Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel
Hall-of-fame hideaway
Peering over Plaza Zabala
Mingle with Uruguay’s cultural elite at Alma Histórica Boutique Hotel, a restored 1920s townhouse turned elegant bed and breakfast, where individually designed rooms pay homage to legendary native artists, writers, athletes and musicians. The Belle Epoque elegance of Montevideo’s Old Town is easily explored from the hotel’s Plaza Zabala setting, or you can gaze down on it from the rooftop hot tub with a glass of Garzón-region tannat wine in your hand.
Facilities
Chambres
15, including two suites.
Checkout
11am, but flexible, subject to availability. Earliest check-in, 3pm.
Plus de détails
Rates include a buffet breakfast with breads and pastries, cereals, yoghurt, fresh orange juice and coffee.
Also
Italian owners Cate and Dario welcome you like an old friend, and they’re better than a guidebook when it comes to must-try local hotspots.
Accès internet gratuit
Blanchisserie
At the Hotel
Coffee shop and lounge, roof terrace, hot tub, library, concierge, free WiFi throughout. In rooms: Smart TV, minibar, air-conditioning. IPads and local smartphones are available to borrow.
Our Favourite Rooms
The room inspired by romance poet Delmira Agustini is a blush-pink, chandelier-lit boudoir evocative of vintage romance. The turquoise, art nouveau-style Susana Soca room (named after Picasso’s muse) is equally charming, with artwork-peppered walls and his ‘n‘ hers balconies. The blue-and-grey palette of the Carlos Gardel suite is a little more sombre, but you can take languid breakfasts on the private terrace with sweeping city views.
Poolside
There’s no pool, but the cobbled roof terrace has a decked hot tub with views of the Old Town. The green plaza below is popular with locals, but noise is minimal, so this potted-fern and sunlounger-scattered spot is a serene city hideaway.
Packing Tips
A few tango moves; Uruguayans swear the dance was invented here before Argentineans got swept up in the craze. A pretty flapper-style dress and a pair of brogues and – if he sports one – moustache wax for Mr Smith.
Also
Friendly hosts Dario and Cate can arrange in-room spa treatments with 24 hours notice.
Enfants
Children can stay, but this grown-up stay has little to keep them entertained.
Galerie
Food & Drink
Top Table
Pick a pair of sunloungers on the roof terrace.
Code vestimentaire
As relaxed as you like: a vintage tea dress for her, and a tailored shorts and shirt combo for Mr Smith, will look the part.
Hotel Restaurant
Breakfast is served in the tea room, which has an eye-catching living feature wall and pretty period furnishings. A generous cold breakfast buffet is laid out here each morning, with some hot à la carte options; light dishes such as pizza, soups and a few seasonal surprises are served for lunch and dinner, but Montevideo’s accomplished dining scene beckons. The reasonably priced afternoon tea has sweet and savoury pastries with coffee and tea, all served on dainty mismatching china.
Hotel Bar
The laid-back atmosphere means you can drink wherever you like in the hotel: the button-back love seat or chesterfield nook in the library, soaking in the hot tub, in bed. The menu has a choice of bottles from Mendocenian winery Trapiche, sauvignon blanc and tannat from the Garzón region, sparkling wine, spirits, beers and soft drinks.
Last Orders
Official hours are: breakfast at 8am–10.30am, afternoon tea until 7pm and snacks until 10pm, but the owners are happy to indulge early or late arrivals. Drinks are available round the clock.
Room Service
Breakfast can be taken in your room. If staying in a suite, have a table set up on the private terrace. Ring down to reception for drinks any time, night or day.
Planes
Carrasco International Airport (www.aeropuertodecarrasco.com.uy) is the closest hub, a 45-minute drive from the hotel. Flights from Buenos Aires or Santiago are around an hour; Aerolineas Argentinas and LAN Airlines run frequent services.
Automobiles
Once you’ve grown accustomed to the city’s roundabouts and staking a claim on your lane, driving in Montevideo is fairly fuss free. There’s a car-hire booth at Carrasco International; a charged car park (US$13 for 24 hours) is a five-minute walk away.
Worth Getting Out of Bed For
You can’t stay in the hot tub all day… Montevideo’s cache of architectural intrigues, historic plazas and edifying museums await. Start with a stroll through Plaza Zabala, presided over by a horse-mounted statue of colonial soldier Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, then wander to nearby Palacio Taranco (+598 2915 6060). This lavish Rococo-hued residence, former home of the Taranco-Ortiz dynasty, houses the Museum of Decorative Arts; it’s worth visiting for its architecture and interiors as much as the artefacts. Arrived too late to catch the throbbing drumbeats and candombe dances of Uruguay’s annual carnival (held in late January)? Its elaborate costumes, puppets, masks and grotesqueries are displayed at the Carnival Museum (+598 2915 0807), a 10-minute walk away on Francisco Maciel Street. On the way back to the hotel, stop in to the Museum of Pre-Colombian and Indigenous Art (+598 2916 9360), which has a permanent collection of carved figurines, ceremonial vessels, intricately tooled leather saddles and ceramic tablados (elaborate carnival scenes). Plaza Independencia, the border between the Old Town and downtown is a 15-minute walk east from the hotel. Keep an eye out for the Gateway of the Citadel while you’re there. Just beyond lies pseudo-Gothic building Palacio Salvo, designed by Italian architect Mario Palanti. When its original antenna was removed, the lighthouse-topped structure lost its title of tallest building in South America; however, it still inspires heated architectural debate. Love it or loathe it, its certainly eye-catching. End your day with a play at the neoclassical Solís Theatre (+598 1950 3323) close by.
Earn or Redeem Points with World of Hyatt
This Mr & Mrs Smith hotel participates in the World of Hyatt loyalty program. As a member, you can earn and redeem points and enjoy exclusive benefits for qualifying nights. .
