Argentina

Argentina is great. And cheap.

Great because it is a fantastically diverse country, with a vibrant, cosmopolitan capital city, and a wide range of tourist destinations from the icy Patagonian south to the tropical north, from the Andes peaks in the west, to the stunning Iguazu falls in the east.

And cheap because it is still recovering from the economic troubles it suffered earlier in the decade – you can enjoy shopping, meals and nights out at some of the hottest spots in town, at giveaway prices.

PoloSkool was created to tap into this opportunity and offers intensive polo courses at prices you won’t find anywhere in the world. In fact, we’re confident you won’t even find them elsewhere in Argentina.

Buenos Aires (and beyond)

One of the major benefits of La Tarde Polo Club is that it is a good deal closer to the capital than most estancias, which tend to be fairly isolated. In a little over an hour you can be in the heart of downtown BA, which makes day (and night) trips an attractive option, particularly on the designated rest day each week.

Firm favourites on the shopping trips are the polo stores (Arandu, King’s Game, La Dolfina, La Polera, La Martina), the huge and varied Galeria Pacifico mall (good whites at Wrangler, girls), the shops on Santa Fe avenue, and (last but not least) Freddo’s ice creams.

The bars, clubs and restaurants of BA are fantastic – PoloSkool venues of choice last season were: Milion restaurant (mainly for the daiquiris), Plaza Serrano and Las Canitas (for the variety of bars – and a good dose of cumbia dancing), and a number of clubs: Opera Bay, Rumi, Pacha, 69 (and not forgetting La Colmena in Pilar).

Other BA attractions include the best polo on view anywhere in the world, at the Palermo open – running from October to December. See Adolfito running rings around the rest of them. Or from mid-February, take a trip to the Bombonera and watch a Boca Juniors game. Better than that, watch the lunatic Boca supporters, including “El Diez” Diego Maradona hanging out of his executive box. Or take in a tango show at Café Tortoni, the renowned old café where Borges did a lot his writing (and now home to a rather odd waxwork imitiation of the great man).

Finally, you could jump on a city tour bus, which takes in all of the major attractions: Recoleta cemetery (burial place of Evita and legendary tango composer Carlos Gardel), the colourful port area and Caminito in La Boca, the “Pink House” – home of the president, and so on…

A bit further afield, PoloSkoolers last season took advantage of the proximity of Uruguay to catch a ferry across the River Plate to visit the pretty colonial town of Colonia del Sacramento (a world heritage site) and the classy resort of Punta del Este, with its stunning beaches and jumping nightlife.