San Carlos Inn

The hotel is surrounded by a park, with nice places for walks, and it's ideal for relaxing, though not near the center. The rooms are small but comfortable. Service from the waiters was excellent, especially Erick, and I requested dairy-free food that was honestly delicious, kudos to the cook! The pools are very nice, and there's a mini gym. Breakfast was my one complaint: it's not varied, just two croissants per guest, toasted, with butter or jam as an option. I went with Pedraza.

The beds were super comfortable, and the hotel is luxurious and packed with things to do, so staying on the grounds is easy. There's a spa, heated pool, outdoor pools, mini gym, children's playground, barbecue area, mini bar, water tank for refilling thermoses, and balconies. Rooms have a table, chair, duvets, fan, air conditioning, hairdryer, mini-dryer, and a view of the grounds, with balconies in some rooms. It's a long way from the city center and pedestrian area, and even farther from the waterfront. If you want to go out walking or shopping at night, this is very far from everything. Still, there's plenty to do if you stay put. The food service was poorly timed. Waiters were slow and seemed overwhelmed, and I think there were too few for the number of dining room tables. Don't expect breakfast to look like the website photos. We got up early several times, but they didn't serve that amount. It was a standard breakfast of toast, jam, butter, croissants, juice or water, coffee, milk, and tea. Twice we saw pieces of apple and banana, and that was all. Another thing I didn't like much was that they operate with digital wallets and cards. We brought cash to avoid dealing with the internet connection. They quickly fixed it by charging the room, and we paid everything in cash on the last day, but it was strange, really.

We celebrated New Year's at this beautiful hotel in San Carlos Park, near the Castle and the Botanical Garden. There are marked walking paths and views of the Uruguay River, plus a heated indoor pool, an outdoor pool, and a small gym. The staff were all friendly and attentive, and our waiters Pamela, Rodrigo, and Eric served very good food. We went with Pedraza, which I'd also recommend, and our coordinator Cecilia was excellent both before the trip and during the stay. We will return. Sadly, the behavior of some inconsiderate guests left a less pleasant impression.

You're surrounded by nature, but quite far from the city center, so a taxi or Uber is the way to go. The hotel calls itself 4 stars, but I don't think it lives up to that. The two pools are spectacular, and there's a huge green area for recreation, but the rest falls short.