This is my third trip to Buenos Aires. I stayed at this "Tango House" with the sole intention of accessing the somewhat underground Buenos Aires Tango Scene. I am a very experienced dancer, and I have known the owner, Maria Teresa, for a long time. I stayed with her once before when she was hosting Tango dancers at a different apartment, before she bought this property and expanded the business.

Anyway, suffice it to say that this is one of the easiest ways to be able to know where to dance in Buenos Aires, be accompanied by people from Maria's staff, and be able to figure out which of the 5-15 milongas, each night, is worth going to. I went to all the Milongas with Maria herself, and was able to dance with the Argentine Milongueros all night, every night. Especially if you are not a very experienced / good dancer, it can be very difficult to navigate the tango scene in Buenos Aires, so I highly recommend this model.

If you are looking for dance lessons, there are 2 studios in the house, where you can arrange private and semi-private instruction. There are several teachers on staff, and can help you learn the basics or intermediate and advanced tango - depending on your level. On a previous trip, I had expressed the desire to learn Milonga con Traspie, and Maria had arranged a specialist in that genre of the tango for me.

The accommodations are not luxury. They are simple, practical. The house is very old, and has a lot of character. Maria Teresa is looking to do more work on the restoration, so chances are, over the next few years, the ambience might change / enhance substantially.

If you have never danced before, Maria Teresa can arrange lessons for you to begin your exploration of the Tango.

Maria's daughter Marcela has just started a cultural center downstairs, and every saturday night, there is going to be a party. I attended the opening of this, and listened to a superb concert by Saxophonist Miguel di Caro and his trio.

In general, if you are into dance, music, nightlife, Buenos Aires is a splendid place to go. Live concerts can be very inexpensive and very good. I have listened to many over the years at great venues such as Notorious and Torquato Tasso. Again, Maria Teresa and her staff can help you arrange where to go and when.

By all means, while you are there, go to Palermo, especially to a restaurant called Lele de Troya. It's set in a beautiful old building that has been restored with a magical touch.

Another of my favorite destinations is Cafe de Los Angelitos, where I often sit and write, while listening to the music of a live Bandoneon player.

At the house, you would often meet fellow dancers, and going to the dances with them is fun, especially if you are traveling alone. But you don't have to. If a specific Milonga captures your fancy, go for it. I went to Milonga de Los Consagrados, Yira Yira, Confiterial Ideal, La Milongita (Maipu 444), and Casa di Galiseta. But on any one night, you would have anywhere between 5 to 15 choices, so it is helpful to know which Milonga is hot or cool, which ones are frequented by the Milongueros, and where is it bustling with tourists.

Personally, I don't like dance floors that get too crowded, so I skipped the ones popular with tourists like El Nino Bien, Salon Canning, Club Gricel, etc. Although, if I had more time, I would have checked more of them out.

My parting advice: before you go, exchange lots of emails with the staff at Maria Teresa's, because they are very helpful, and can really customize your trip to fit your needs, and trust me, it REALLY helps to have this kind of private and personal service.

And by all means, go and dance!