April 2, 2025 Miami to Buenos Aires
We got up and dressed and when we arrived at the lobby of the Sonesta at 6:05 the shuttle bus was parked in front of the hotel waiting for passengers, so we jumped on and arrived at the Miami Airport at 6:30.
Our plane to Buenos Aires departed at 9:05, so we stopped at a lovely pastry shop in the airport named Gilbert’s Bakery and I ordered an almond croissant and Suzette ordered a latte.
The almond croissant was big and stuffed with lots of baked almond paste so a very good almond croissant.
A good start for a long day.
We boarded the large Aerolineas Argentina Airbus 330 at 8:30 and it took off on time at 9:05.
The food in economy was not great. We were given a packet of three chocolate chip cookies with our first drink service at about 10:30.
It was a 10 hour flight.
At around 2:30 or about 1/2 way through the trip, we were served lunch. The hot entree was bow tie pasta with pesto and cheese. There was also a cold spinach quiche with cherry tomatoes that was quite nice and the dessert was really good, a dense flan like Chungas garnished with a thick caramel topping. I loved it. I took a white wine and water and the wine was undrinkable. Suzette gagged down her red wine like a trooper.
We landed in Buenos Aires on time at 6:50. When we cleared Passport control and Customs we went to the taxi kiosk and took a taxi to our hotel, Vain Boutique, another old apartment house in an older part of town remodeled into a boutique hotel, except our room in this hotel was quite roomy and very quiet because located at the back of the property.
After the attendant helped us to our room and we deposited our luggage, we asked him for suggestions of where to eat and get a drink. He said, “There is one of the best bars in Argentina just down the street, called the three monkeys.”
We exchanged $100 at the exchange rate of 1100 pesos to the dollar at the hotel, which was a little bit above the posted rate of 1073.8 today and a lot better than the taxi that charged based on 1048 pesos to the dollar.
We are feeling our way into use of the Argentinian peso.
So we walked the three blocks to the Three Monkeys. We were given a complimentary cocktail that was really delightful. Then we each ordered a vermouth, Suzette ordered a red and I ordered a white. We actually liked my white better because the vermouths each had a pretty strong cinnamon flavor and that seemed to go better with the apple flavor of the white.
Tres Monos
Buenos Aires, Argentina
- No.7 The World's 50 Best Bars 2024
- No.11 The World's 50 Best Bars 2023
Tres Monos is the definition of a good-time bar, but the drinks are very special indeed. The name translates as Three Monkeys, and there's a real sense of playfulness running through the whole joint, from the festooned lights and chilled-out service to the the cocktails, which are a perfectly-balanced hybrid of classic and innovative. Owners Charly Aguinsky, Sebastián Atienza, and Gus Vocke aren’t just shaking up spirits; they’re redefining them. From crafting their own sake and bourbon-style whiskey with local grains to producing vibrant wines like sauvignon blanc and pét-nat sparklers, they do it all. And in true Argentinian spirit, every ingredient they use is strictly homegrown.
We looked at the menu and decided to order Fish and Chips for 18000 pesos.
When the bowl of fish and chips arrived we were surprised that Instead of big slabs of Cod, the fish were small longish deep fried sardines and hand cut fried potatoes with Aioli sauce. We were more than pleasantly surprised by the fried sardines which may have been slightly smoked.
So we shared an interesting light dinner with our vermouths and when the 38,000 bill came we noticed that Three Monkeys offered a 10% discount for payment in cash. I put down 40000 pesos and got change of 6000.
We went back to the hotel around 9:30.
We got ready for bed and I blogged this entry.
Another evening in an interesting neighborhood with good food.
Bon Appetit
