Hotels
Hotels here are generally comfortable and good value for your money. Most include breakfast in their rates. All but the most basic hotels have air-conditioning—you'll appreciate it during the hot summers. Hosterías are country inns that not only offer modest rooms but are open for dinner as well. Menus tend to be limited, though the food served is unfailingly hearty.
Lodging at the beach requires reservations no matter what the time of year. Rooms fill up quickly (and prices increase dramatically) during the December–February high season. Rates go down during the shoulder months of November and March, but you can still count on good weather. Many hotels close for a few weeks between Easter and late May and/or in September.
Air Travel
Most international flights land at Montevideo's Aeropuerto Internacional de Carrasco, about 24 km (15 miles) east of downtown. Nearly all Montevideo-bound flights are routed through Buenos Aires. Aerolíneas Argentinas, LAN, GOL, TAM, and Avianca run regular flights to Latin American metropolises like Buenos Aires and São Paulo, and there also is a nonstop American Airlines flight from Miami as well as direct flights to Paris and Madrid.
If you fly a strictly Argentina–Uruguay itinerary, you'll likely depart from Buenos Aires' domestic airport, the Aeroparque Jorge Newbery. Through flights on American Airlines use the capital's international airport at Ezeiza.
Service to the Aeropuerto Internacional de Punta del Este is frequent from many South American cities during the resort's December–March high season, but almost nonexistent the rest of the year.
Bus Travel
You can go almost anywhere in Uruguay by bus. Some are quite luxurious, with air-conditioning, movies, and snack service. Departures are frequent and fares low. Most companies are based in Montevideo and depart from its state-of-the-art Terminal Tres Cruces. The station’s website (www.trescruces.com.uy) lists all bus schedules to and from Montevideo.
Festivals and Seasonal Events
Almost every town in Uruguay celebrates Carnaval, the festival that precedes the beginning of Lent and here can last up to 40 days. The entire country participates in the comparsas, the festive mix of singing, dancing, drinking, eating, and general merrymaking. Carnaval overtakes Montevideo with parades, dancing in the streets, and general all-hours revelry. Semana Criolla, celebrated the week before Easter in the Montevideo suburb of Carrasco, is an excellent way to observe traditional gaucho activities. Montevideo holds an annual cattle fair in August.