Buenos Aires bargain

I thought the Four Seasons Hotel Buenos Aires was way beyond my budget, but, thanks to an incredible package from WOW! Argentina (Santa Fe 882 12th floor, C1059ABP, Buenos Aires, Argentina; www.wow argentina.com), we stayed there July 18-20, 2007.

For the two of us, $866 plus tax included three nights’ stay in a double room and two dinners for two in the hotel’s Le Mistral restaurant, including two glasses of the wine of the week (a delicious Catena Zapata’s malbec). An outstanding buffet breakfast was also included each morning.

I was pleasantly surprised with the free cellular phone provided by the hotel (I paid only for the calls). When I was away from my room, all calls were automatically transferred to the cell phone. It was like having a secretary!

Other large and small luxuries included the Italian sheets, windows that opened fully and a 10%-off discount card for shopping in the upscale Patio Bullrich Shopping Center nearby.

We had dinner one night at Piegari Restaurant (Posadas 1042; phone 11/4326-9654 or 4328-4104), my favorite restaurant in Buenos Aires. It might also be a favorite of Robert Duvall, because I saw him there a couple of times during previous visits to Buenos Aires.

The tab for a nice dinner for two was almost $120, which made me appreciate all the more the great deal for the Four Seasons from WOW!.

GRACIELA PONCE DE LEON

Miami Beach, FL