Don Boutique Hotel Montevideo

My AirPods went missing from the table while we were out. The rooms also weren’t cleaned properly: the cleaner swept everything under the beds and never cleaned the toilet or shower. The soap and shampoo bottles were empty, and there was no minibar. I’d asked Henry for a mini fridge and was told one would be brought up, but it never arrived. The pool seemed like the hotel’s one good feature, but there weren’t any towels available. When my child couldn’t get one after swimming, he went back to the room for a white towel. Staff got mad that he hadn’t used a blue pool towel, even though none were available, and said room towels weren’t for the pool. We’d first rented 2 rooms, then booked 2 more to have a good time on Christmas Day. The hotel cancelled those extra rooms, saying they thought I’d booked them by mistake. Staff were very rude. They also tried to charge us for rusty metal pipes under the sink that had broken with age and rust, according to a hotel worker. The amount I had to pay differed from the reservation price. They said the booking had been cancelled by mistake and redone at the hotel.

The staff were very friendly, which was the one real plus. Downstairs there’s a lot of space, but it isn’t used well. We paid $15 for a very basic breakfast, and each Bottle of water cost $ 4. I can’t believe this is rated as a 4 star hotel. It’s old and tired and needs updating. In our room, a chair was broken, the vanity faucet leaked, the bidet didn’t work, and the bathroom door made so much noise it would wake anyone at night. The TV was very old and hard to use. It’s very overrated.

There’s a food market right across the street with great meats, and lots of stores nearby. It’s a 15-20 minute walk to the center of Montevideo. There are lots of homeless people around, but nobody bothers you. Breakfast is free. The location is the main reason I’d consider staying here. The hotel itself had too many problems. Our hot water worked once during the whole week. Water stayed in the shower and sink because the drainage was poor, and the toilets had a slight sewage smell even after room service. Half the lights didn’t work or had no bulbs, and the pool was dirty and full of bugs. For two days in a row, no one was around to open the hotel or parking garage so we could get our car out. We stood outside banging on the front doors for 10 minutes. They charge $30usd per room for early check-in, even when you’ve told them in advance. The airport shuttle costs $50usd, while Uber is half the price, a lot cheaper. Stay here for the location, but not for much else.

Breakfast was varied and plentiful, the shared areas were lovely, and the staff were friendly and very helpful. The hotel was clean too. Our room, #11, was small and dark, with just a window onto an internal patio and a view of another room. The closet doors were in bad shape, though the bathroom was nice. We expected better rooms for the price, so three stars.