It’s time for a tango or two in Argentina

IT’S still bargain season in Argentina, judging from the reports I’ve received from returning travelers. Despite the country’s ongoing economic recovery, good deals abound. The peso continues to trade at three to the dollar (versus a rate of one to the dollar two years ago). When you see a price of 55 pesos in a Buenos Aires shop window, you immediately reduce that figure by two thirds to get the U.S.-dollar equivalent -- about $18. By contrast, when you spot a price of 55 pounds in a London store, you multiply by almost two to figure out the dollar cost -- about $97.50.

At a good restaurant in Buenos Aires, two large steaks -- among the best in the world -- with appetizers, sides, desserts and wine costs about $40 for two diners.

Subways cost pennies, large cones of Argentina’s world-renowned ice cream cost about 40 cents, and coffee or tea are less expensive than bottled water from overseas.

Lodgings are the occasional exception. Several good hotels now fix their prices in dollars, and the tourist who hasn’t shopped around for a modest hotel priced in pesos gets no advantage from the weak Argentine currency. Almost everything else -- food, clothing, sightseeing -- is unusually cheap.

Although most of the major travel search engines (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity) offer rooms in tourist-class hotels for as low as $59 to $79 per room per night, those in the know will go to the European hotel-search service Venere (www.venere.com). Venere doesn’t feature Argentina on its main menu, but if you type in “Buenos Aires,” you’ll quickly discover lodgings for $23 to $95 a night in this city of steaks and tango.

As for air-and-land packages to Buenos Aires, Gate 1 Travel, www.gate1travel.com, (800) 682-3333, seems to be the value leader. For round-trip air between Los Angeles and Buenos Aires with five nights at the Hotel Embajador, the cost is $755 to $865 per person, depending on date of departure during March and April.

For a six-night stay, spending four nights in Buenos Aires and two in Iguacu Falls, including upgraded hotels (Sheratons in both Buenos Aires and Iguacu), travelers can find similar bargains. The trip, which includes round-trip air between Buenos Aires and Iguacu Falls (on the border between Argentina and Brazil), breakfast daily and round-trip air between the U.S. and Argentina, can be had on Gate 1 for prices starting at around $2,000 per person for travel in March and April.

It is now summertime in Argentina (the seasons are the reverse of ours), and temperatures often reach 100 degrees in February. Visiting there in March or April means that autumn is just beginning, and conditions are enjoyable.

Four or so days in Buenos Aires is usually enough for most visitors, and a trip to Iguacu Falls then rounds out a week-long stay at moderate cost.