I live in Mendoza, so just take the 35 min flight over on travel days. Bus over the Andes if it’s a holiday and flight prices are outrageous.

Santiago is worth seeing, but it’s expensive, and I’ve done it. So it’s just a layover now.

Flights out of Argentina are super expensive due to the three impuestos país. I always buy my tickets out of Santiago, Chile. Round trips from Chile run me $7-800 while costing around $1,800 out of BA.