StarwoodGuy: Southern South America With Starwood Hotels Day 7

The Avianca flight crew woke us up just before landing in Montevideo after the red eye flight from Lima, I had survived the trip over the Andes without ending up like the poor people in Alive. There was no coffee service prior to landing and at 4:00 am Montevideo time we found ourselves getting off the plane. I was pretty tired and groggy as we moved quickly through Immigration which was empty with our flight being the only one. There is a taxi desk where you pre-pay for your cab which I did and then had a great drive mostly along the beautiful waterfront to my hotel, the Sheraton Four Points. I had asked for an early check in of 5:00 am since I have the Your 24 benefit for being Platinum 100 (this comes at only 75 nights) but the night manager said no I would have to pay an extra night or wait until 8:00 am to get the room. I asked if the room was already available but he said 8:00 am or pay. I was tired so I just paid for the room that was ready to go and went right to sleep. I woke up at 10:30 am and went down to breakfast. I had not noticed on check in but the hotel has a very strong smell of smoke in the common areas, though my room, which was a dated but large suite with massive living area and bar, a separate bedroom, and bathroom with a broken spa tub and sink in one section and a separate sink, shower and toilet area in another section, was happily smoke free. The buffet was quite basic and the eggs did not look too edible (I may have been spoiled at the Palacio and Tambo del Inka properties), and thankfully I was not very hungry so I just had some coffee and a croissant before heading out on a four hour walk of the city.

I had forgotten that in many countries everything can be closed on a Sunday. The Four Points was only a block from the main street which I walked down heading towards the historic center, but almost everything was closed. I still saw the beautiful Independence Square, stumbling on the Canadian Embassy there, then walked through a few of the small parks and squares, before stopping in at an older building with a collection of different restaurants inside. I then took the long walk along the water before cutting back in and heading to the main street again. I passed the Four Points and then carried on to the University and then into a large park (I could not find the name) which had a huge stadium, lots of pathways and statues, a large outdoor running track, and several children's play areas, some with extensive mini-Disney type rides. But they were not just like Disney rides, there was not one but two replicas of the tea cups complete with Disney characters painted on the sides. In Peru I had seen a great deal of Disney merchandise as well, much of which looked counterfeit, and I was wondering if Disney had licensed any of this or not. I then made my way to the edge of the park which led me to a very wealthy neighborhood with many private mini hospitals. From here I took another main road into yet another beautiful park with tennis courts and a more extensive play area for children which then brought me right out onto the beach. Yet another Carnival area with rides and games along with several restaurants were right along the water. Beyond this I could see the golf course and the large Sheraton. I carried on along the water pathway back in the direction of town but it was 84 and hot, so I headed back to the hotel in need of shade and a drink, I was still somewhat sore from the hiking in Machu Picchu and the lack of sleep in the heat was tiring me out. On the way I went right by the large US Embassy complex. The Canadian one was in the main square in a nice older building, the US looked like an unwelcoming government building, but it was almost right on the beach with the most amazing unobstructed views. I was not sure which country’s foreign diplomats to envy more!

Once back at the hotel I tried to get some work done but the internet was not very good and I was having difficulty loading pages. I had two beers from the mini bar before getting to bed early.

As a side note the room was also missing some basics which the Luxury Collection properties I had just been at did not have but you do not expect them at a resort. Here at a business focused hotel I found an iron and iron board missing, no in room coffee, and no hair dryer either which the Luxury Collection properties and most places do have. If there is no in-room coffee I always appreciate tea and coffee out in the lobby especially if it is before the restaurant starts serving. Luxury Collections always do this and if there is no Club Lounge as at many Sheratons or Westins I am happy with in room tea/coffee. But here there was no option at all for coffee until the restaurant opened at 6:30 am (the coffee was pretty weak as well) or a walk up to the McDonalds.

I think next time I would pick the Sheraton and take a taxi from there to get a little closer to town before walking around. The Four Points was in a great location, but I think for an extra $50.00 a night if you can afford it you will likely get more out of the Sheraton, with cabs being expensive to the airport, but cheap within the city at around $6.00 to cover half the town and even in rush hour on Monday to the ferry dock the traffic in the town does not seem to be an issue so business travelers would not need to worry.