Spain or Argentina?

Starting to look at where to go for my 10 year wedding anniversary in 2010. I’ve wanted to go to Spain for a long time. Wine bars…tapas…wineries… Argentina also sounds good and more of a value. Anyone been to both that can offer some good tips and comparisons?

TIA,

Dave

Dave, you have yourself a dilemma - that’s a couple of really attractive choices! I’ve been to both places but it’s been a long time since I visited Spain, so I’ll let others provide more current opinions. Melissa and I spent two weeks in Argentina last year and had a great time, even though we only saw a fraction of the attractions in the country.

In general, I think Argentina might be the better choice if you want variety and have the time/money/interest in seeing the various parts of the country. It’s incredibly varied and BIG, so you’ll either spend a lot of time in a car/bus or you’ll spend a fair amount on airfares getting between Buenos Aires, Mendoza, the rain forest in the north (Iguazu Falls is AMAZING), and Patagonia in the south. You’re right, other than transportation costs, Argentina is a relatively inexpensive destination - it’s difficult to spend $100 on dinner for two, including wine (but it CAN be done [cheers.gif] ), and you can easily find good lodging even in BsAs for $100/night. The food is excellent, the wine is adequate, and if you’re looking for a place to party, Buenos Aires can keep you up all night long, no problem.

Spain might be better if you want more of a “cultural” trip - more history, museums, etc. You can take the train if you want to hit only two or three places. Barcelona is an awesome city, as is Madrid. I have to assume that prices are comparable to other parts of Europe, so your daily costs are likely to be 2-3x what they’d be in Argentina.

If you decide to go to Argentina, drop me a PM if you’d like some suggestions for lodging, meals, etc. in BsAs.

what time of year?

What time of year and the value of the dollar. You can live fairly large in Argentina right now.