Week 5 Montevideo

Transportation: Erin

We flew to from Sao Paulo to Montevideo for $257 US dollars per person, totaling $1285. We arrived in Montevideo’s only airport at noon after a 2 ½ hour nonstop flight.
Review the flight details

Sao Paulo (GRU)
Depart 9:25 am
Terminal 1 to Montevideo (MVD)
Arrive 12:00 pm 974 mi
(1,568 km)
Duration: 2hr 35mn

Flight: 8046

Economy/Coach Class , Airbus A320

Total distance: 974 mi (1,568 km) Total duration: 2hr 35mn

We explored the city of Montevideo thoroughly during our stay there. Travel by bus in the city is very safe, and service is very friendly and helpful. We took a bus from the airport to our hotel for very cheap. Buses were convenient but crowded, and to get to many of the attractions we visited and to the restaurants we dined at, we took taxi’s. Taxi’s are an excellent way of getting around in the city quickly¸ and although they are more expensive than the buses, they are still relatively cheap. We considered renting a rental car, but we spoke to a few people in our hotel about the service who informed us that rental cars for city travelers were expensive and difficult to take advantage of. Traffic in the city tends to back up, and we were better off trusting the experienced taxi drivers to maneuver us through the crowded streets. In Montevideo, drivers drive on the right as in the US, but tend to have a habit of driving far above the speed limit! Many intersections didn’t even have traffic lights or stop signs, and drivers simply slowed down and looked to make sure not to hit anyone—traffic laws in the city are far more loose than in the US. We trusted and befriended many of our drivers though, and indeed met many friendly people in the city during our travels.


This is one of the “radio taxis” we took to get to a restaurant one afternoon for lunch. Cabs are metered like in the US but much less expensive, and one of the best ways of efficiently navigating the city. Meters start out at zero and rise with mileage, and the numbers correspond with numbers on a price chart, which you may ask to see before riding in the taxi (not all drivers charge the same). Short trips within the city cost us on the average about four or five US dollars a trip, and we spent a total of a little under $160 for our whole week.

Nathaniel

Accommodations for Montevideo

After we arrived in Montevideo, we headed for the hotel. The whole hotel experience was amazing. The hotel had some pretty amazing amenities. Each room had a mini-bar. The hotel had an indoor pool, casino, and fitness center. Our group had the opportunity to take advantage of the 3-hour express laundry service that was provided and get all of our clothes cleaned. We got a total of 2 rooms for a total for the week of $3706, at $264 a night per room. The experience was great. We especially found the wait staff very accommodating. They went out of their way to make our stay very comforting. We got rooms on the 14th floor of the building, so the view was amazing. We were able to see the River Plate. We were overwhelmed by the distance we could see. Even though, the hotel was priced so high, we were definitely had a satisfactory stay.

DINO

El Prado
TripAdvisor
Address:
Avenida Lucas Obes y Av. Bushental ,Montevideo el Prado Montevideo, Uruguay
Price: Free

We’ve seen a couple gardens thus far on our journey, so we decided to visit another one to see how European gardens differ from the ones in South America. Coming in we instantly noticed all the different varieties of exotic plants. There were plants from all over the world. Unlike the other gardens we have visited, this one had a love story that was connected to it. We learned that a businessman started the park for his wife. We then learned that the wife did not see the garden until after the death of her husband, and her attendance to it was only to liquidate her assets for money. We all felt a bit of pity for such a wonderful gesture. But along with such an interesting story we all noticed and loved the 54 different species of roses. John, Nathaniel and Dino even enjoyed the flowers, even though they are not big fans like Erin and Jennifer.

Playa Pocitos
TripAdvisor
Beach: Free

We thought that during this trip we could go out and enjoy a day at the beach. When planning the trip to Montevideo we saw that the beach is one of the most popular places to go and visit to play some soccer and volleyball. So on our way to the beach we bought a volleyball and three beach towels for 1300 pesos($65). Once we got to the beach we were amazed at the amount of people on the beach. It seems like the sea of people was as big as the beach itself, so it was kind of hard to find a place to set up. Unfortunately it was so busy we could not get into a game of volleyball, so we just played with the ball while we swam in the water. Dino had issues with bumping into people while in the water, but overall nothing too serious. After the beach we wanted to grab a bite to eat and found Montecristo/Castillo Pittamiglio, a museum/restaurant. The food was delicious and a good mix of South American cuisine. The meal was about 877peso/person costing us a total of 4385pesos($220). Overall we felt that the price was justified by the food they served.

Cost: $65 + $220= $285

Jennifer Hice

Ciudad Vieja: Mercado del Puerto, Cabildo de Montevideo, Teatro Solis

When doing research about what to visit in Montevideo, I kept coming across information about the Ciudad Vieja. This is the oldest part of the capital of Uruguay and has recently begun to go through a major revitalization. It has become home to art galleries, restaurants, and nightclubs. We decided to spend the whole day there and started it off with a visit to one of the many coffee shops, to sit and watch locals. Our coffee and pastries were delicious and fresh and came out to U$797.90 (US$40). After breakfast we walked around the streets for a while enjoying comparing the revitalized sections to what they had been before. Erin and I took some extra time going into some the Uruguayan artists’ studios, while the guys continued to wander.
We were also able to visit the Mercado del Puerto, which is a venue for traditional Uruguayan food and drink. There are stalls full of antiques, and leather goods. I fell in love with a pair of tall leather boots and ended going back for them. They were U$598 (US$30). Dino and John also ended up getting leather belts from the same vendor which came out to U$498.70 (US$25). After walking around some more we stopped at one of the stalls and got sandwiches made right in front of us on the grill. My hungaras (sausage) sandwich was amazing and served with grilled bell peppers. Everyone else got sandwiches, except for Nathaniel, who got a parillada, which is an assortment of grilled beef. We also split a pitcher of sangria, which was full of fresh fruit. All together lunch came out to U$1176.90 (US$59).


Mercado del Puerto


Chef in Mercado del Puerto fixing our grilled meats and vegetables


Gateway in Ciudad Vieja

After lunch, and recovering from lunch, we walked over to the Gateway which is the only part left of the wall that once surrounded the city. There were a lot of beautiful buildings from the colonial era such as the Solis Theatre and the Cabildo de Montevideo which once served as the government house. The Cabildo is now a museum housing maps, photographs, coins, furniture, apparel and accessories (combs, fans, etc.), porcelain, weapons and paintings. We went in and wandered around because there was no entrance fee. Next we went to the Solis Theatre which is Uruguay’s oldest theater, and would have been incredible to see a show in. It was recently renovated and all the columns you see in the picture were added during the renovation.


Cabildo de Montevideo


Theatro Solis

This turned out to be an incredible day, and really made us feel that we’d experienced a true part of the local culture and history.

U$797.90 (US$40)
U$598 (US$30)
U$498.70 (US$25)
U$1176.90 (US$59)
U$3071.5 (US$154)= Total

John

Budget

Hotel= $264/night $3706/week
Food= $319
Shopping= $120
Attractions= $0
Flight= $1,225