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Second
time in Buenos Aires
Cash
We
took $US (changing them to pesos -almost
3 pesos per dollar - in the hotel) and
also got pesos out of ATMs when we there
(although the main banks on Florida are a
bit daunting as they are barricaded
following the beatings/demonstrations
they have taken over the last year or so).
There
are a lot of street "cambio"
dealers who we did not use - there are a
lot of forged pesos around. I'm not sure
how easy it is to change travellers'
cheques, especially if they are not
denominated in $US. I suspect cash / ATMs
is the best option and keep sone spare
cash at the hotel in case the ATMs stop
working for a day or two.
Credit
Cards don't often work - even in
restaurants - and they will make a
surcharge so cash is better.
That
said, prices are good; we stayed in a 4*
hotel (Grand Boulevard) in San Telmo
which gave us tremendous service for $55
+ 21% VAT per night for a double room
with breakfast and free Internet access;
we rarely paid more than 80 pesos (<$15
each) for a very good dinner
for two with wine in a good
restaurant (the hotel itself, Prosciutto,
Campo dei Fiori, Club Espanol, etc); I
bought 28(!) Tango CDs (there are lots of
CD shops on Florida or Corrientes) and
none cost more than 20 pesos; we both
bought two pairs of hand-made tango shoes
(Delie, Flabella - worth a visit just for
the tangueros and the manager, Suipacha
256) for between 100 and 140 pesos each
pair. Flabella also does dresses (for
stick-thin portenas) etc.; Supacha 256
has a wider range of accessories.
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