Colón, a boon for water and nature lovers (no irrigation
involved), is an idyllic weekend respite from the Porteño capital. Only five
hours by bus – see the size of Argentina and you realise single-digit-hour
journeys are short – we were pleasantly surprised with this pretty town in the province
of Entre Rios (Between the Rivers).
It is a popular tourist destination for Argentines but
retains a local feel, making it an ideal getaway while still being authentic. Apart
from meeting a couple of Dutch lads who lived in Buenos Aires, everyone else we interacted with were natives.
We went over the Easter weekend, which turned out to be perfect.
The temperature was around 30 degrees, there was a lovely holiday buzz and importantly it was safe to
walk around at night on our own.
Water galore
Being between the rivers - River Paraná which goes through
Paraguay and Brazil, and River Uruguay - Colón has plenty of water-based
activities to offer, as relaxing or active as you like.
Termas
Despite the sun beating down and the temperature up to 31
degrees by mid-morning, no trip to Colón would be complete without a visit to
the termas. By 10.30am on Easter Friday the Termas de Colón was packed
with holiday makers. Most of the benches and chairs had already been taken, although you can rent chairs from the
café. If not, there is plenty of grass and wooden decking on which to make yourself at home.
Replete with slides, several pools and hydrotherapy, you can easily spend a day relaxing in or by the water.
Entrance fee: £6.66* (AR$100) per person
Other termas nearby include Termas de San Jose and
Termas de Villa Elisa.
Island hopping
We didn't realise how expansive the River Uruguay was until we took a boat ride. You see the various islands on the river, including San Francisco, and go up to the General Artigas Bridge, a road bridge that connects Argentina, via Colón, to the town of Paysandú in Uruguay. Nice in the afternoon when it's not baking.
Cost: £6.66-£8 (AR$100-120) per person for 1.15hr round-trip to the
bridge and islands
Other activities: swimming in the river, fishing kayaking, canoeing,
parilla on the river front
Food/gastronomy
Colón has a remarkably good selection of cheese and deli
goods, as well as a healthy abundance of fish, as one would expect in a riverine town, but which is surprisingly hard to come by in BA.
El Sótano de los Quesos: A riverside deli set in a cave with
an adjoining restaurant. A huge assortment of expensive, albeit tasty cheese
judging by the queues. We went three times and each time people were lining up
outside the door. There are also deli items such as jams, meats, dried fruit, chocolates and
the ubiquitous dulce de leche.
Beware of strange opening hours: Tuesdays & Wednesdays,
17.30 – 23.00
Thursdays, Fridays & Saturdays, 1730 – 24.00
Sundays, 13.30 – 21.00
Los Cosquilla de Ángel: A cute, intimate restaurant though on the
pricey end compared with most other eateries in town. A wide range of pasta and
options for coeliacs. For a quality restaurant, I was disappointed with my
pasta dish - mushroom paparadelle with cherry tomatoes, garlic and basil. The pasta
was flavoured with mushrooms rather it being an ingredient in the meal and the
strips were not cut. However, Alistair said that his steak was one of the best
he had tasted in Argentina. Lovely, welcoming owner who is taken with Chelsea, London.
Brown 38: An unpretentious restaurant set just off the main
square with an exhaustive menu, including pizza, pasta, Milanese, steak and
good portion of fish.
La gran cabaña de Antonio: While not gourmet cuisine, you could do worse than a £10 (AR$150) an-all-you-can-eat buffet of asado, pasta and salad.
Bahillo: Delectable ice creams and desserts, especially the
Bariloche cake.
Accommodation
Given the time of year, we were lucky to find
reasonably-priced, decent accommodation at La Posada de Colón.
I know I’m biased and this was the only place we stayed in
but it was cute and homely. It’s run by a quirky lady called Catalina who has
German heritage and also lived in Germany for several years.
Cost: £140 (AR$2,100) for a double room with an ensuite bathroom (very
hot water) including breakfast for 3 nights; good selection of tea
Location: Combatientes de Malvinas 321, very close to the Termas and to the bus station which was extremely handy as we were catching the 7am bus back to
Buenos Aires.
Extras: Swimming pool, pet chicken
For more information about Colón,visit:
*Exchange rate of AR$15 = £1
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