Luxury at Hostel Prices

BUENOS AIRES -- We have not prioritized comfort as we tried to stretch our lodgings budget across three months.

In Sucre, we went without heat or hot water (though few places even had that option). In Salta, we got colds from the mildew in our hostel. In Tucumán, the malfunctioning toilet in our room dated back to 1972 (older than both of us). That´s what happens when you spend between $15 and $30 a night. And still, this looks much better when you consider what you might find for $30 a night in the U.S.

In Buenos Aires, the hotel gods rewarded us for our sacrifice.

Thanks again to a brilliant idea from Andrew, we decided to rent an apartment for a week. Our last-minute search yielded an incredible deal -- for about $30 a night, we have a brand-new studio apartment in the exclusive Recoleta neighborhood. It comes with a balcony, cable TV, access to a rooftop pool, basketball courts, stainless-steel appliances and a helpful doorman. We walk a block and a half to the subway, and get out four stops later for dinner in the trendy Palermo neighborhood (at Don Julio: steaks, a bottle of Malbec and grilled cheese -- like the sandwich but without the bread) Or, four stops in the other direction, we can visit the Plaza de Mayo and salmon-pink Casa Rosada government offices downtown. We can walk to the fashionable cemetery where Evita is buried.

Today, we took the bus to San Telmo, center of the tango world, for the weekly antiques fair. The cost of restaurant meals, real estate and just about everything has climbed since Argentina´s economic meltdown several years ago, but remains well below U.S. prices. Hence, this was the first antiques fair I´ve visited where I could actually afford to shop. Somehow, we will try to get the green 1940s-era glass soda dispenser home without breaking it ...