GURU'guay GUIDE to URUGUAY Beaches, Ranches
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The Guru’Guay Guide to Beaches, Uruguay: Ranches and Wine Country Uruguay is still an off-the-radar destination in South America. Lucky you Praise for The Guru'Guay Guides The GURU'GUAY GUIDE TO URUGUAY Beaches, ranches Karen A Higgs and wine country Karen A Higgs Copyright © 2017 by Karen A Higgs ISBN-13: 978-1978250321 The All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever Guru'Guay Guide to without the express written permission of the publisher Uruguay except for the use of brief quotations. Guru'Guay Productions Beaches, Ranches Montevideo, Uruguay & Wine Country Cover illustrations: Matias Bervejillo FEEL THE LOVE K aren A Higgs The Guru’Guay website and guides are an independent initiative Thanks for buying this book and sharing the love 20 18 Got a question? Write to [email protected] www.guruguay.com Copyright © 2017 by Karen A Higgs ISBN-13: 978-1978250321 The All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever Guru'Guay Guide to without the express written permission of the publisher Uruguay except for the use of brief quotations. Guru'Guay Productions Beaches, Ranches Montevideo, Uruguay & Wine Country Cover illustrations: Matias Bervejillo FEEL THE LOVE K aren A Higgs The Guru’Guay website and guides are an independent initiative Thanks for buying this book and sharing the love 20 18 Got a question? Write to [email protected] www.guruguay.com To Sally Higgs, who has enjoyed beaches in the Caribbean, Goa, Thailand and on the River Plate I started Guru'Guay because travellers complained it was virtually impossible to find a good guidebook on Uruguay. I later discovered why. The guidebooks published by the big companies were written by people who flew in for a few weeks and then left. I’m British but I’ve been living in Latin America for more than half my life and moved to Uruguay in 2000. I’m also a professional musician, so I have close ties to music and culture here. In 2016 I wrote The Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo, the first indepth English-language guidebook to the capital, based on my experience of fifteen years To Sally Higgs, who has enjoyed beaches in the Caribbean, Goa, living right here in the capital. Thailand and on the River Plate But I knew that most travellers who come to Uruguay want to spend some time at the beach, sample the great wine and maybe experience gaucho country, besides checking out the unique culture and architecture of Montevideo. Like so many of my fellow city-dwellers in Montevideo, I was really unfamiliar with the interior—the Uruguayan countryside. A musician colleague was hired to play in a folclore band and started gigging at country festivals attended by literally thousands every single weekend. Despite being born-and-bred in Uruguay, he had had absolutely no idea that this vibrant music scene outside of Montevideo even existed. And I'll confess, I was a beer woman before I started writing for Guru'Guay in 2014. So I had to explore the interior and spend time talking to wine lovers and exploring different wineries. And my campaign began to track down great hotels and restaurants that open all year round at the beach (most beach hotels close down off season). The Guru'Guay Guides are not endless dry lists of things to do and places to stay (as one Amazon reviewer perceptively noted). They have passion and soul. The guide that you have in your hands is the result of over a year of research. As a traveller, you have limited time. So the Guru selects only the very best or the most curious places to check out—so you can have the most unforgettable holiday ever and the planning is stress-free. — Karen A Higgs, aka The Guru Table of Contents Read this first .............................................................................................................................. 8 Beaches ............................................................................................................ 11 Punta del Diablo, Rocha ...........................................................................................................17 Santa Teresa National Park, Rocha ........................................................................................ 22 Cabo Polonio, Rocha .................................................................................................................24 La Paloma & La Pedrera, Rocha.............................................................................................. 29 Jose Ignacio, Maldonado ...........................................................................................................37 La Barra, Maldonado ................................................................................................................43 Punta del Este, Maldonado ..................................................................................................... 47 Punta Ballena & Piriapolis, Maldonado ................................................................................ 55 Whale-watching ....................................................................................................................... 62 Shipwreck spotting ...................................................................................................................64 Atlantida & the Costa de Oro, Canelones .............................................................................66 El Pinar, Canelones ................................................................................................................... 74 Montevideo ................................................................................................................................ 78 Colonia del Sacramento & Carmelo ......................................................................................86 Ranches ........................................................................................................... 93 Estancia El Ceibo, Florida ........................................................................................................ 97 San Pedro de Timote, Florida ................................................................................................ 100 Estancia Los Platanos, Treinta y Tres ................................................................................... 105 Estancia Yvytu Itaty, Tacuarembó ....................................................................................... 109 Estancia La Paz, Paysandú ..................................................................................................... 112 Estancia La Estiria, Flores ....................................................................................................... 116 Caballos de Luz, Rocha ...........................................................................................................118 The Guru’s final analysis .........................................................................................................122 Wine Country ................................................................................................. 123 Montevideo & Canelones ..............................................................................................................126 Carmelo ............................................................................................................................................136 East coast – Maldonado & Atlantida ..........................................................................................147 Twenty best Uruguayan wines .....................................................................................................151 Best wines for around ten dollars or less ...................................................................................153 Private wine tours...........................................................................................................................154 Practical Tips ................................................................................................. 155 Getting to Uruguay .........................................................................................................................155 When to visit ....................................................................................................................................159 Holidays & festivals .......................................................................................................................160 What to bring ..................................................................................................................................164 Driving and car hire ........................................................................................................................166 Public transport ..............................................................................................................................170 Food & drink .................................................................................................................................... 172 Personal safety ..............................................................................................................................174 Staying healthy ............................................................................................................................... 176 Money ............................................................................................................................................... 178 Tipping .............................................................................................................................................180