A perfect stay at Hotel Montevideo
As for the perfect first stop on this two-week-long trip to South America, I chose Montevideo. I have been to Chile, Argentina and Uruguay in 2018 and had the best memories of Uruguay and Montevideo. That’s why I thought it would be best to begin the trip there. However, on this journey, I learned once more that you can’t control everything and things in life always come other than planned. So after a 16-hour flight from Doha to Sao Paulo, two friends and I were over excited to finally depart for our flight to Montevideo. When the plane landed back in Sao Paulo, 2.5 hours after it had departed in Sao Paulo, our faces were frosted like in a movie. Due to severe weather conditions, our flight got changed to the next day and instead of a luxury hotel in Montevideo, we ended up in an airport hotel in Sao Paulo. Once we finally made it to Uruguay the next day, I don’t remember the last time I was so happy when checking in at a hotel. Arriving at the Hotel Montevideo felt like coming home finally. They were expecting us already and offered a truly warm welcome.
Situated between the old town of Montevideo and the posh Carrasco neighbourhood, this recently opened five-star hotel is a perfect addition to Montevideo’s portfolio of luxury hotels. I have to say that I fell in love with the hotel’s interior design totally and probably I would design my home in the same way. Already upon entering the lobby, one is greeted by the massive art piece consisting of birds and lights. A friendly bellman took care of our suitcases and accompanied us to our room on the eighth floor. The elevators as well as the elevator lobbies reflect the posh and elegant vibe of the hotel.
Our Superior King room was facing the back of the hotel where you could get a glimpse of the Rio de la Plata behind the buildings. Right next to the entrance was some wardrobe space as well as the minibar that consisted of mainly local products. There was even an explanation and map of Uruguay to show where the minibar items were from. Opposite the wardrobe was the small but elegant bathroom with a single vanity, toilet, bidet and spacious walk-in shower. Unfortunately, the bathroom toiletries were unbranded though smelled quite nice still. Towels were of excellent quality and our first shower felt like the absolute highlight of the day.
So if you want to do your maths, let me summarize the sleep of my last days. Having had a total of 12 hours of sleep in the last three nights, I am not sure if it was the quality of the bed at Hotel Montevideo that I felt like a newborn when waking up the next day. To be honest the mattress was simply world-class, the pillows and blanket matched exactly my softness and the bed linen of the highest quality. So it was a bed worth 10/10. Waking up to such a killer view of my favourite city in South America made me happy again after all the hassle and travel of the days before. Right in front of the balcony was a writing desk with all important information and a welcome treat consisting of two tasty brownies with berries. A chic armchair in fur was placed in the corner of the room to put an accent in front of the heavenly double bed. Overall the comfort of the room was excellent and I truly felt welcome and comfortable.
After we had settled in the room and refreshed ourselves, we went to the rooftop bar that seemed to be a prominent place for locals to hang out. It’s always a good sign if locals mingle in this kind of hotel as this creates a lively and more busy atmosphere for hotel guests. We had two excellent pisco sours with a stunning view of the city. There is also a rooftop pool next to the bar but unfortunately, it was closed due to the bad weather. It’s a great place for some warm and sunny summer days. Breakfast is served in the Polo Bamba restaurant next to the front desk on the ground floor. It’s split up into a buffet part while some dishes are served a la carte. I had excellent scrambled eggs which seemed to be from free-range eggs. Service was attentive and always very friendly. The quality of the products offered was excellent and I felt they had a great choice of dishes. The clientele was quite mixed consisting of couples and businessmen - generating a posh vibe even for breakfast.
All that is left to say is that the Hotel Montevideo is now my favourite hotel in one of my favourite cities in Latin America. I simply love the design in Uruguay, the architecture, the climate and that it is one of the most developed places in South America. I am happy to see that Hotel Montevideo really keeps up to the highest standards and can easily compete with any high-end five-star hotel in Europe. No wonder this hotel is part of the Leading Hotels of the World. Now when we are talking about prices, it leaves me absolutely speechless and I think this is one of the world’s best value-for-money luxury hotels. I saw double rooms for around 150 USD per night which is a steal considering you are in one of the most expensive places in the whole of South America. I can highly recommend the beautiful Hotel Montevideo.
