Hotel Costanero Montevideo

The MGallery Hotel Costanero Montevideo is my favourite hotel in the world. I have stayed twice, once in a room facing the pool and once, as a Gold member, in an upgraded room with a view over the whole bay of Montevideo, and I loved it both times. It is a warm, industrial-style design hotel right on the seafront promenade, with the friendliest team I have met anywhere, a Japanese-style toilet that greets you and a scent in the building that makes me feel at home the moment I walk in.

Quick verdict: A glassy, efficient city hotel that comes alive at dusk, with a warm industrial design, very friendly staff who remembered me, a great bathroom, a breakfast with a view of the bay and room for two to work and relax. It is not a business hotel and the old town is a long walk away. JCI Score 4.6 out of 5.

Location

The hotel stands on the Rambla, the long seafront promenade of the Pocitos district, directly at the beach. Out of the front door you have the bay, the sand and the sunset. In the evening the promenade is lively and lit, and Montevideo felt incredibly safe: you can walk anywhere there at night.

The smaller parts of the city nearby are quite walkable, but to reach the old town you really need an Uber: on foot it is about an hour and a half along the beach, which is lovely in good weather but not something you do every day. An Uber takes you anywhere in the city, and the bus works too. For a hideaway weekend this was everything we needed.

Getting There & First Impression

Both times we came from Buenos Aires on a weekend trip, by ferry and then by bus into Montevideo. The hotel looks cool and rather sober by day: a lot of glass and not much warmth from the outside. It only shows its real character at dusk, when the lights come on and you see how warm the design inside is.

There is no large lobby. It is an efficient city hotel that does not waste space. The reception is small, with several staff members at small counters, but you still have enough privacy and you feel welcome right away. There is also a bar in the lobby, Bar Cauce. Upstairs, an atrium gallery with white frames and glass cubes opens up, and the cubes work like little meeting rooms or offices that you can sit in.

Check-In & Loyalty Experience

On my first stay I had no status. I had booked through Booking.com, and a welcome drink was part of that rate, so we got a gin and tonic at the lobby bar as a Booking.com goodie. The welcome was warm even then.

On my second stay I was Gold, and the difference was clear. The team had notes from my first visit and was prepared for my preferences. They gave me the feeling that they had been expecting me and were happy that I was there, and that is what impressed me most about this hotel. I booked the same room category as the first time, but I was upgraded to a room on the sea side, on the eighth floor, the second highest. I got a gin and tonic at the lobby bar again, this time as my normal ALL welcome drink from the app, and when we entered the room a welcome plate with macarons and a handwritten card was waiting for us.

The Room

On my first stay I had a room on the fourth floor, facing the pool. On my second stay the upgrade took me up to the eighth floor with the view over the bay. Both rooms were set up the same way, with two large beds, queen-size as far as I remember, which gives two people enough space without getting in each other's way. There was plenty of room for two suitcases.

The design is exactly my taste: a warm industrial look, with dark metal, wood and warm light. The view of the bay from the sea-side room is fantastic, and the pool-side room was great too.

The bathroom is a highlight. There is a Japanese-style toilet that greets you every time you walk in, which I would never have expected in Uruguay, and it is a lot of fun (photo above). The shower is excellent, the amenities are lovely, and the towels are thick and fluffy. Cleanliness was top.

I slept very well. You hear nothing from outside, the room is very quiet and the air conditioning is very pleasant.

The whole hotel has its own scent, and I notice it every time. It makes me feel at home immediately and puts me in a good mood.

Working: There is a small desk in the room. For more peace and quiet, there is a small business corner at the back of the ground floor, where I worked in peace and even took calls. The big hall also has conference cubicles on several levels, small glass rooms that you can sit in and work or take a meeting, and I don't know whether you have to book them. It is not a business hotel, but it works.

Facilities: The wellness area has a pool, a small gym and a sauna, and the sea is right outside.

Food & Drink

The restaurant, Cauce, is on the first floor, with a view of the bay and the Rambla, and I have heard that it is award-winning. It serves Uruguayan and international cuisine. I only had breakfast there, and it was excellent. I did not have dinner at the hotel. At weekends you can apparently get breakfast with champagne, or add it to your booking.

For dinner we took empanadas back to the room from Doña Martina, which we were told is the best empanada shop in the city. They even put a small free dessert into the bag, which came with a funny detail: they had turned "Janko" into "Juanito" on the paper. Doña Martina is a chain with more than 50 varieties, and I can recommend it. The branch we went to seems to be gone, so check the website for the locations that are open now.

Another restaurant I can warmly recommend is Manzanar (Instagram), which is highly praised in Montevideo. We put together our own menu from the card, and it was fantastic. We sat very nicely, the evening was relaxed and chilled, and the staff were super friendly. It is a bit of a distance from the hotel, so take an Uber like we did.

Digital Customer Experience

I could even cast my Netflix account to the TV in the room without any trouble.

The Bill & Value

My first stay, five nights with breakfast in a Superior room with two beds, cost USD 770, which is $154 per night or about €155 per night at the exchange rate of that day. My second stay, two nights in a Superior room with two twin beds, was a saver rate with breakfast and cost USD 370.80, which is about $185 per night. It was charged to me as €319.93, about €160 per night. For the second stay I earned 1,316 Reward points and 889 Status points. For a five-star hotel on the seafront, with breakfast included and an upgrade as Gold, that is very good value.