MacDermott's Argentina

My husband and I, along with two close friends, spent 2 weeks traveling around Argentina. The trip was curated through KimKim, and directly curated by MacDermott’s, based in Buenos Aires. We were in Buenos Aires, Patagonia (Bariloche and Villa Angustora in the Lake District) and Mendoza. Everything was perfectly planned and coordinated, and based on what we had requested and the kind of traveling we wanted.

We spent 3 days in BA with a guide named Emilia who took us on a wonderful city tour where she showed us all of the major historical and cultural sights and was flexible about taking us to places we requested that weren’t on the itinerary. Emilia answered all of our many questions about BA and Argentina in general and was very warm, friendly and knowledgeable. She also took us on a culinary tour which was a lot of fun and also introduced us to several of BA’s colorful and interesting neighborhoods.

From BA we flew to Bariloche in Patagonia where our guide was Facundo (“Facu””). We spent 3 days with him exploring the town and surrounding area around the Lake District and did some hiking and sightseeing. A particular highlight was spending a day with Facu on a private boat ride from Bariloche to the other end of the lake up to Villa Angustora. Our captain was a young man named Luca who was terrific. The scenery was spectacular- with the Andes all around us and beautiful islands in the lake. We stopped a few times to get off the boat and so some hiking. Facu had prepared a wonderful lunch for us which we had while riding up the lake to our destination. We stayed 2 nights in Angustora.

We can’t say enough about Facu. He was an amazing guide. So personable, knowledgeable, warm and flexible with our activities. We loved our time with him.

We flew from Bariloche to Mendoza (via BA) and spent 4 days in the wine country. Again, the scenery was splendid. Our guide for this portion of the trip was Marcos, who was very good - knowledgeable and flexible about our activities. We went to several wineries and had terrific experiences learning about wine making in Argentina. On one day we were driven to an estancia in the foothills of the Andes - about 90 minutes west of where we weee staying- and spent a day with Juan.- a gaucho who owns the ranch which has been in his family since his great grandmother. He has a wonderful restaurant in the ranch where we had a private cooking class with his chef Maxie. We learned how to make empanadas. Juan took us on a hike up into the hills on his ranch where he talked about his life as a gaucho and raising horses and growing crops. He was terrific and we learned so much from him. He was so friendly and funny and made us feel we were at home. We then had a delicious lunch at his restaurant, including the empanadas we had made earlier.

From Mendoza we flew back to BA where we had 2 days on our own to go back to the neighborhoods Emilia had shown us. A particular highlight of the whole trip was being hosted by Paolo and Hugh (who own and run MacDermott’s) on our final night in their lovely home for an evening that included a tango demonstration and a delicious dinner. They couldn’t have been more gracious, friendly and warm hosts. We had great conversations about life in Argentina.

The accommodations in every place we stayed were beautiful and totally top notch. Staff, food and amenities were terrific. All of the details of our itinerary worked out perfectly including pick ups and transfers.

All in all, our trip to Argentina, thanks largely to KimKim and MacDermott’s, was one of the very best travel experiences we’ve ever had in over 40 years of world traveling. We hope to work with them again on another South American adventure.

Paulo with mcdermotts argentina was wonderful! Not only did he tailor our trip to our interests and budget, but his recommendations outside of the box were the most memorable moments. From horseback riding and eating authentic rural Argentinian cuisine on an estancia, to private tango shows, to active hikes/bike ride through wineries, the trip had it all. It was affordable, seamless, executed perfectly with the right amount of touch and variety. I couldn’t think of a better group to work with if you’re considering an Argentinian adventure!

My visit to Argentina went very smoothly thanks to excellent guides Emilia, Eugenia, and driver Sergio, I was taken all over Buenos Aires and El Tigre and to a barbecue and horse training exhibition at a ranch in the pampas.

The boat ride through the delta in El Tigre was very interesting and Eugenia found me the small gifts i was looking for at a chocolate shop and a small curio shop there. She seemed to know everybody. Also visited a silversmith studio where they treated her like family.

In Uruguay my guide and driver Fabian and Javier showed me around Colonia where I had arrived by ferry from BA, then drove me to Montevideo where guide Carolina showed me the city and a cafe where the waiter demonstrated how to drink mate and how to drink it from a mate bowl.

Carolina realized at one point that July 31st is the traditional graduation day for medical students in Uruguay. Montevideo throws a huge party for them in a park downtown. So we headed off there, just to see the happy students and their families arriving. It was an unplanned experience and a lot of fun.

Guides were always willing to change things around depending on what i wanted to see at a given moment. Since my interest is photographing people, they made a point of finding places with a lot of activity.

It all went like clockwork. And it only rained for a half hour right at the end of my trip.

Hotel Reviews

Hotel Montevideo

Montevideo

Huge suite with balconies on three sides. Great staff, very clean. Nice location.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Mio Buenos Aires

Buenos Aires

Great room and staff but hard to find someplace close to eat.

Authenticity & Character

Location

Staff

Cleanliness & Comfort

Activity Reviews

Colonia del Sacramento Tour & Transfer to Montevideo

Argentina

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour of Buenos Aires city

Buenos Aires

A Day in the Countryside in San Antonio de Areco

Argentina

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Tour of Montevideo city

Montevideo

Tour of Tigre

Buenos Aires

We had a great time in Buenos Aires and Bariloche. The experience was seamless, and all our local guides were great. Highly recommend working with KimKim and Paulo.

We started off in Buenos Aires with a walking food tour. Lucy was a fantastic guide, she explained their culture with such passion. Highly recommend the food tour. We enjoyed the tango dinner and dancing. Loved Palo Santo Hotel, it was quaint and comfortable. Bariloche was an incredible experience. We really enjoyed Facu, our guide for the few days we were there. So kind and personable. He went all out on our boating trip for the day, I would highly recommend the boat trip. El Chalten was stunning! Our hotel Los Cerros was very nice. Super friendly staff, the restaurant and bar was delicious . The Selena Hotel in El Calafate was a great hotel. The Glacier Trek was out of this world cool! The guides were informative and very good at what they do. The only issue we had was our pick up at the hotel was 30 minutes late so we ran the entire tour late. Leaving El Calafate and heading to Torres Del Piane was a long drive but well worth it. Our driver (we had private transfers hired through KIMKIM) was erratic and we had a few scary moments in the van., I would not recommend this driver but we don't know his name. Torres Del Piane was one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. Las Torres Hotel was an incredible experience. The rooms were great, the food was outstanding as were the drinks. We did the Lookout hike , Tenga Forest hike and the Lagoon excursion. All were incredible.
Leaving Torres to Puerto Natales- Our van pickup was 40 minutes late leaving us to try and find other transportation. He finally arrived and drove in a very unsafe manor to get us to the airport on time. He was going way over the speed limit. It was not appreciated at all. I would not use this driver again. Our hotel in Santiago was great. Paulo worked a miracle and got some champaign for my birthday. Hotel Ismael was very nice with great staff.
Paulo was a great tour director for our entire trip. He communicated with us often and helped us with some flight issues when the strike in Argentina occurred. It was nice to meet him in Buenos Aires, it put a personal stamp on the trip.

The only reason I gave four stars instead of five is because of our transportation issues with the vans.
Wonderful trip!

Hotel Review

Aldebaran Hotel & Spa

San Carlos de Bariloche

The Aldebaran Hotel & Spa was very good overall, but we chose not to spend an extra night there because it was located about seventeen kilometers outside of Bariloche. We preferred being closer to town with more amenities. We were aware of its location beforehand, so it was expected. The hotel itself was great, just not as centrally located as we would have preferred.

Activity Reviews

Tour to Los Glaciares National Park with a 1-hour ice trekking

El Calafate

Do yourself a favor and do this trek. It's otherworldly!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Nahuel Huapi Lake boat trip to the Arrayanes Forest and Victoria Island

Bariloche

Facu was yet again a wonderful guide. The boat trip is well worth your time. Stunning scenery and beautiful water. It was an awesome day!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Bariloche city, visit Campanario Hill and a short trek

Bariloche

Facu was an amazing guide for the weekend.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Buenos Aires city

Buenos Aires

It was great learning the culture of the city. The cemetery was unbelievable! Great day!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Walking food tour of Palermo, Premium restaurants

Buenos Aires

I would do this tour several times if we had the time. Lucy was wonderful as was the food, wine and people.

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Jimena was great. She designed an amazing honeymoon trip. Thanks

Mariana (McDermott's Travel) was amazing!

I am a self-planner for trips and this is the first time in decades I use a travel agency to plan a trip. Even further, this was a trip to my native country! My requirements were unique as I was combining a family visit with some tourism. Mariana suggested great ideas for local travel and she worked with me through multiple versions of a trip to Cataratas de Iguazu. The hotel she recommended was amazing and one of the best hotels I haved stayed at; all flights and transfers were flawless, and the private guide and adventure excursions were second to none.

The travel agency support was also spotless with immediate responses as needed.

I also would like to highlight the fact that when we had to make a last minute change in our schedule, Mariana was not only very responsive but also very creative in her solution which allowed us to work around the issue by re-arranging the tours without any cost impacts. We are so happy that she was able to do this for us, allowing us to enjoy our trip fully!

I look forward to booking my next trip to Argentina with Mariana!

Muchas Gracias!!!!!

Andres and Family

Activity Reviews

Safari in the jungle followed by a boat trip to the Devil's throat

Puerto Iguazú

This was quite a unique experience, which allowed us to experience Cataratas to the fullest!

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour to Iguazu National Park Argentina

Puerto Iguazú

Cataratas are Amazing. Leandro was a great private guide. We really enjoyed the experience.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

This was the first time trying Kim Kim. Throughout they were so approachable, accessible and flexible to our needs in the tour to Argentina.
The trip itinerary was modified so many times, but they have been as patient and detailed every single time. Aappreciate Jimena and Hugh for their flexibility and professionalism.

The guidance provided by Nacho on how to navigate the Iguazu National park was spot on.
The boat/ship tour in El Calafate took us so close to the glacier and kept us there for sufficient duration for everyone to take some amazing pictures from every direction.
Andres, the cheerful tour guide in Usuaia, pampered us with chocolates. Something I was not expecting at all, and it showed how much they cared about the tourists.

Hugh also came to meet us on the last day, a very kind gesture, and guided us more on exploring Buenos Aires shopping areas and I finally got the one souvenir at the right price that I had been looking for, one fifth the price of what I was getting in some other shops.

This was a great trip. Our guides were great and very knowledgeable. Our drivers were always on time. Hotel selection was great.

Activity Reviews

Culinary tour of Buenos Aires city

Buenos Aires

Loved this part of our trip! Our guide took us all over the city and we got to try so many different this of local foods!! Highly recommend!

Quality of Experience

Food

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Boat trip to Victoria Island and the Arrayanes forest, Premium deck with private transfer

Bariloche

This was the least interesting part of our trip. The lake is beautiful, but can be seen by hiking. This long boat trip takes you to Victoria Island, which was just an island with large redwood trees from California . This may be exciting for an older traveler, but took all afternoon just to see a park w trees. Would not recommend this. Use your time hiking, not on a boat ride.

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

The people were great

Transport

Tour of Bariloche city with a visit to Campanario Hill NO

Bariloche

Martin was an excellent tour guide! He was very patient and very knowledgeable. Always on time, early actually. Would highly recommend him!

Quality of Experience

Our guide Martin was the best

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

Tour of Buenos Aires city

Buenos Aires

Our tour guide was very knowledgeable. She took us to many parts of the city all on one day

Quality of Experience

Guides, Drivers and Staff

Transport

We really enjoyed our experience in El Calafate and enjoyed all the excursions Paolo booked for us. All the transfers and communication was on time and courteous. I can’t wait for Kim Kim to plan my next vacation.