Estancia Don Silvano

We stayed at a 4-day stay in Buenos Aires. This day was so much fun. Over several glasses of tasty Malbec and plentiful portions of traditional Argentine meat dishes, we were made by the incredibly talented singer and musician Diego Arolfo along with dancers and performers who have a magnificent show of Argentine music and dance styles. Diego is a really talented singer and musician and I'm so glad I bought his CD to come to Australia with me. It brings happy memories back to a beautiful day and presented me to a new kind of music that I would not have discovered on such a short trip to Buenos Aires. Gracias!

That was a fantastic experience for my whole family! It's a bit far from Buenos Aires, but I think that makes this place so special. It is far from the madness of the city, here you can ride horses, drink mate, have a wonderful asado lunch while you are part of an amazing show. The person who sings, I think his name was Christian, was excellent. After lunch we had a free time and my kids drove bikes, then they had a show with horses and before we left, they gave us a few mates and this typical pastry to go with it. It is a day trip that would really make you feel Argentine culture. Absolutely worth it!

We enjoyed our day at Don Silvano Ranch, but it was oversold and disappointing in parts. The highlight for us was the song and dance show during the 2.5-hour lunch. The singer was great and the dancers had an excellent job. The day started for us with the pickup from our hotel at 9.45. We drove from Buenos Aires for an hour before we stop in a gift shop for 15 minutes. The ranch was 30 minutes from here. Our guide spoke to us on the way in Spanish and English about what we would find. It seemed to us that the Spanish to English ratio was about 70/30 and it was so for most of the day, but I guess we have the important bits. Upon arrival at 11.00 we received an empalada and a drink and left our own devices for the next 2 hours. There wasn't much to do. Many of the guests were in the pools, but there was no mention of it is all we read. As other reviewers have mentioned, riding is really just horse sitting on an animal that makes the same track 20 times a day for 10 15 minutes at a time. There is no sign of cows and advertising for milking just didn't happen. At 1:00 we were called for lunch. There must have been 200 people in this room, so it was very crowded and only half saw the stage the other half had to turn around. Beverages were provided and then the food was poured out for 2 hours. As you can imagine, it was a mission. The food was average. We found the ribs and steak to be hard, but we found that during our Argentine holiday. As mentioned was the highlight of the singer. After lunch, the gaucho show was also a disappointment. 2 young Gauchos drove their horses over 200m and then tried, but usually not to do the same, but drag a ring down as they crossed the finish line. Once again, the majority of the comment was in Spanish with long breaks before any English. We were back on the bus and did not go to our hotels, but the next point along Avenue 9 July. Not terrible, but also not great

We booked directly in their Florida office in Buenos Aires for less than half the price we have seen advertised on the internet; although it's just cash. We arrived on a somewhat bleak day and wondered what we've let in for us! First impressions are the place was quite drab and run. The inviting Empanada (you get only one) was delicious and the wine paleable that I had, as the Cola was Diet/Max. The horse ride is literally 10 minutes after another horse around a paddock, although there was no queue; most other visitors today are a trainer full of older Argentineans who have opted for the carriage ride. There is really not much other to see or do (pool etc closed) and the two largest buildings are only for hotel guests, so it was a waiting period for lunch. On the trainer they had mentioned Empanada production, but this was 't materialized but the main 'Guide' Eduardo was looking for us to drink a lesson about the custom and prepare Mate. That was really good and informative and made for a very social event before lunch. Lunch is a typical Asada served with several meat sausage dishes, chicken, beef, pork with salads and bread. Followed by a flan type dessert. The conversation was excellent with a singer/musician who played several instruments and sang songs from different regions and two dancers who also danced some of the regional dances. He even made a point to sing or play a song for the other nationalities there (German, Colombian and English). In the end, Tango lesson was for everyone and a demonstration of a really good tango, much better than I had seen elsewhere in Buenos Aires. The rather rough coach party added the fun, singing together with the traditional songs and their humor was infectious. Strong rain over lunch curated the gaucho ad, but it was still fun to watch and again the traditions behind the activities have explained. Don Silvano was never a functioning Estancia, was opened for tourists over 100 years ago, but despite its tired appearance the lunch and entertainment work to make it a fun day for everyone.

This is a great way to get out of Buenos Aires for a day see a bit of rural Argentina. Our hotel pick-up/drop-off was prompt efficient with an excellent guide. At the estancia there was a variety of activities offered, especially for famalies.. The all eat/drink served luncheon was excellent with a variety of BBQed meats. An unexpected bonus was a stage show of tango dancers and vocal performers. Great value for money. Bought tickets a few days in advance at the Burquebus office in B A . less costly than internet purchase)