Once upon a time in the 70s and 80s, Mar del Plata was THE place for the rich and famous of Argentina to have a weekend home near the beach.  Every summer this city just a few hours south of Buenos Aires along the Atlantic Coast would turn into a mini Buenos Aires with an ocean view.  Hotels would fill up, the glamour ous casino would experience its hay day and bars, cafes and expensive restaurants filled as this mini-Cannes would become the temporary home to Argentina’s elite masses.

Since the last economic crisis in 2001, Mar del Plata became more affordable to the middle class of Argentina and to this day hotels sell out completely during the peak summer months of November through March.

This year marks the 23rd annual Mar del Plata Film Festival – one of the most prestigious film festivals of South America.  Participants include filmmakers not only from Argentina but from the entire world, classifying this festival in the category “A” by the FIAPF, making its counterparts the festivals in Cannes, Berlin and Venice.

This year three movies to keep your eyes on are

1. Panorama by Thomas Clay (Spanish: Soi Cowboy) projected on the 12th and 13th of November
2. The Hurt Locker by Katheryn Bigelow starring Ralph Feinnes and Guy Pearce. Bigelow herself will be attending the event. Check the Mar del Plata Film Festival official website for more information.

From the official festival website:

The Cinema Festival is the annual meeting between the audience and the traditional and avant-guard cinematographies that are screened in the many parallel sections.

Since 1996 up to the last edition in 2007, many foreign personalities have attend the festival, among them Gina Lollobrigida, who was payed tribute for being the most popular celebrity to attend the first festival in 1954, Jacqueline Bisset, Elsa Martinelli, Raquel Welch, Renee Zellweger, Francisco Rabal, Amparo Soler Leal, Lina Wertmüller, Percy Adlon, Arturo Ripstein, Pilar Miro, Dino Risi, Alfonso Arau, Antonio Ferrandiz, Abbas Kiarostami, Maria Grazia Cucinotta, Catherine Deneuve, Geraldine Chaplin, Sonia Braga, Emily Watson, Julie Delpy, Nikita Mijalkov, Sally Potter, Alex de la Iglesia, Liv Ullman, Jeremy Irons, Alan Rickman, Philip Noyce, Istvan Szabo, Gerard Depardieu, Volker Schlöndorff, María de Medeiros, Helen Mirren, Vittorio Taviani, Mario Monicelli, Hanna Schygula, Kathleen Turner, Héctor Babenco, Ken Russell, Bob Rafelson, Norman Jewison, Susan Seidelman, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Krzystof Zanussi, Michael Winterbotton, Abel Ferrara and Juliette Binoche.

To get to Mar del Plata, there are several buses running daily and nightly from the Retiro station as well as a slightly more expensive option of a train from Buenos Aires.  Reserve your hotels in advance as the Davis Cup is happening at the same time.  (Keep your eyes peeled for Guillermo Vilas!).

Surf’s up!

Don’t forget your bathing suit and some suntain lotion, because there are miles and miles of beautiful beaches, lots of shopping and nightlife around the city and great seafood to be eaten!  Right about now you can also catch a glimpse of the migrating Southern Right Whales by going out to the pier with the Jesus statue that looks like Rio’s Corcovado.

And don’t be fooled by the Port.  Although there are plenty of restaurants to find fresh seafood, the Port of Mar del Plata is more buffet style, not so awesome places to eat (imagine “Long John Silvers” food chain).

So my suggestion is to move slightly away from the port.  For excellent seafood a must try is the Taberna Baska at 12 de Octubre 3301.  One of their specialties is my favorite – “chupirines en salsa negra”, squid cooked in its own ink sauce.  Fabulous.

If you’ve got a car or rent a car while you’re down there, its worth a trip to drive just a 15 minutes south of the Farol, the lighthouse to the beautiful cliffs. If you’re not into landscape, there’s plenty of shopping to be done in the city center where they have a street similar to Florida Street in Buenos Aires – no cars allowed, just shopping shopping shopping.

If you’re looking for shopping but are looking for something a little more exclusive, go to the old city center of Mar del Plata, on Guemes Street.  You can find some really nice cafes, restaurants, bars, almacens and ice cream shops to enjoy a lovely warm afternoon.  But be sure to not overdo going to cafes during the afternoon and evening hours, because the real time to be seen at the cafes in the city so fondly called “La Feliz” (Happy) is at breakfast.

The typical Argentine sits at the cafe in the morning with his cafe con leche and tres medialunas (what other people know typically as croissants). but where you go says a lot about who you are.  There are two main cafes that are THE place to be seen in the morningtime.  Confiteria Boston that looks out over the ocean is right at the same level as the boulevard where people take their morning walks along the oceanfront just on the Bahia Varesse. Up until a few years ago, medialunas from this place where considered the BEST in Argentina, however there’s another place that has risen to the challenge with a little more sophistication and sweetness. Tio Curzio is a two story restaurant and reception hall located in a restored old mansion looking out over the ocean with an elegant patio, great views and medialunas that are addictive from the very first bite.

Of course, when you arrive to Mar del Plata, you’ll definitely see a lot of advertising for Havanna for the famous alfahore Havanna was born in this city.  Go to any of the cafes to try some of their delicious goodies and coffees.  Anything Havanna is a great gift from this little city by the ocean.

Just like in Buenos Aires, there are tons of great ice cream shops and pizzerias – which makes the city a great place to go weather you’re by yourself, with some friends or with your family.

For more information on the Film Festival, with listings of the programs and dates and times, go here: http://www.mardelplatafilmfest.com/.  But before you go, make sure you have lodging since the Davis Cup is being held in Mar del Plata at the same time this year.  That’s a big deal, so check things out before you go.

I’ve been to Mardel several times over the past three years, so check out my Flickr Mar del Plata set.

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