Argentina - The Rough Guide to South America on a Budget - page 127

Ì Touring Club Fontana 240 T 0280 443 3997,
W touringpatagonia.com.ar. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry,
author of The Little Prince , and (reportedly) Butch Cassidy
and the Sundance Kid have all stayed at this faded Art
Deco hotel. The compact rooms are pretty simple, but the
atmosphere - especia lly in the high-ceilinged café-bar -
is a real draw. AR$250

tidy, though not always the quietest. The owners run the
Tito Bottazzi agency (see box op posite) and offer guests
discounts on tours. Dorms AR$45
La Posta Av de las Ballenas s/n T 0280 449 5036,
W lapostapiramides.com.ar. If you're in a big group, the
La Posta apartments - sleeping up to six people and
featuring kit chenette s and TVs - are a good-value option.
Apartments AR$500

1

Gaiman
Much smaller and prettier than its
busy neighbour, GAIMAN 's claim to
fame is its wonderful Welsh teas , so
renowned that even the late Princess
Diana came to enjoy one in 1995.
Served from around 3pm every day in
lovely cottages (or their gardens), they
consist of freshly brewed tea, home-
made cakes (including the famous torta
negra , a traditional Welsh fruitcake),
scones, breads and jams - portions
are huge.

Trelew
TRELEW doesn't offer a huge amount in the
way of sights, but it has good air and bus
connections throughout the region,
including to the nearby village of Gaiman
(see below). The town is proud of its Welsh
history - “Trelew” in Welsh means “village
of Lewis”, in honour of Lewis Jones, the
town's founder. It also has, at Fontana &
Lewis Jones, the highly acclaimed Museo
Paleontológico Egidio Feruglio (April-Aug
Mon-Fri 10am-6pm, Sat & Sun
10am-7pm; Sept-March daily 9am-8pm;
AR$42; T 0280 443 2100, W mef.org.ar),
which houses one of the country's most
important paleontological collections;
excellent guided tours in English, German
and Italian are free on request. The nearby
Museo Regional Pueblo de Lewis was closed
for refurbishment at the time of research,
but is due to reopen in the future. It has
fascinating displays on the Welsh
settlement in the area.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMAT ION
By plane Trelew Airport, 5km northeast of the town,
has flights across Argentina, including to Ushuaia and
El Calafate; passengers on all domestic flights must pay
a departure tax of AR$32. A taxi to/from the town centre
costs about AR$30.
By bus The bus station is next to the Plaza Centenario.
Destinations Bariloche (1 daily; 13-16hr); Buenos Aires
(11 daily; 19-21hr); Gaiman (every 30min; 25-35min;
Puerto Madryn (every 30min-1hr; 1hr); Río Gallegos (4-5
daily; 15-16hr).
Tourist information The main tourist o ce is on San
Martín, at Mitre ( T 0280 442 6819, W trelewpatagonia
.gov.ar; Mon-Fri 8am-8pm, Sat & Sun 9am-9pm).

ARRIVAL AND INFORMAT ION
By bus There are regular buses to and from Trelew (every
30min; 25-35min); they arrive and depart from the
central square.
Tourist information The tourist o ce (Mon-Sat
9am-8pm, Sun 11am-7pm; T 0280 449 1571, W gaiman
.gov.ar) is at Belgrano 574, a 5min walk from the main
square.

ACCOMMODAT ION AND EATING
Most tea houses charge around AR$80-90 per person for
tea, and are closed on Monday.
Plas y Coed Yrigoyen 320 T 0280 449 1133. The owners
have done a good job of re-creating the home-from-home
atmosphere that pervaded their original property -
Gaiman's first tea house - just around the cor ner, and
there's a spacious living room for guests. AR$300
Ì Ty Gwyn 9 de Julio 147 T 0280 449 009, W tygwyn
.com.ar. Located a block away from the main square and
attached to a lovely casa de té, Ty Gw yn has clean, compact
rooms with woo den floors and partial views of the Río
Chubut. AR$300
Ty Nain Yrigoyen 283 T 0280 449 1126. This ivy-clad
building, dating back to 1890, is one of the most authentic
tea houses. The abundant tea is served by a descendant of
the first Welsh woman born in Gaiman. There's a tiny
museum at the back. Daily except Mon 3-7pm.
Yr Hen Ffordd Michael Jones 342 T 0280 449 1394,
W yrhenffordd.com.ar. Sparsely but charmingly decorated
in the best Welsh fashion, this B&B will make you feel you
are at high tea all day . Friendl y owners preside over this
historic brick building. AR$200

ACCOMMODAT ION AND EATING
Comedor Universitario Luis Yllana Just off 9 de Julio.
If you're after an inexpensive breakfast, lunch or early
dinner, join the students at this bustling university canteen,
which serves simple, hearty dishes (around AR$30-40).
Daily 10am-8pm.