Villa Gessell Argentina

I goofed when planning our Argentina trip.

Yes, I know that is incredible!…but understandable, as you will most likely agree once you hear what happened.

What I know now, but did not know during the planning stages, is that there are two Buenos Aires.

There is the city of Buenos Aires and there is the province of Buenos Aires. So when I booked a week in Villa Gessell, Buenos Aires I assumed it was a suburb of the city. Silly me, eh.

But, hold on...as it turned out it was a stroke of genius, as Villa Gessell turned out to be a charming place.

Travel by bus is the way to travel in Argentina so let’s get started.

(We will be traveling from the first red dot to the second red dot.)

After leaving the city (and there are miles and miles of city!) we begin the journey through the countryside.

 

I still find it difficult to picture how flat this land is…and I am from the Canadian prairies! But the land in this part of Argentina is so flat that the rain water just sits where it lands!

 

This is ranch country. From time to time we see a windmill, or a ranch house with a tree or two beside it, but mostly it is just miles and miles of open grassland.

About four hours later we arrive in Villa Gessell

and check into our resort…the Magres.

A warm welcome awaited us here…including a Canadian flag put up in our honour. (Never had that happen before!)

And that was just the beginning of a wonderful experience at this lovely resort. 

We are right on the beach. That is the Atlantic Ocean.

It is wintertime when we visit so there are not many people but we see photos of this beach packed with sun bathers in the summertime.

The Boardwalk is featured on many postcards.

One day we join Isabella (the resort’s activity coordinator) and two other guests on a visit to the local museum.

This used to be the home of Carlos Gessell, the man who founded Villa Gessell. (Ah, ha! Now the community’s name makes sense!)

We learn that this area used to be all sand dunes. In the 1930s Carlos Gessell bought land along the coast and started planting trees to supply his business ventures. However, sand and pine trees do not usually go well together…so it took a lot of experimentation before he found the right combination of tree types. But succeed he did…as the forest that grows along this coast proves.

The museum preserves many of the original furnishings of the Gessell family and gives us a glimpse into lifestyle in the 1930 and 40s.  Most of the staff at the museum spoke minimal English and we speak minimal Spanish…so it was wonderful to have Isabelle with us, as she is fluent in both languages!

Another day there is a bicycle trip down the boardwalk and out to see the faro (lighthouse).

Being a coastal community, fishing plays a role in daily life in Villa Gessell. The Atlantic Ocean can be unforgiving…so it was not surprising to see this shrine to The Lady of Fishermen  along the shore.

But the ocean is only one aspect of this tourist city. We spend enjoyable time wandering the street, visiting shops and eating in local restaurants.

All too soon our week in Villa Gessell comes to an end.

Where shall we head to next?

Visit more of Argentina, click here.

and/or

Visit a different country, click here.

Happy travels!