Argentina with John Manion

Bienvenidos a Argentina! Our trip begins in the evening when we’ll convene at our hotel for a sumptuous introduction to Buenos Aires. After getting to know John and munching on a few local specialties, we’ll venture out into the city for an immersive dinner while toasting the adventure ahead.

Afterwards, we’ll absorb the buzzing energy unique to Buenos Aires with a live, rooftop tango show.

Today we’ll embark on a tour of a few historic neighborhoods bursting in local color and lore. First it’s off to the barrio Recoleta for an immersive tour. Then we’ll head to the 1908 Colón Theater, South America’s finest to enjoy an insider’s look at the ornate building’s frescos, backstage area and studios.

Next, we’re off to unforgettable Palermo, lined with its mesmerizing street art and bustling local markets. We’ll sit down for lunch where we’ll roll our sleeves up for an authentic Argentine cooking class. 

After an afternoon of exploring Buenes Aires on your own, we’ll reconvene together for dinner at one of Buenos Aires’ top restaurants where we’ll enjoy a single surprise tasting menu full of haute cuisine with Argentinian soul.

We’ll continue our exploration of Buenos Aires for a unique street food experience where we trace the origin stories of specific ingredients while rambling through one of the city’s most iconic neighborhoods. We’ll start in San Telmo, the city’s oldest barrio, whose cobbled alleyways make up the heart of tango; continuing on to the unforgettable La Boca, lined with its iconic bold and brightly painted buildings. Once there, we’ll listen to street musicians on Caminito street and indulge in a family-style lunch.

After lunch, we’ll hop on a short flight to Mendoza. Here, we’ll toast our arrival, marvel at the storybook views in every direction, and enjoy an evening of rest.

This morning we begin our time in the heart of Argentina’s wine country by relaxing at the hotel, enjoying its stunning grounds and spa services.

In the afternoon we’ll visit the local vineyards for a tour and tasting. Their winemaking ethos focuses on a quintessentially natural process, in which all grapes are hand harvested and most are foot crushed.

In the afternoon, we’ll visit Santa Julia Bodega, a winery known for producing some of the region’s finest olive oils. There, we’ll try our hand at making clay-oven empanadas from scratch at Pan y Olivia, learning how to use seasonal ingredients to create mouth-watering traditional dishes.

After some downtime at our boutique hotel, we’ll regroup for a look into Mendoza, the nearly 500-year-old bohemian town with an Art Deco center. If you’ve ever enjoyed a glass of Malbec, you’ll love its homeland. 

We’ll start the day in exquisite repose—seriously, you’ll have time to relax and stroll the grounds of our breathtaking hotel or even breakfast in bed.

Today we’ll spend our time at a renowned, picturesque family winery. While there we’ll savor a stunning wine-paired lunch with the Andes Mountains literally hovering behind us. Then for dinner, we’ll enjoy a one-of-a-kind menu of the charred delicacies of an authentic asado!

After breakfast, our wine immersion begins anew. Our first stop begins with a refreshing toast of sparkling wines—each bottle derives from hand-picked varietals sourced from the Uco Valley. Every transcendent wine tasting deserves another, so we’ll shuffle over to another heralded estate for a flight of some younger wines and a conversation with the cellarmaster.

Lunch is a special treat; Enjoy panoramic vineyard views while the sun dips behind the Andes at a winery nestled in the heart of the Uco Valley

Our bellies full, we’ll check into the beautiful Alpasion Lodge and take some time to decompress and relax.

Dinner tonight is yours to embellish.

Today we tap into our inner gaucho with a full-on Andean adventure climbing up the mountain on horseback! Afterwards, we’ll reconvene for lunch at a local hacienda—far from a simple boxed lunch, this will be a banquet of freshly harvested seasonal ingredients cooked with traditional gaucho methods.

After spending some time relaxing at the hotel, we’ll reconvene for our farewell dinner. We’ll watch in awe as a team of chefs prepare a gaucho-worthy feast of slow-grilled rib eye roasted on an open flame. Wrapped in alpaca blankets, we’ll toast with John to this perfect end to our week together.

Alas, it’s time for our journey to end. We’ll celebrate our adventure over breakfast, with a last cortado or glass of Malbec, before offering fond farewells and transferring to the Mendoza Airport.