to so many hidden spots, giving us a real feel for the country. On one excursion we visited Martin Gomez in the town of Ranchos, a province of Buenos Aires near General Belgrano. Gomez makes handmade leather belts, whips and other items. We weren’t sure exactly where he lived, but once we pulled into town we asked a gaucho trotting a horse and leading another down the sidewalk on the main street who pointed us in the right direction. Soon we came upon his modest house and brick workshop in the back yard.

Gomez and his wife were friendly and more than willing to show us his work and the photo albums of his clients that included kings, top polo players and trainers all sporting his finely crafted belts. His workshop was filled with a variety of items that hung from the ceiling, including a pair of horse-hide boots that were used in a movie. He pointed out that everything hanging had come from a blood engine rather than a machine. Gomez, 86, hand-stitches thin threads of leather into beautiful intricate designs, though he has never worn glasses. He is one of a diminishing group of country craftsman. Fortunately his two sons have learned his trade and help in the business. They choose to dry and cure their own leather. His handmade items are by special order only and usually take nine months to a year to complete.

One morning we visited a local ranch called Deer Farm, purported to be the best breeding farm in Argentina, raising red, axis and fallow deer, among other things. The farm imports the best male stallions and embryos from Europe. We watched wild boar being fed and even got to pet a squealing bristly-haired baby boar. A herd of black-faced sheep roamed the property. Driving over to see the many herds of deer, we felt like we were entering Jurassic Park, with wire fences about 8-10 feet high. We went in June so the antlers had been cut off to protect the deer from harming each other. We were amazed to learn that those huge racks grow back in just 70 days! Frenchman Bernardo Feune de Colombi, runs the farm and his lovely wife, Luz Aramburu, makes the antlers into beautiful polished fork and knife handles and other accessories. Feune de Colombi is former vice president of Safari Club International’s Argentine chapter and current president of Conseille Internationale de la Chasse (Hunting International Council), as well as general manager of C.G. Hunting, a 200,000-acre, big-game hunting business in the middle of Argentina, which has deer, water buffalo, black buck, antelope, wild boar, cougar and birds such as ducks, partridges, pigeons and pheasants.

Another day we went on a short trip with the gauchos to try some horses. We went several miles down a dirt road before we came upon a village with horses, cows, chickens and goats in the back yards of many small houses. Horses or bikes were the mode of transportation for many. Surprisingly, we watched them try several beautiful polo horses that lived in small wire pens behind houses.

Of course, even though June is their winter and most of the made polo ponies were turned out, we stick and balled a couple of times on the estancia’s polo field. I have to admit, there was something so special about hitting a polo ball across the field looking out across the pampas. We then came back inside for a relaxing massage. The estancia has plans to build a second polo field as well as a sauna and possibly a fitness room.

The estancia also offered a wonderful variety of traditional Argentine meals. We had the traditional barbecue of different cuts of meats and sausages with homemade empenadas, a fresh lamb asado, as well as beef stew cooked in a hollowed out pumpkin and homemade pasta dishes all served with salad or fresh vegetables and bread. On a particularly beautiful, balmy day, we ate out on the veranda, and one evening the table was set in a cozy sitting room in the barn while we enjoyed the asado. Breakfast generally consisted of yogurt, fruit and toast with coffee, tea and juice. Lunch was a full meal usually served about 2 p.m. and dinner, also more than enough to fill you up, was served about 10 p.m. Since we normally eat about 6 p.m. at home, I thought I’d never make it to dinner, but with so much activity the day goes by so fast. We enjoyed tea and a light snack each afternoon. We never went hungry!
During the high-goal season, Argentina’s spring, the weather is perfect, everything is green and all the flowers are in full bloom. Many activities are available to keep you busy. The estancia offers polo, polo clinics, horseback riding, sulky rides, fishing and hunting. They can also make arrangements for golf, windsurfing, bird watching and trips to the Open polo matches.

Even without any polo, Argentina has so much to offer. But if you have polo on your mind this should be an interesting year as some of the most famous teams have shaken up their line-ups for 2004 in an effort to regain their status as major contenders. Although the official rosters are not yet out, players are talking about new line-ups such as the Merlos brothers, Pite, Sebastian and Agustin, with Paco de Narvaez; La Dolfina’s Adolfo Cambiaso, Loll Castagnola, Santiago Chavanne and American Mike Azzaro; Indios Chapaleufu’s Bautista, Horacio and Marcos Heguy and Mariano Aguerre; Indios Chapaleufu II’s Pepe, Eduardo and Nachi Heguy and Milo Fernandez Araujo. Defending champs La Aguada will likely keep their lineup of Miguel, Javier, Eduardo and Ignacio Novillo Astrada, as will Ellerstina with Facundo and Gonzalo Pieres and Pablo and Matias Mac Donough. With the El Metejon team and the addition of two other teams, one rumored to be La Dolfina 2, there will likely be eight teams competing this year. There is no better time to see Argentina and there is so much to see.