Tailor-made adventures in South America
When we first looked at arranging this holiday, we based everything around the cruise that we wanted to book, and the rest was tailored to perfection for us by Fred. Holidays. We topped and tailed our cruise with pre- and post- stays that perfectly complemented the itinerary, and made the whole holiday something really special that was just right for us. Firstly we decided that a 2-night pre-cruise stay in Buenos Aires would be a good idea – not just to explore this amazing city and kick off our holiday in style, but also to alleviate any concerns of a flight delay impacting joining our cruise.
Our flight was with British Airways, around 16 hours with a touchdown in Rio - it was my first time flying with BA and I thought the flight and service was good. I pre-booked seats as soon as I could - at the back of the plane where the last few rows were just 2 seats together, so my husband and I could sit by ourselves. I would also recommend checking in online in advance wherever possible. We had pre-booked transfers throughout our holiday, all arranged with Fred Holidays, and every single one was amazing - we received a Whatsapp message in advance of the transfer, telling us who our driver was, where to find them, even a photo of the car with its registration.
It was a 30-minute transfer to The Novotel Buenos Aires, which is right in the heart of the Theatre District – a very central location, it could not have been better for our short stay. Our room had a fantastic view of one of the main streets – it’s a busy area, if you are looking for peace and quiet this is not the place for you, but for us it was just what we wanted - we stayed on a room only basis as we planned to be out!
With so much to see and so little time, we opted for the hop-on-hop-off bus to explore the city, including La Boca, as suggested by our transfer driver, which was my favorite area, with lots going on and a vibrant atmosphere. We had two evenings to enjoy some of the amazing restaurants, and there were plenty within walking distance of the hotel. My husband is a big meat eater, and he was in steak heaven - the dishes are huge and he tells me so much tastier than any meat he has had elsewhere. There were plenty of other options too, and a meal for two with wine was quite reasonable at around £40.
Buenos Aires is a vibrant, lively city, bursting with history, culture, things to see and do and lots of delicious food - perfect before joining a more leisurely-paced cruise!
Our cruise was with MSC, onboard Fantasia. We had previously really enjoyed sailing onboard Virtuosa – Fantasia is a smaller ship, with a capacity of 4363 passengers. With the embarkation port being Buenos Aires, the cruise had a large amount of Spanish speaking people, with English speakers (Brits, Canadians and Americans) in the minority. This suited us perfectly as I speak a good level of Spanish and my husband has been learning for the past few months. If you are looking for a cruise that is about the places you are visiting, whilst mixing with a variety of different nationalities, then this cruise is perfect.
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Embarkation was very smooth, with online check in via the MSC For Me app. We had done as much as we could before leaving the UK, booking all our excursions, drinks package, spa treatments and wifi well in advance. The ship has lovely décor, with a warm, fun atmosphere, and so may facilities – spa, gym, bars, restaurants, theatre - no matter where we went, we felt the service on board was great! We booked the Aurea package, which gives additional benefits, including access to an exclusive solarium area, which was so peaceful - getting a sun lounger or cabana was never an issue, whereas the main pool area can be quite busy. We loved the Gaudi Bar - watching the sunset and enjoying cocktails was a great way to start the evening. The themed White Night and 90s Night were both great fun and the theatre shows included live music, dancing, and some outstanding acrobatics. Lana, the Ambassador for the English speakers onboard, arranged some private events just for us to socialise together, such as a quiz, cocktail tasting and an opportunity to meet some of the management team and officers - we really enjoyed these pre-dinner get togethers, it was very thoughtful.
We had prebooked our shore excursions in advance, it often saves money but more importantly means that they don’t sell out! Our excursions at each port were:
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Ride to the high points of Rio: Our busy day included cable cars, Sugar Loaf Mountain and Christ the Redeemer, situated at the peak of the 700-meter Corcovado Mountain in Tijuca National Park, offering stunning views of Rio.
Ilhabela, Brazil – Waterfalls and Curral Beach by 4x4: Known for its mountainous, tropical scenery, this area features over 40 km of beaches and waterfalls and felt similar to being in the Norwegian Fjords. This is where we were very glad we had invested in a good quality insect repellent – it’s essential!
Camboriu, Brazil – nicknamed ‘The Dubai of Brazil’ this was the only port that we had to tender to shore, but it was very efficient and easy. Once off the ship we boarded the cable cars which were situated just a few metres away to Unipraias Park - a natural park full of fun and adventure. I was really enjoying it until I saw a sign that I knew was going to end up with me in tears - you could zip wire from the top of the mountain to the beach, 240m high and 750m away, reaching a speed of up to 60km/h. My husband was determined I should ‘enjoy’ it, and after much persuasion I said yes. Did I enjoy it? NO! Was I glad I did it? YES! My husband absolutely loved it. The beach at the end was stunning, a great place to chill out, have a strong drink and get my heart rate back to normal.
Montevideo, Uruguay – As Uruguay’s capital, this is a major city with tons of history and magnificent old-style buildings. We joined the Montevideo City Tour & Spinoglio trip - an informative escorted tour learning all about the city, followed by about an hour’s coach drive for a tour and tasting at the Spinoglio Winery.
MSC offers great value for money and Fantasia is a gorgeous mid-sized ship with fantastic customer service. There was so much to see and do, and we enjoyed some amazing places with a vibrant mix of nationalities - we loved every bit of this cruise.
The final part of our holiday was a few nights’ post cruise stay in Iguazú. It’s an amazing place and everything worked so well - transfers from port to airport, internal flights with Aerolineas Argentina, transfers from airport to hotel - all arranged at the time of booking with Fred. Holidays. We stayed at the Iguazu Grand Resort Spa Casino Hotel, on a bed and breakfast basis. The hotel is a lovely 5-star property with a quiet and relaxed atmosphere - a wonderful change from the hustle and bustle of the ship and Buenos Aires. It’s a fantastic location for visiting the Iguazú Falls, which are part of The Iguazú National Park, straddling Argentina and Brazil. The hotel is a 25-minute walk to the centre of Iguazu, should you wish to look around. We had Junior Suite, and the room was spacious and comfortable. We enjoyed dining in the restaurant, drinks in the bar area, and sunbathing with cocktails around the pool, but we had lots of plans for our short stay, so did not make use of all the hotel’s facilities.
We arranged a full day, 10-hour excursion via Get Your Guide to visit both sides of the Iguazú Falls in one day. Our guide was absolutely outstanding, speaking both English & Spanish, and was very informative as well as entertaining! He carried an umbrella so we could easily follow him, so he called himself Julio Poppins - he really was a funny gentleman and made the whole trip, including border crossings, run very smoothly. Our tour included a boat trip under the waterfalls, which was very refreshing on a warm day. There are literally no words to describe the views, my husband and I were speechless when we arrived at Garganta Del Diablo (Devil’s Throat) which is the largest and most powerful U-shaped, 80-meter-high waterfall within the Falls system. It features a 2.1 km walkway leading to a dramatic, misty viewing balcony, and the thunderous water flow often creates intense spray and rainbows. The falls are mesmerizing - you have to witness it to believe it.
The following day we relaxed at the pool and enjoyed the sun, as that evening we had another adventure planned. My husband runs a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu club/gym back home in Tonbridge, so we couldn’t visit this destination and not give him the opportunity to train at a local club. My husband had previously contacted the owner and arranged to attend a class on our last evening, and we were made to very welcome.
We felt that Iguazu was a reasonable place to buy food and drinks, but with around 1800 Argentinean Pesos to the British £, I had to use my phone calculator to work out the costs! A meal for two with drinks at the hotel was less than £40.00. We had tasted Chimichurri when we were in Buenos Aires - a sauce of fresh herbs, garlic, olive oil, and vinegar that originates in Argentina, and a small portion of marinated Chimichurri olives, nuts and cheese was served with our drinks at the hotel bar - we couldn’t get enough of it, absolutely delicious! We also tasted proper Acai, a Brazilian dessert made from frozen açaí berry purée, served in a bowl and topped with other fruit and granola - very tasty.
Iguazu makes a fantastic place to stay as a land-based extension to a cruise, it’s a shame to travel as far as Argentina and not experience the wonders of the Falls. With just a short flight from either Rio, Montevideo or Buenos Aires, it’s easily added on to any South American itinerary. We stayed for 3 nights, and we could have probably done with staying an extra night, as there was more to see.
Knowing that sometimes things don’t go to plan, I included a 1-night hotel stay at the Novotel Buenos Aires Airport the night before our BA flight back to Heathrow - just in case - which meant we could relax, knowing that if our internal flight was delayed for any reason, we had plenty of time to catch our flight back home to the UK.
This was a wonderful holiday, with each element giving a new perspective to our visit to South America, all seamlessly put together by Fred. Holidays. From the bustle of Buenos Aires to the fantastic fun of the cruise, then our final relaxing stay in breathtaking Iguazú – it felt like several holidays, rolled into one great adventure!
