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Where to Stay in Colonia del Sacramento

Where: Ituzaningó 232, Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

All this week, Eric Rosen will be bringing us his hotel recommendations for an interesting trip down in South America. He explains it all in our latest hotel guide--Budget Boutique Hotels of the 33rd Parallel South.

I’m going to be honest. There is not a huge amount to see in Colonia Del Sacramento. Most people just zip in and out in a day. The main draw is the fact that the ferry from Buenos Aires takes barely an hour to get there, and you get a cool stamp and some more fun, colorful money to play around with for the day.

The flip side is that if you do decide to spend the night here, either as a getaway from hectic B.A. or as a stopover on your way to Montevideo or Punta del Este, Colonia does provide a charming, quirky setting in which to unwind after the rigors of South American travel, and once the droves of day-trippers go home, you practically have the place to yourself.

The town was founded by the Portuguese in 1680, and if you spend any time in Uruguay, you will definitely be able to hear the Portuguese influence in the language. I’m sorry, but your Spanish 101 conversational skills just will not cut it here, what with odd slang, interesting (to say the least) grammar, and an accent so strong, the Uruguayans might as well be speaking Dutch. Most people in Uruguay don’t seem to have very strong English skills, so try to brush up on your español.

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Tags: Hotel Video Tours / Uruguay Hotels / Honeymoon Hotels / → All Tags

Hotel Video Tours: Posada Plaza Mayor

Where: Calle del Comercio, 111, Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay

Our first stop in Uruguay during our recent field trip was Colonia, a Unesco World Heritage Site and tourist town par excellence. As it's just a short ferry ride from bustling Buenos Aires, it's a popular spot for stressed out Argentines to mellow out.

Playing a big role in that is the sleepy Posada Plaza Mayor, a smallish guesthouse in the heart of the old quarter. Most rooms surround a leafy courtyard and have that old-hotel-in-a-historic-place vibe. Our room was one of two upstairs that was super quiet and outfitted with slightly more modern furnishings.

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