Uruguay

[soonerinatlanta]

The wife and I are considering going to Buenos Aires in Dec. I've heard you can take a ferry to Montevideo, Uruguay.

I've heard of Montevideo and Punta del Este. I understand Punta del Este has beaches on the Atlantic and the river. However, I've heard less-than-ideal reviews of the beach there. I saw a hotel called Casa Pueblo that's near Punta del Este that looks very nice. Kind of Santorini meets Barcelona (Gaudi) architecture. However, it's about $500 per night. That's a bit more than I want to spend.

Does anyone have any recommendations for this part of the world? We'd like to find a nice beach and eat in some good restaurants. I'm not the type that needs a five star hotel but it should be comfortable and have a good location. I'll grab a rental car so I could stay in one location and do a bit of driving each day.

Thanks in advance.

 

[RunTex]

pm me and I will send you some pictures of some of our trips across the River.
Jose Ignacio, which is close to Punta, is a very nice area and my wife likes it over the Four Seasons Carmelo. The 4 seasons is on the Rio Plata not the Atlantic. The beaches are not caribean like if that is what you are looking for, they are more like the Hamptons but the city is more like Nice or Monaco. It is a really cool place and I think you would be glad you visited.

 

[Napoleon]

I've only been over to Colonia (from Buenas Aires) to get my passport stamped. (You have to leave every 3 months to avoid a fine... although the fine is a joke and you can come right back in, so it's not really worth it, but whatever.)Colonia- It's quaint and pleasant for about 2-3 hours (including lunch). You see the old fort, the old town, and then you are done. In December I think people will flock to the beach.

Montevideo- I've never been, but I was just asking a friend about it today. I asked what it was like and he told me "a small Buenos Aires". I asked why anyone should visit and he responded "to say you've been there".

Not a ringing endorsement.

Punta del Este- Haven't been. I had some friends who really wanted to check it out when they were down here, but early-mid March was too late.

I asked a girl (19 years old) who is from Miami what it was like. She said that it was a poor immitation of Miami. She couldn't see herself ever going back.

Yes, it's a beach. People from Buenos Aires and other parts of South America flock there for vacation during the summer. You can rent a house, stay in an apartment, stay in hotels, or I guess resorts. It's well passed Montevideo and if you do not fly, it should probably take about a day to get there on a bus and/or ferry.

That's all I know.

That and their soccer team just got spanked 3-0 by Peru in their first game in the Copa America.

 

[tlonghorn]

I took the ferry from BA to Colonia a little over a year ago. I was backpacking with my girlfriend so our budgets might be a little different.

It poured on us in Colonia so we left for Montevideo right away. Montevideo feels tiny compared to Buenos Aires. Spent a few days there and would have to say that other than Mercado Central there's nothing else to do.

But, if you can go to Mercado Central on a Saturday it is absolutely wonderful. The food is awesome and it's great people watching.

We were in Punta del Este in Mid-late March. According to everyone in town it just died and there were hardly any people in town.
I felt like I was in a Coastal New England town around October.

I don't know, that's just how it felt to me. I'd go back to Punta del Este but only in the busy season. I don't know when you're planning on going but outside of our winter months I'd be prepared for a lack of people.

Wish I could help with hotels, but we were on the cheap.

 

[TXHookem]

I've heard Montevideo is nice and, as another poster put it, a small BA. I've had one person tell me it was "Buenos Aires unplugged". I would add it to my itinerary if I had the time so take that for what it's worth. I'm dying to head back to BA, though.