13 days 10:46 01-09-2021 We are the UK’s No.1 specialist in travel to Latin As our name suggests, we are single-minded America and have been creating award-winning about Latin America. This is what sets us apart holidays to every corner of the region for over four from other travel companies – and what allows us decades; we pride ourselves on being the most to offer you not just a holiday but the opportunity to knowledgeable people there are when it comes to experience something extraordinary on inspiring travel to Central and South America and journeys throughout Mexico, Central and South passionate about it too. America. A passion for the region runs Fully bonded and licensed Our insider knowledge helps through all we do you go beyond the guidebooks ATOL-protected All our Consultants have lived or We hand-pick hotels with travelled extensively in Latin On your side when it matters character and the most America rewarding excursions Book with confidence, knowing Up-to-the-minute knowledge every penny is secure Let us show you the Latin underpinned by 40 years' America we know and love experience 10:46 01-09-2021 10:46 01-09-2021 This is a luxurious holiday where you will discover some of the most attractive places on South America’s Atlantic seaboard while based at three of our favourite, top-of-the-range properties. The Alvear Palace is a traditional hotel with an illustrious history: presidents and rock stars have wallowed in its ornate, classic ambiance and excellent facilities. The service is very attentive; depending on your chosen room grade you may enjoy the services of a personal butler. Move on from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires to the simple rural appeal of Argentina’s pampas. Here you will stay at a sumptuously restored colonial estancia, where you can ride with the gauchos and take afternoon tea around the pool. For a top notch beach stay head into Brazil and the Hotel Ponta dos Ganchos, the epitome of excellence with discreet, understated attention, remotely situated on a lovely stretch of unspoilt coastline. Transfer to your hotel. The Argentine capital is an elegant, cultured and cosmopolitan city famed for its interesting museums and the fascinating port district of La Boca, with its cobbled streets and brightly painted houses. It was here that the tango was born, and Diego Maradona honed his footballing skills. The centre of town is home to the colonial heartland, government buildings and churches, as well as chic shopping districts, which have a nostalgic Parisian feel. The bohemian quarter of San Telmo is full of quaint old houses interspersed with antiques shops, tango bars and classy restaurants. Slightly further out of the centre is the Recoleta district, even more evocative of the French influence, where Evita Perón was laid to rest. You’ll be staying at the Alvear Palace, in Recoleta, a smart residential quarter in Buenos Aires with much belle époque and Italianate architecture including the classic hotel itself. Service is impeccable (there are personal butlers) and the restaurant is superb. It is both formal and friendly. One of the best buffet breakfasts on the continent is served in L’Orangerie. Your guided city tour takes you along Avenida 9 de Julio, one of the widest boulevards in the world and studded by the Obelisk, an emblematic symbol of the city. Along this majestic highway is the 19th century Teatro Colón (guided tour included) which, in terms of its architecture and design, as well as its excellent acoustics, is considered one of world’s best. On to the Plaza de Mayo, enclosed on 3 sides by the Metropolitan Cathedral, the Town Hall and the Casa Rosada, the presidential palace. The tour continues to bohemian, arty La Boca, which was settled and built by Italian immigrants and has streets lined with brightly painted corrugated iron-clad houses. Visit the district of Recoleta. 10:46 01-09-2021 At leisure in Buenos Aires. Stroll round Puerto Madero, the refurbished port district where former dock installations and features have been preserved alongside a string of excellent restaurants and loft conversions. Beyond the city limits, consider a trip across the River Plate to Colonia in Uruguay. Travel along a forest-fringed estuary, dotted with upmarket residences, to this peaceful little port, where you can wander among cobbled streets lined by colonial houses, or have a meal or drink in the yacht club. Alternatively, venture into the watery delta to the small town of Tigre, set on the banks of the Luján River. Have lunch at one of the restaurants on the shores of the Río Paraná, while watching fishermen at work and river-craft gliding by. Evening guided visit to a tango show with dinner. The passage of time has given respectability to a dance once confined to the seedy underworld bars of the red-light La Boca district. Nowadays, a number of 'tango houses' offer a dinner and show as an evening out - prior to the performance you can even try out a few steps yourself as an informal group tango lesson is included. La Gala is an intimate venue with a French colonial style complete with crystal chandeliers and a refined ambience. Transfer by road to Estancia La Bamba. This dusky rose- pink, colonial-style former post house, set in its own attractive parkland, is located 10 mins' drive from the small gaucho town of San Antonio de Areco. It projects a real feel for estancia history, harking back to more opulent times when they were the backbone of a thriving economy. Following its acquisition by French proprietors, it has been renovated to an extremely high standard, and now resembles a grand countryside chateau. Public areas are cosy and crammed full of plush sofas and old artefacts, accentuating the country house ambience. There are open fires, four poster beds and large shuttered windows. Meals are taken around a common table, though you can request privacy if you wish. There's a lovely outdoor swimming pool (open in summer) with views over parkland and sun loungers, games room and small library. 10:46 01-09-2021 At leisure at La Bamba. If you want to be active, excursions on horseback, by carriage, or mountain bike are available. Other experiences include Argentine bowls and swimming in the large pool. La Bamba de Areco also serves as the base for the international polo team that bears its name. The property includes two polo fields and guests can watch games during the season, with practice sessions and matches taking place almost daily. Although it is not intended to be a polo school, arrangements can be made on request for guests who are experienced polo players. If you fancy exploring the pampas, you can visit the town of San Antonio de Areco, one of the oldest towns in Argentina, only 13km away. Wander through the 18th century narrow colonial streets, and visit the church, bars and museums. Here too you can admire the master silversmiths at work in their workshop and watch leather craftsmen at work. Return to Buenos Aires and fly to Florianopolis in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. Transfer by road to the much admired luxury resort Ponta dos Ganchos (1hr). The property is located on a verdant stretch of unspoilt coast in an area of historic interest, with many small fishing hamlets dotting the shoreline. There’s a small, sheltered cove with a dazzling arc of white sand facing the hotel’s private island, which for a supplement may be booked for exclusive, private dining (we advise you reserve well ahead). Accommodation is perched high above the ocean in just 25 discreet wooden cottages finished to a very high standard, and the service is impeccable. During winter (July-September) and into October you may spot southern right whales offshore. 10:46 01-09-2021 The resort is a wonderful place just to laze around. But there is a whole swathe of experiences and explorations both on the property and in the local area which the hotel can organise for you, for which you pay locally. These include cookery classes and inspection of a cachaça (Brazilian sugar cane liquor) distillery. There are lovely nature trails you can follow at the resort itself, along with a comprehensive spa offering a menu of massages and facials among other well-being services. There are boat trips around the bays and to deserted beaches, or you might participate in water sports: white- water rafting, stand up paddling, scuba diving, sailing and kayaking. Other sporting activities on offer on the property or nearby include golf and horse riding. Further afield, You might visit lively Florianópolis, or take a guided tour of the cradle of the German colonisation of the state of Santa Catarina, Blumenau, with its steep roofed Bavarian style houses. In contrast, you could stroll around the traditional town of Ribeirão da Ilha, the first community founded by Azorean settlers in the state of Santa Catarina, which has maintained its original economic activities of oyster farming and fishing. 10:46 01-09-2021 Services of our team of Guided city tour of Buenos International flights to Latin experts in our London office Aires with visit to Teatro America Colón Services of Journey Latin Tips and gratuities America local Tango show with dinner, representatives and guides Buenos Aires Meals other than specified All land and air transport Activities at the estancia Airport taxes, when not within Latin America included in the ticket Accommodation as specified Optional excursions Meals as specified Excursions as specified, including entrance fees 2 flights (each 2hrs); 2 road transfers.