Many have asked “why Uruguay?”. It isn’t on the touristy path, it isn’t known for big sites and it pretty much exists under the radar in many ways. However, it is known for being the most stable country in South America economically, politically and democratically, consistently ranking among the freest globally for political rights and civil liberties. For all of these, Ken has been curious and this was the year we decided to explore and see what it is all about.
After an overnight 4.5 hour flight from Lima to Montevideo, we were happy to experience the super efficient and modern MVD airport. Off the plane and in the taxi within about 20 mins we were buzzing through the burbs with some very nice homes. As we got closer to our apartment, the vibe started to change and it was turning more lower/middle class. Not terrible, but not great.
The apartment we rented via AirBnb, got great reviews, in a good location about 4 blocks from the beach, a padel/pilates gym close and looked to be clean/modern. (https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/51366185?source_impression_id=p3_1765631574_P360Vu_JxZP1IJp8) We were let in by Roberto, the doorman who also showed us to the apartment. It was a LOT smaller than we expected and even on the 4th floor we could hear the constant traffic noise from the major road in front. We can deal with small, but the noise, that was a big question mark, especially for a month-long stay.
We took a breath, and decided the world would look better with some coffee and food (it was 8am). I found a bakery a few blocks away and we wandered over and enjoyed an empanada and lattes. The padel/pilates place was just down the street, so we stopped past and signed up for a pilates reformer class and Ken a padel lesson. Life was looking better.
After getting some fruit/veg and other cooking stuff, it was back to the apartment and see if we could settle in. We heard from Frabrizio, the apt owner checking in. I let him know I was quite surprised by the road noise and he graciously offered to refund our $$ if we chose to opt out (very unusual for an AirBnB). I asked for 24hours. With no sleep due to the overnight flight, it wasn’t a good time to make a decision.
After a good nights sleep (the traffic slows around 11pm), a good pilates session and Ken enjoying his padel lesson, we decided to stay. However, we will be taking some trips to explore the country!
In our walking the neighborhood, we found an upscale grocery store, a couple of good restaurants, a laundry place and lots of panaderias (bakeries). English is limited, but everyone tries hard to understand our even more limited Spanish (Google Translate is our friend) and is very friendly. Prices are similar to the US, this is not a cheap country. Infrastructure is good, with a lot of busses and driving isn’t terrible. Weather has been mostly nice and certainly warm (lowest in the mid-60’s and high around 90).
After arriving on Thursday, we decided to head out on Tuesday to Jose Ignacio/Punta del Esta a beach community about 2 hours North of MVD. Our rental car was delivered to us (very handy) and we followed the Rambla, the main beach road and bike/walking path, which is about 25k through town until we were on a very modern highway in the countryside.
CasaGrande Hotel was nestled next to a small grocery store, two bakeries and about ½ mile to the beach. (https://casagrande.club/es/). We had a one bedroom with a nice patio that felt like a mansion compared to our shoebox In MVD. And, it was quiet!!!
Over the next few days we wandered through the tiny Jose Ignacio with the big mansions overlooking the ocean, found some cool shops in Punta del Esta with its high rises reminiscent of Miami Beach and Ken took another padel lesson. All felt right with the world.
It was tempting to just stay for the remaining 3 weeks, but with Christmas on the way and the kids on their summer break, the prices skyrocket (we paid $400 for 3 days and for Christmas week is is $1200). So, back to MVD!
Next week it is Colonia del Sacramento, which is 2 hours south. I will be back with more info on that next week.