Selina Punta del Este

Whenever I visit Punta, this is my favorite place to stay. It’s comfortable and spacious, with everything on hand: a restaurant, hot and cold swimming pools, sauna, kitchen and dining area, TV room, library, and workspace. Once you’ve stayed here, you won’t want to go elsewhere.

The pool is amazing, and the shared spaces are great, with a well-equipped kitchen. Rooms are comfortable, the beds are good, and there’s AC. The staff are really friendly. There’s also a sushi bar downstairs with good quality food and drinks at a good price. Fun atmosphere, and I’ll definitely be back.

The kitchen is very well equipped, and with Uruguay being so expensive, cooking there helped cut costs. There’s a large supermarket five blocks away, plus plenty of restaurants. The location on the peninsula is ideal, with ocean views from many rooms. There’s an indoor pool and an outdoor one with lovely places to sit. The house is in very good condition, and the beds and mattresses were very good in all three rooms we used over five days. We extended our booking once; it wasn’t us who wanted to change rooms. During the week, prices are affordable, but they double for the weekend. The location, restaurant food, and staff were all very good. Still, room handovers could be handled better, and rooms that were promised as upgrades shouldn’t be sold to someone else after guests leave reception. Two things happened during our stay. One day, a lot of things went missing from the kitchen. The staff reviewed the cameras in the public areas, identified the person, and almost everything was returned after they intervened. That was handled quickly and responsibly, and thanks to everyone who told reception about it. The other issue was the large green poisonous caterpillars falling from the trees around the pool. Most landed on the ground or in the pool, so there wasn’t immediate trouble, but touching one burns your skin and can cause irritation for days. An allergic reaction needs immediate medical help. One fell on my lap while I was sitting under a tree near the pool. There were many of them, and the hotel didn’t post any warning about the danger or what to do. Guests should be told.

The location was great, with water views and fun bars, restaurants, and clubs right nearby. At $60 USD for a dorm bed, the hostel felt very expensive, though that’s just Uruguay prices. Breakfast took about 45 minutes to get yogurt and granola, and nearly everything else had run out. There were little hairs all over the bathroom sink, which made me think it hadn’t been cleaned or wiped down. It’s so spread out that it’s not a great place to meet people. I find all Selinas are like that. Check-in at 15:00 was also very late.