I went for a second time to Punta del Este and my friends and I decided to go to this hotel because it was well recomended. The first time I went to Punta del Este I visited all the hotels, and I mean ALL the HOTELS, to find the better one. Aqua looks ok, service is pretty standard. Thay do noy have city maps, or much more about like touristic places, this was very dissapointing, but the staff is very nice. They Offer Internet Wi fi but in my room there mas no signal so I had to go to the lobby to have Internet access. They make a mistake with our reservation so we had a room at the back part of the hotel, a room they were even not renting but it was big, so we say ok. There is NO parking, due to parking in front of the hotel is not permited, really bad!!! Breakfast is abbsolutly noo, go and eat another place. I called reception for a wake up call, and they call late.
So with all this points we can say dont go to this hotel BUT! As I told you I visited all the hotels, and in Punta del Este the hotels are like old hotels with new painting on the front. and they smell old, and are not good. Aqua is like new, clean and we can say like a decent hotel. San Fernando Hotel is almost the best one if you dont get a room in San Fernando go to Aqua. No pool, dont now why the name is Aqua. Is very clean, everything is white. Rooms with Air C. Nice restaurant next to the hotel. Also go to eat to the Italian Restaurant at the main street.

This hotel is nothing what it's advertised for.

Location: it's located downtown on a noisy street far from all beach and close to all the touristy stores. There is no parking and we spent at least half hour on average looking for parking downtown as it gets busy after 9pm.

Services: close to non-existance. Unlike other hotels where you see service people busy doing cleaning, changing, etc. you don't see anyone at all except receptionist at the front twisting her fingers.

Room/facilities: cheap and not maintained are the words to describe. Since the hotel wants to appear modern and use white and minimalistic appeal (which we also went for when we see the picture), it just made it more obvious that the owner of the hotel was cutting corners in every possible way in renovating and building this hotel. Everything was cheaply done and some not done right at all. You will create flooding in the bathroom after showering because of the shower wasn't put together right.

On top of that, no one seems to be doing any maintenance.. the carpets were all worn out, sofas dirty on the edge, walls all scrapped and marked on the bottom. The room is tiny by the way, there's no where to sit.

Breakfast was minimal and in this lounge area that appeared to be dirty.

We changed hotel as soon as we found an available room after couple of nights. If we stayed, it would have been very miserable ,just like the faces of all the guests there would tell you.

Went to Punta Del Este in Mid December for 1 night on a weekday with my brother hoping to enjoy the culture. We were a bit disappointed that it was not as busy as we had hoped. Apparently weekends in December, and all of Jan and Feb are the busy times.

The Aqua hotel was a good hotel in terms of location and staff and to some degree a comfortable stay.
1) Location - It was conveniently located on the peninsula where it was walking distance, although about 10 minutes, from both Playa Mansa and Playa Brava, the two beaches in the area. It was also walking distance to the bus station, which since we didn't rent a car, was very important. We were able to get a cab to La Barra (not busy in Mid December) from our hotel, but it was US$20 each way.
2) Staff - the staff was friendly and helpful, helped us get a cab to La Barra. Only one of the receptionists was fluent in English, but all knew a little and for small things we were able to communicate in simple Spanish.
3) Comfortable - The room was pretty small, 2 twin beds and a nightstand wide. We stayed on the second floor and the hallway lights were off for most of our stay. The water pressure in the shower was very good. The continental breakfast was pretty good.

Overall, the stay was decent. It wasn't cheap (US$120) considering it wasn't crowded on the beaches. I would stay here again, but might try another hotel in the area.

We liked the Aqua Hotel. It's basic but decent. On the plus side, the staff is very friendly and helpful. The hotel is located on the Punta del Este Peninsula, which is to say "in town," away from the beaches, though close to the yacht club and the road which runs along the coastline. You can walk to a few decent restaurants from here. Our room was clean and quiet. The hotel breakfast was included and was very good. Our first room had a water leakage problem in the bathroom and the staff moved us to another room - they discounted our final bill by 10% for our trouble, without us asking them to do so. On the minus side, the price is a bit expensive for what is offered. A "suite" at the Aqua Hotel is really a room with a small living area. No kitchen facilities of any kind. We paid US$125 per night, which we thought was a bit expensive for what they offer. On the other hand, we booked at the last minute and the weekend of October 13, when we stayed, was the Columbus Day weekend for Brazilians and Argentines, and most places were booked solid. We would stay here again.