September is a birthday month in our family, so after we convinced Jack not to have a birthday party here (actually, I think he still believes he'll have one, maybe when Erin's family and the cousins arrive in December...) we booked three days and two nights at an estancia just outside of the city and near the international airport. It's not a working estancia with livestock and guachos - we'll see one in December when everyone comes for Christmas - but we chose it because it looked relaxing for parents yet still entertaining for the boys. We were definitely correct - kudos to Erin for the find!
The house was a two story Tudor style villa in the middle of a very large property. We were kinda sad to see that they're actually in the process of developing a lot of the greater property, with plots for houses already laid out and a golf course in the plans. But driving into the main grounds we found ourselves surrounded by beautiful trees, large lawns, dirt roads that radiated out through bushes and trees, and even a small pond/lake and tennis court.
In the main room we sat down to wait for Florencia, the manager, to show us to our room, and Quinn and Jack found the bar, poured themselves drinks and sat down in one of the large chairs. 
Luckily, Florencia was soon able to take us upstairs to our room and Jack could get into the tub and take the edge off!Our room was amazing. We had to take the family suite because we were four, so we ended up with two bedrooms, two separate bathrooms (luckily, given the boys' drinking habits!) and a living room.
The boys' room had only a king-sized bed, but they thought sharing was great (well, I had to demarcate their respective sides at one point but by nighttime all territory was forgotten).
One of the other hits was that even the boys got bathrobes, which reached the floor, but that didn't stop Quinn from donning one before bed on the first night.
Jack tried his on but it was waaaay too long, and so heavy that it was as if he was a one-boy caravan carrying a load of Egyptian cotton through the halls!
When we booked the reservation Erin and I were concerned that other guests would be bothered by the arrival of two young boys with a lot of enthusiasm for loud, boisterous play, but we were happy to see that there was only one other group of guests (a family of four with two twenty-something daughters) so we were able to stay out of their way most of the time. Phew!
On one side of the house there was an enormous lawn, almost two or three football fields of space, so the boys had ample room to run around playing tag and fútbol with Jack's new ball. He also got new Argentine/Messi jerseys, which he cycled through from one hour to the next. We found ourselves moving from fútbol to the tennis courts to the barn where there was a ping pong table and to the dirt road on bicycles.
It was great for the boys to be able to run outside and play as if they were back in the St. Louis Heights house with our little backyard and hiking trails. There was even swimming pool that they happened to be filling that weekend, since winter appeared to be coming to an end. Although the water they were filling it with was super cold we couldn't resist a chance to swim, our first since leaving home, so on the second day we grabbed towels and jumped in without asking permission. I've never seen Quinn move in the water as quickly as he did when he hit the water!
The boys' room had only a king-sized bed, but they thought sharing was great (well, I had to demarcate their respective sides at one point but by nighttime all territory was forgotten).
One of the other hits was that even the boys got bathrobes, which reached the floor, but that didn't stop Quinn from donning one before bed on the first night.
Jack tried his on but it was waaaay too long, and so heavy that it was as if he was a one-boy caravan carrying a load of Egyptian cotton through the halls!When we booked the reservation Erin and I were concerned that other guests would be bothered by the arrival of two young boys with a lot of enthusiasm for loud, boisterous play, but we were happy to see that there was only one other group of guests (a family of four with two twenty-something daughters) so we were able to stay out of their way most of the time. Phew!
On one side of the house there was an enormous lawn, almost two or three football fields of space, so the boys had ample room to run around playing tag and fútbol with Jack's new ball. He also got new Argentine/Messi jerseys, which he cycled through from one hour to the next. We found ourselves moving from fútbol to the tennis courts to the barn where there was a ping pong table and to the dirt road on bicycles.
It was great for the boys to be able to run outside and play as if they were back in the St. Louis Heights house with our little backyard and hiking trails. There was even swimming pool that they happened to be filling that weekend, since winter appeared to be coming to an end. Although the water they were filling it with was super cold we couldn't resist a chance to swim, our first since leaving home, so on the second day we grabbed towels and jumped in without asking permission. I've never seen Quinn move in the water as quickly as he did when he hit the water!
Meals were also incredible. In total we ate in three different locations: the veranda that opened out to the big lawn where the boys played, which meant that as soon as they were done eating
(and sometimes between courses) they could leave me and Erin to actually have a little uninterrupted conversation (we were a little unsure how to do that the first time they left us alone!);
the dining room, where we at dinner and breakfast; and once we had lunch on a lanai on the side of the house that had a view of the pool and the lake/pond. In true Argentine fashion there were not only the three regular meas but also a merienda tea between 5:00-7:00 or so, which helped us bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, which was served at 9:30. The food was delicious
and on Jack's actual birthday Florencia and the other staff surprised him with a dulce de leche cake with candles and ice cream - muy rico!
One of the funniest things, though, was our horseback ride. On the first day we had gone on a carriage ride through the woods and along the dirt roads, so the gaucho-ish horse guy/guide knew us pretty well. On the second day after lunch and before Jack usually takes a short nap Florencia told us it was a good time for the horseback ride since the horses were ready and available. The boys were excited, especially when she brought out helmets for them to wear.
Quinn got to sit on his own horse, though he was bummed because the guide held a rope that essentially tethered them together until the last couple minutes when he let Quinn's rope go and Quinn got to "steer" his own way back to the barn area. Jack got to sit in front of the guide since he isn't old enough to ride alone, and the man held him carefully against his chest so that Jack wasn't scared and didn't wobble off. About five minutes into the ride, the guide chuckled and gestured that we should check out Jack, who had been lulled to sleep by the slow gait of the horse (and his fully after-lunch belly) and was slumped forward like a drunk little man
(as far as we know he hadn't made a quick trip back to the bar after finishing his meal!). He didn't wake up until we finished the ride - his first (and I'd bet, last) nap on the back of a horse!
The stay went quickly and soon we found ourselves climbing back into the remise and heading home. We made ourselves feel better by dreaming that maybe we'd return in November, but by then there will be more guests and we know we won't have the same experience (the other family only spent one night so we had the entire place to ourselves for the second night and third half day) so we've decided that we'll just enjoy the memories of Jack's 5th birthday at the beautiful Villa Maria and continue on to other great adventures.
(and sometimes between courses) they could leave me and Erin to actually have a little uninterrupted conversation (we were a little unsure how to do that the first time they left us alone!);
the dining room, where we at dinner and breakfast; and once we had lunch on a lanai on the side of the house that had a view of the pool and the lake/pond. In true Argentine fashion there were not only the three regular meas but also a merienda tea between 5:00-7:00 or so, which helped us bridge the gap between lunch and dinner, which was served at 9:30. The food was delicious
and on Jack's actual birthday Florencia and the other staff surprised him with a dulce de leche cake with candles and ice cream - muy rico!One of the funniest things, though, was our horseback ride. On the first day we had gone on a carriage ride through the woods and along the dirt roads, so the gaucho-ish horse guy/guide knew us pretty well. On the second day after lunch and before Jack usually takes a short nap Florencia told us it was a good time for the horseback ride since the horses were ready and available. The boys were excited, especially when she brought out helmets for them to wear.
Quinn got to sit on his own horse, though he was bummed because the guide held a rope that essentially tethered them together until the last couple minutes when he let Quinn's rope go and Quinn got to "steer" his own way back to the barn area. Jack got to sit in front of the guide since he isn't old enough to ride alone, and the man held him carefully against his chest so that Jack wasn't scared and didn't wobble off. About five minutes into the ride, the guide chuckled and gestured that we should check out Jack, who had been lulled to sleep by the slow gait of the horse (and his fully after-lunch belly) and was slumped forward like a drunk little man
(as far as we know he hadn't made a quick trip back to the bar after finishing his meal!). He didn't wake up until we finished the ride - his first (and I'd bet, last) nap on the back of a horse!The stay went quickly and soon we found ourselves climbing back into the remise and heading home. We made ourselves feel better by dreaming that maybe we'd return in November, but by then there will be more guests and we know we won't have the same experience (the other family only spent one night so we had the entire place to ourselves for the second night and third half day) so we've decided that we'll just enjoy the memories of Jack's 5th birthday at the beautiful Villa Maria and continue on to other great adventures.
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