At the moment, Argentina is an incredibly cheap place to visit, but even at US/European prices it would be worth going. It really does have every kind of feature you could ask for, and though you might have to travel around a bit to take advantage of this, that's a small price to pay.
I visited Beunos Aires, Mendoza and Las Lenas, staying 3 weeks altogether, and was filled with good impressions. Argentinian people are very friendly and approachable, and the lone traveller will have no problems meeting people, especially in hostels. As an English-speaker though, I would warn others that you won't be able to rely on English as you would in Europe - basic Spanish is a bare minimum to enjoy an Argentinian trip. If you can speak only English, you won't have a lot of choice in where you go.
In a (ski) resort like Las Lenas you'll be OK with English. This is a great place to see the Andes, and if and when it snows, the skiing is fantastic and almost unrestricted. If you came here for on-piste skiing only, you might get bored after a few days, but venture off-piste into the powder and you could entertain yourself for weeks. Snow can be patchy though, so I would recommend waiting until August to be safe, and facilities are a little on the basic side, though apparently better than anything else Argentina has to offer.
The two cities I stayed in, Mendoza and Beunos Aires offer a nice contrast. Beunos Aires is the larger, more cultural and livelier of the two, but it was Mendoza that was my favourite - there the emphasis was much more on enjoying life - especially food and wine! Both are ideal "gateways" for Argentinian trips - Beunos Aires for the country as a whole, and Mendoza for all the scenery and adventure activities that are on offer in the Andes mountains.
Unfortunately I was only able to stay for 3 weeks in Argentina, and restricted myself to a small portion of the middle of the country. When you consider that there is rainforest to the north, and the unique landscape of Patagonia to the south, to add to the cities and mountains that I visited, you have some idea of the limitless potential of this huge country. Whatever you want from your holiday (with the possible exception of lounging on the beach) you will be able to do it in Argentina, and even quite comfortable travelling will not break the bank
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I never realised it was quite so varied. Sounds amazing, Em XX
magdadh 31.07.2004 10:28
Nice overview and introduction to thje country, VH conditional on more detailed ops on other parts...
Kirsty1 30.07.2004 15:52
Beunos Aires has been top of my list of places I really do want to visit for a while now - and you make it sound all the more attractive. Argentina really is an interesting place isn't it? Mind you I'll be lucky to get three weeks away like you did! Kirstyxx
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