When I first came here three years ago, I heard a Brasilian classmate of mine talking about how much he loves Uruguay.  He went on and on about Colonia de Sacramento – how it was just like Brasil – and after a few months in Buenos Aires, I needed to go to Uruguay to renew my tourist visa and the cheapest and least time consuming option was to check out this place otherwise known as “Colonia”.

I purchased tickets at the Buquebus offices on Cordoba 879, however there are offices all over the city.  (Check out their website for more info). Anyway, it was my first time going to Uruguay and I opted for the whole day experience including the ferry ride, a lunch and a tour.  It came out to just over 120 pesos each person.  The ferry ride was with the “slow” ferry that crawled at what seemed about two miles per hour across the River de la Plata over the course of three hours.  Both my boyfriend and I got seasick and were at the point of cabin fever on the way back and forth on this ferry.  He was totally green, and it was gross.

The lunch was – nice.  Nothing special.  In fact, there are lots of easy to find restaurants all over this tiny city with a great selection of food and ambiance.  The tour ended up being part walking tour and part busride – both pretty interesting, but nothing to write home about.

There’s another ferry that takes under an hour from Buenos Aires to Colonia, however.  It costs a little extra, but if you’re like me and get seasick easily, it’s well worth it as you don’t feel the waves as much.

Another option is to go to Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay and in my opinion a large step up from Colonia, which is mostly dead during the weekdays and fills up with people renewing their tourist visas on the weekends. Montevideo is an actual city – with real nightlife and things to do, places to go and trendy restaurants to be seen at.

Over the last few years, Punta del Este – a city along the coast of Uruguay, has become the PLACE to be for Argentina’s rich and famous.  During the peak season of December through March, prices are sadly exaggerated and upon entering the city limits, dignity flies out the window for the four month nonstop show that is like “Spring Break ‘82 Reunion” mixes with “Spring Break ‘06″.

The combination is way too fake tan, botox and boob jobs for me, and there’s no surprise that the party has moved down the road to the new and exclusive village of Juan Ignacio – also recently featured in the New York Times travel section.

Punta can be beautiful - in the off season.

See the article here called “Winter in the Sun” by Paola Singer.

It seems like Juan Ignacio has a lot of charm, and it’s sad to think that in the next few years, it will be just as worn out as Punta del Este is now.  So here’s my tip.  Find a place called Punta del Diablo, Uruguay, before it too, gets trendy.  They’ve got some wonderful wildlife sanctuaries as well as a charm that extends from the warmth of the local people.  For more information visit the town’s site online.

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