Mike & Larisa in Argentina

Deciding to explore a new destination together for their honeymoon, Mike and Larisa settled on Argentina for an eight-night trip filled with culinary experiences that allowed them to soak in the culture of each destination without too much travelling time in between. Niarra Travel’s Content Writer, Sue van Winsen, spoke to them about their trip and found out what they discovered along the way.

Their trip began in the passionate heart of Argentina – the city of Buenos Aires, where they spent four nights at the charming Be Jardín Escondido, the former home of Francis Ford Coppola which has been transformed into a charming retreat. While in Buenos Aires, Mike and Larisa set off on guided tours, cooking classes and an unforgettable tango show.

Next, they flew to Mendoza, framed by the Andes Mountains for four nights of relaxation at Entre Cielos, the ideal departure point for journeying into the heart of Argentina’s wine-making region. This was their final stop before flying back to Buenos Aires and home to New York.

Larisa: I discovered Niarra online as we were looking for a full-service offering. We had a friend who travelled to Argentina with another company, and when I compared them with Niarra, I felt like we were getting a lot more value, so that was basically the decision-maker.

Mike. We worked with Charlie Darlington, and she was fantastic. It felt like we were talking to a friend about our interests and then somehow, she turned that initial conversation into an incredible itinerary that hit all the things we were looking to do.

Larisa: Also, we had initially wanted to include a star-gazing experience which was something new. She investigated it for us and was completely honest that she didn’t think the experience justified the high cost which was so refreshing. She could have just gone ahead and booked it, but instead she really considered whether it would be the right fit for our itinerary.

Mike: We were deliberate about choosing a destination we had never been to before so we could experience something new for the first time. The have been to Mexico City before, so we maybe had that trip in the back of our mind as a reference.

Larisa: Yes, but Argentina ended up being different in every way which was great. Before the trip, a lot of people were asking us questions about what we were going to be doing on our honeymoon, but I really wanted to just be in the moment, and only spend time getting into the detail of the itinerary once we were on the trip.

Larisa: The tango show was probably something I wouldn’t have picked outside of someone saying we should do it as I’m not into dance at all. It ended up being one of the best things we did. The venue was small a beautiful and reminded me of the New York jazz scene – it was such a unique experience and we loved it!

Mike: The trip almost had two parts – the Buenos Aires part and the Mendoza part. In Mendoza, it happened to be cloudy the couple of days we were there, and things pretty much shut down which unfortunately meant we couldn’t go on the hike we had planned.

We had such a busy schedule in Buenos Aires, so after the flight to Mendoza it was nice to have the downtime, but once our activities were cancelled, we had nothing to do but relax.

Larisa: Yes, it’s enjoyable to relax, but I don’t think I can do more than one day of relaxing!

Larisa: All our tour guides were great, but Ornella who did our food tour was amazing. The three of us were the same age we could just chat about what it’s like to be a 30-year-old in Buenos Aires vs Brooklyn.

All the food she shared with us, from chipas and alfajores to churros and ice cream, was amazing, but just being in her company as she took us around the city was also very special.

Mike: Collectively, the food stood out. Not one particular meal, but overall!

Larisa: The history also really stood out and I’ve been thinking about how so much it parallels with the USA. We discovered that there was a lot of Italian immigration to Argentina.

We visited a particular neighbourhood and couldn’t help but connect the dots between Italian-American culture and Italian-Argentine culture. It reminded us of Brooklyn and New York City, so we had a special view on this, and it was nice to see how it’s so similar and also different.

Larisa: The biggest mistake I made was not getting service on my phone.

Mike: Also, we had over five hours between flights to get from Buenos Aires’ domestic airport to the international airport to fly back to New York, and we thought it would be no problem at all to make the connection, but we ended up having to run to our gate. So, the more time you can have at the airport, the better!

Larisa: We love the idea of a Nepal trip as it looks intense with no relaxing which is what we like. It also means I can just wear athletic gear and pack nothing else other than a hat and sunscreen. We’d also love to go to Ireland or England. We got married in a castle based off a castle in England, so it would be fun to go and see it!

Read more about Mike and Larisa’s Argentina honeymoon in their TrustPilot Review. Or if you are ready to start planning your own adventure through Argentina or elsewhere, then get in touch with our travel team on +44 (0) 20 3821 5994 (UK), +1 (833) 215 9353 (US), or at explore@niarratravel.com.