Montevideo's Hidden Gem: Merit Apart & Suites Luxury Awaits!
Montevideo's Merit Apart & Suites: Luxury? Maybe…But Let's Spill the Yerba Mate Truth
Okay, so I just stumbled out of Merit Apart & Suites in Montevideo, Uruguay. "Luxury Awaits!" the website chirps. Hmm. Let's unravel that yarn, shall we? This is more than just a review; it's a diary entry, honestly. Buckle up, because it's going to be a bumpy, Yerba Mate-fueled ride.
First Impression: Shiny, But Scratch the Surface
The place is… well, it's shiny. Marble lobbies, sleek furniture, the works. They've obviously invested in aesthetics. Accessibility? Alright, let's start there.
Accessibility: The website claims it’s accessible. Claims being the key word. There is an elevator (thank god) and generally wide hallways, so that's a plus. However, I saw no dedicated ramps for wheelchairs. While doors seemed wide enough, I'm a bit worried that some rooms will be difficult for guests with disabilities. I definitely need to investigate more on my next stay.
On-site Accessible Restaurants/Lounges: Didn't notice any specific "accessible" restaurants as such. They're on-site, which is good, but I didn't see any explicit signage or features, just regular stuff that looked accessible to me.
Wheelchair Accessible: As mentioned above: accessiblity is a strong point, but needs to be really checked for each room.
Internet Access: Excellent. Free Wi-Fi blazes through the place. I'm talking blazing! They had internet [LAN], I didn't use it, but it's there for those feeling "retro".
The Rest of the Tech Stuff:
Free Wi-Fi in all rooms. Thank goodness. I hate having to fiddle with Wi-Fi codes. Internet access, [LAN] cables? Did I see that? Probably. I was too busy trying not to trip over the perfectly polished lobby floors. [Internet Services], well, they have it. You know. Wi-Fi in public areas, same story. Now, let's move on.
Things to Do/Ways to Relax: Sauna? Yes. Spa? Maybe…
Alright, the "Relaxation" section is where things get interesting…and a little confusing.
- Body Scrub/Wrap: Available!
- Fitness Center: Yes, but felt more like a glorified storage room with some equipment in it. But hey, it exists…
- Foot Bath: Didn't see it. Maybe it's hiding?
- Gym/Fitness: Covered above.
- Massage: Yes, but prices seemed a bit extreme for the "luxury" aspect.
- Pool with View: This is where they shine. The photos don't lie. Amazing views, especially at sunset. The pool is gorgeous, and the view just makes you want to chill or take a swim with some nice cocktails or wine.
- Sauna/Spa/Spa/Sauna/Steamroom: Yep, all there. The sauna was a bit…underwhelming. The steam room was better.
- Swimming pool/Swimming pool [outdoor]: Check and check. Excellent. A real escape.
The Cleanliness & Safety Dance: Are They Really Trying?
Okay, let's talk about the practicalities. In these post-pandemic times, cleanliness is everything, right?
- Anti-viral cleaning products: They say they use them. Let's hope so.
- Breakfast in room: YES! This is my jam.
- Breakfast takeaway service: Handy for early starts.
- Cashless payment service: Convenient.
- Daily disinfection in common areas: Reportedly.
- Doctor/nurse on call: Peace of mind.
- First aid kit: Good to know.
- Hand sanitizer: Everywhere.
- Hot water linen and laundry washing: Standard.
- Hygiene certification: Don't know.
- Individually-wrapped food options: Nice touch.
- Physical distancing of at least 1 meter: They try.
- Professional-grade sanitizing services: If it is safe, I'm in.
- Room sanitization opt-out available: Good.
- Rooms sanitized between stays: Essential these days.
- Safe dining setup: Relatively.
- Sanitized kitchen and tableware items: Hopefully.
- Shared stationery removed: I hope I didn't want a pen…
- Staff trained in safety protocol: They seemed it.
- Sterilizing equipment: Probably.
Dining, Drinking, and Snacking - This is Where Things Get…Mixed
Here's the thing. Restaurants, bars, and food are IMPORTANT.
- A la carte in restaurant/Alternative meal arrangement: Yes.
- Asian breakfast/Asian cuisine in restaurant: Nope.
- Bar: Has one, nice vibe.
- Bottle of water: Always appreciated.
- Breakfast [buffet]/Breakfast service: "Buffet" is possibly overselling it. It was… adequate.
- Buffet in restaurant: See above.
- Coffee/tea in restaurant/Coffee shop: The coffee shop - was decent. The tea… well, let's just say I'm glad I brought my own yerba mate.
- Desserts in restaurant: Yes.
- Happy hour: Yes.
- International cuisine in restaurant: Varies a bit.
- Poolside bar: Essential.
- Restaurants: Several on-site.
- Room service [24-hour]: A lifesaver.
- Salad in restaurant: Yes.
- Snack bar: A welcome addition.
- Soup in restaurant: Yeah.
- Vegetarian restaurant: No.
- Western breakfast/Western cuisine in restaurant: Mostly.
The "Services and Conveniences" – A Smorgasbord of…Stuff
Let's skim over this bit, because it's a lot:
- Air conditioning in public area: Yes.
- Audio-visual equipment for special events: Sure.
- Business facilities: Yes.
- Cash withdrawal: ATM on site.
- Concierge/Contactless check-in/out: Good.
- Convenience store: Basic.
- Currency exchange/Daily housekeeping/Doorman: Yes.
- Dry cleaning/Elevator/Essential condiments: Yes.
- Facilities for disabled guests: See earlier comments.
- Food delivery/Gift/souvenir shop/Indoor venue for special events: All there.
- Invoice provided/Ironing service/Laundry service/Luggage storage: Yep.
- Meeting/banquet facilities/Meetings/Meeting stationery: Yes.
- On-site event hosting/Outdoor venue for special events/Projector/LED display: Yes.
- Safety deposit boxes/Seminars/Shrine: No.
- Smoking area/Terrace/Wi-Fi for special events/Xerox/fax in business center: Yes.
For the Kids: Are They Welcome?
- Babysitting service/Family/child friendly/Kids facilities/Kids meal: No. However, they can be accommodating.
Access, Security and Important Stuff
- CCTV in common areas/CCTV outside property: Yes.
- Check-in/out [express/private]/Couple's room/Exterior corridor/Fire extinguisher: Yes.
- Front desk [24-hour]/Hotel chain/Non-smoking rooms: Yes.
- Pets allowed unavailablePets allowed/Proposal spot/Room decorations: Sure.
- Safety/security feature/Security [24-hour]/Smoke alarms/Soundproof rooms: Yes.
Getting Around: The Usual
- Airport transfer/Bicycle parking/Car park [free of charge]/Car park [on-site] Yes.
- Car power charging station/Taxi service/Valet parking: Yes.
Available in All Rooms: The Nitty Gritty
Here's what you get in the rooms. This is the most crucial aspect of the stay.
- Additional toilet: YES! Finally.
- Air conditioning/Alarm clock: Yes.
- Bathrobes/Bathroom phone: Yes.
- Bathtub/Blackout curtains: Yes.
- Carpeting/Closet/Coffee/tea maker/Complimentary tea: Yes.
- Daily housekeeping/Desk/Extra long bed/Free bottled water/Hair dryer: Yes.
- High floor/In-room safe box/Interconnecting room(s) available/Internet access – LAN/Internet access – wireless: Great.
- Ironing facilities/Laptop workspace/Linens/Mini bar/Mirror/Non-smoking: Yes.
- On-demand movies/Private bathroom/Reading light/Refrigerator/Safety/security feature/Satellite/cable channels/Scale: Yes.
Okay, buckle up buttercups, because this ain't your grandma's itinerary. This is Merit Montevideo Apart & Suites: The Good, The Bad, and the Possibly Stinky (But Definitely Memorable) Adventure. I'm talking real life, people. No airbrushed travel brochure nonsense here.
Day 1: Arrival - Uruguay, You Beautiful Beast! (Mostly)
- 08:00: Ugh. The red-eye from… well, let’s just say a country with a questionable reputation for breakfast foods. Arriving in Montevideo. My brain feels like a scrambled egg left out in the sun. First impression? Uruguay is… green. Seriously, everything is verdant. Like, intensely green.
- 08:45: Taxi chaos. Navigating the airport is a blur of weary travelers and aggressive taxi drivers. I swear, I think one of them tried to sell me a used… something. I politely declined. Found my Merit Montevideo Apart & Suites transfer. Yay, a civilized chariot!
- 09:30: Arrival at Merit Montevideo Apart & Suites. Okay, first impressions. "Apart & Suites"… promises luxury. Lobby is nice, sleek, the air conditioning is a prayer answered. But… is that a faint smell of… old books? Not a deal-breaker, but a little bit… rustic.
- 10:00: Check-in attempt (and the battle continues). I'm pretty sure I'm the first person who has ever shown up before 12:00 PM. The staff is genuinely nice and, bless their souls, they seem to have no idea what to do with me. Eventually, I get a room.
- 10:30: Room reveal! Decent. Spacious. The bed looks like it's been through a war, but with that view, it’s the beginning of a beautiful friendship…
- 11:00: Exploring the neighborhood: (a.k.a. getting gloriously lost). Wandering around, desperately seeking coffee and sustenance. Found a charming little café on the corner, run by a woman who appears to have lived on this very street since the dinosaurs roamed. Her coffee is strong, and her smile is even stronger. Feeling a flicker of hope!
- 13:00: Lunch. Found a parilla (grill) place. Ordered a chivito (a Uruguayan sandwich). This thing is a mountain of meat, cheese, and vegetables. I ate the entire thing and now I'm regretting it. Regretting it deeply.
- 14:00: Nap time. The post-chivito coma is REAL. This is important: If you visit Montevideo, plan a nap.
- 16:00: Staggering back to consciousness. This is where I was really beginning to wake up.
- 16:30: Back to the hotel to shower: A little bit of a water pressure issue. It's a trickle. A very disheartening trickle. Decide to soldier on and make the best of it.
- 17:00: Trying to figure out how to shower. Oh, it wasn't a trickle. It was a dribble, but it was still wonderful.
- 18:00: Walk towards the beach. The sunset over the river. I sat there for an hour, people-watching.
- 20:00: Dinner at a recommended restaurant. The food was outstanding. The company was outstanding. We had fun. What a wonderful life!
- 22:00: Sleep. Tired.
Day 2: Montevideo - Art, Culture, and a Possible Misunderstanding
- 08:00: Breakfast at the hotel. The breakfast buffet is surprisingly good. Maybe the old-book smell is just a charming nuance.
- 09:00: Exploring the Old Town (Ciudad Vieja). Cobblestoned streets, historical buildings, and a general sense of faded glory. It's beautiful, in a slightly crumbling way.
- 10:00: Plaza Independencia and the Mausoleum of Artigas. The General is buried here.
- 11:00: Mercado del Puerto. A sensory overload! The smell of grilling meat, the shouts of vendors, the general organized chaos. Grabbed lunch here. So much food. I am pretty sure my stomach is protesting.
- 13:00: Art at the Museo Nacional de Artes Visuales. The art is fantastic; some modern, some historical, and all a little… intense. A painting of a man eating a whole chicken, head and all, really did it for me.
- 15:00: Walking through the city. The breeze. The quiet. I enjoyed it so much.
- 16:00: Shopping for yerba mate (the local tea) and a mate (the gourd and metal straw). The shopkeeper was very patient with my complete lack of mate-drinking knowledge. I left with a sense of accomplishment and slightly sticky fingers.
- 17:00: Attempted mate tasting. Oh dear god. I used too much yerba. It's so bitter! I feel like I'm chewing on grass.
- 18:00: Watching the sunset from the Rambla (coastal promenade). Majestic. Seriously, the sunsets in Uruguay are something else.
- 20:00: Dinner at a local restaurant. I went with empanadas. Decided to skip the meat this time. The food was great. The conversation was great.
- 22:00: Bedtime. Sleep.
Day 3: A Day of Deep Regret (But Also, Kind of Wonderful)
- 08:00: Breakfast. I'd like to say I've learned my lesson, but I haven't. I had a massive helping of everything.
- 09:00: Decided to go on a guided tour. I didn't read the reviews. The guide spoke very quickly in Spanish. I understood approximately 10% of what he said.
- 10:00: The tour included a visit to a local market. The market was interesting, but I feel I would have preferred to explore on my own.
- 12:00: Feeling overwhelmed by crowds. The tour group was a bit intense.
- 13:00: Ate lunch at a cafe with outdoor seating. The food was adequate, at least. I really liked it. I enjoyed the food.
- 14:00: Realized I was on the wrong bus. Ended up on the other side of town.
- 15:00: Got back on the correct bus.
- 15:30: Back to the hotel. Time for a long shower.
- 16:00: The trickle of water was slightly better. Still working through it.
- 17:00: The sunset was amazing.
- 18:00: My own time with a friend.
- 19:00: Dinner. I was hungry! I had a lovely dinner at a nearby restaurant.
- 21:00: Sleep.
Day 4: Leaving Montevideo (But Not Really)
- 08:00: Last breakfast at the hotel. Saying goodbye to the breakfast buffet. Goodbye, wonderful food!
- 09:00: Quick walk around the neighborhood one last time, just absorbing the atmosphere. Seriously, I could get used to it.
- 10:00: Packing. Ugh. The least enjoyable part of travel.
- 11:00: Check-out. Everything went smoothly. The staff was lovely. The old-book smell really did grow on me.
- 12:00: Taxi to the airport. Saying goodbye to the green. I can't wait to see you again.
- 13:00: Leaving Uruguay. I am already planning my return.
So there you have it. A highly subjective, slightly messy, probably inaccurate, but definitely real account of my time at Merit Montevideo Apart & Suites. Go! See Uruguay! Embrace the chaos! And be sure to pack a good book, because you'll probably have some downtime. Enjoy!
Budapest's Attila Hotel: Unforgettable Luxury Awaits!
Montevideo's Merit Apart & Suites: Hidden Gem or Hidden Headache? ...Let's Find Out! (An FAQ That's Probably Too Honest)
Okay, spill the tea. Is Merit Apart & Suites *really* a hidden gem, or is that just marketing fluff?
Ugh, that's THE question, isn't it? Look, "hidden gem" is thrown around like confetti. I'd say... it's *mostly* true. It's certainly not the *crappy* little hostel I imagined when I booked it at 3 AM after a flight delay, fueled by airport coffee and existential dread. The location? *Chef's kiss.* Seriously. Right in the heart of everything, close to Plaza Independencia, you can practically *smell* the history (and occasionally, the exhaust fumes, but hey, it's Montevideo!). The decor? Actually kinda stunning. Think elegant, modern lines with a touch of… *something*. Maybe a dash of Uruguayan magic? I dunno. But it's a far cry from the institutional beige hellscape I've endured in other "luxury" apartments.
Let's talk about the actual *apartments*. What's the vibe? Spacious? Cramped? Like living in a shoebox someone tried to make fancy?
Okay, this is where things get *slightly* less perfect. The apartments are… well, it depends. There's a real range. I booked a "Superior Suite”, which was, frankly, *superior*. Spacious? Yes. Luxurious? Definitely. Like, I actually *wanted* to hang out in the apartment, which, for a travel weary soul, is a freaking miracle. But my friend, bless her heart, booked a studio. Let's just say it was... cozy. *Really* cozy. She called it “efficient”. I called it “a carefully curated space where I'd probably lose my mind after a week”. The thing is, even the smaller ones are *well-designed*. They've maximized the space. Unlike that hotel room in Prague, which felt like a glorified closet with a minibar offering only lukewarm beer. The views? Depending on the room, potentially *spectacular*. I had a balcony overlooking something... something pretty, I can't quite remember after all the sightseeing.
The *service*. Everyone always says "it's all about the service"! Spill. Were they helpful? Annoying? Did they speak English? (Because my Spanish is... well, let's just say I can order a beer and that's about it.)
Oh, the service. This is a bit of a mixed bag, I'm afraid. The front desk staff? Delightful! Super helpful. English? Mostly. Some staff are better than others, you’ll just have to roll with it. They were patient with my terrible Spanish, which, again, is saying something. One of the concierge guys, *amazing*. Actually remembered my name! And where I was headed each day (which was probably to the nearest cafe for coffee, let's be honest). But… (and there’s always a but, isn’t there?), one morning I went to get a coffee from the communal machine. And it was… broken. Utterly, completely, devastatingly broken. There was a small note, in elegant, yet slightly condescending, Spanish. I kid you not. I felt like I was living in a slightly passive-aggressive art film. I had to walk three whole blocks for my caffeine fix. It was a dark day. A *very* dark day. Also, housekeeping? Spotty. Some days, things felt pristine, others... well, let's just say I *think* they cleaned the bathroom. Or maybe I'm blocking out the evidence.
Tell me about the amenities! Gym? Pool? Did they have decent wifi? (Because, honestly, that’s a dealbreaker these days.)
Okay, the amenities. Sigh. The wifi *was* pretty good, which is a huge win. I’m a freelancer, so I *needed* to be able to connect to the world to pretend I was working, and not just eating alfajores in my pajamas. Gym? Yes, there *was* a gym. I didn't go. Let's be honest, on vacation, the only exercise I get is walking to the next cafe. Pool? There *was* a pool. Again, didn’t go. But my friend went, and she said it was… nice. (She's a very polite person). The *real* perk, for me, was the included breakfast. It was… *decent*. Not life-changing, but good enough to fuel my day. Plus, the staff was friendly and they had a wide selection. The coffee was not, however, as good as the stuff I got from that little cafe.
Price? Because let's be real, even a hidden gem can be a rip-off if the price is insane.
Price... Okay, this is where Merit *actually* shines. It’s not *cheap*, per se, but it's generally a good value for what you get. Compared to some of the other "luxury" digs in Montevideo? Much, much better. I booked it during the slow season, so I got a fantastic deal. I’d recommend checking the rates *carefully*. And reading the reviews... the *honest* ones. I mean, it’s Montevideo, not the freakin’ Maldives. Expect some imperfections. But frankly, the value for the *location* alone almost justifies the price. Almost.
Okay, all things considered, would you recommend Merit Apart & Suites? Give me the TL;DR version.
Ugh, okay, the ultimate verdict. Here's the truth, straight from the caffeine-fueled, slightly jet-lagged horse's mouth: * **Good:** Location, design, the potential for an amazing apartment, price (mostly). * **Not-So-Good:** Service can be inconsistent, the smaller rooms might feel cramped, the coffee machine could be a temperamental Diva. * **Overall:** Absolutely worth considering, *especially* if you can snag a good deal and aren't fazed by the occasional minor inconvenience. It’s not *flawless*, but it's a solid choice that definitely elevates the lodging experience. I mean, it beats sleeping on a park bench, right? (I've considered it at times.) Go for it! Just don't expect perfection. And maybe pack your own instant coffee, just in case. You know, for emergencies.
