Falta mejorar la administración de los taxis de los clientes, reforzando la asignación por algún número o patente del vehículo y dando aviso por orden de solicitud y de llegada.

I always had a special attraction towards Montevideo. Its architecture, its people, all that comprises its culture. I decided to go for New Year’s Eve. I chose the Cala de Volpe Hotel. There are no many high qualities hotels in Montevideo. It is not Punta del Este. They called it the "first boutique hotel" in that city. Non Spanish speaking people should not be misconducted: in Spanish "primer" does not mean "premiere". “Primer” means just the “very first”. It is far far away from being premiere. It might perfectly be a two star hotel in any other city around the globe...though really an expensive one. A corner suite cost us USD 200 a night!!! and I can assure that it does not worth a it....why? although the view from the room is fantastic, there was an unmistakable smell of damp both in the bathroom – unbearable – but within the room as well!!! All the hotel looks worn out. If you think it is a non smoking hotel…wrong: it smells of cigarettes…I arrived at the hotel on December 30th around nine in the evening. Nobody answered our “Good evening” greeting…in a few moments, we learnt from a Brazilian lady, that the front desk employee was having an argument with the owner – the conversation did not sound a friendly one – it seemed that she was arguing with her boss due to the fact that next Sunday had been declared “Transportation National Day” and no taxi, bus or the like would be available all over Montevideo…later on we realized that the only place nearby to have dinner on New Year´s Eve was at the tiny hotel restaurante …but we were informed by “ at this time no so angry “front desk clerk it was sold out so and as a joke she added that she would invite all of us to her house to celebrate!!!!. She assured us that the Room service would be available throughout the night…. We were tired…. after checking in we went to the room. Next evening we kept on calling the Room Service for almost two hours and no answer at all …. The phone was busy all the time. We celebrate with some food and champagne we bought from a nearby shopping mall… sometimes having intuition gives you a replenishing feeling when you make the right decision such as HAVING FOOD! Talking about food, breakfast is poor…we have to remind the waiters they had to replenish the orange juice and some other stuff… and hurry up, service closes at 10:30am…no exceptions…so while staying at the Cala beware of ill mannered employees, funny smells and fight for your food, perhaps you will have to remind to get the room done otherwise you will leave Montevideo with a sense of having wasted your time and money….

A large group of us converged on the Cala di Volpe, beginning on 20 December 2011. This was the 'designated' hotel for out-of-town guests for a large wedding in Montevideo, that I was invited to attend. There were about 40 in our group staying here, as best I could tell. The location of the hotel is perfect, just across from the water and fronting the Rambla M. Ghandi, a seafront motorway. The lobby restaurant was perfectly nice, with an ample breakfast buffet included in the price (most breakfasts are included in South America) of a room. And, the rooms were nice. Nothing fancy (as implied in "Boutique hotel"!) nor luxurious, just simply comfortable. The pillows, as in other Southern Hemisphere hotels were lumpy and not that comfortable. Only the more expensive rooms have full-on sea views.

The front desk and staff in general were very nice, most spoke rudimentary or better English and were most helpful with regard to taxis, special services, etc.

O.K., now that I've recounted the positive things about this hotel, all of us did NOT have a good experience here. Why? The air conditioner was not working when most of us checked in and despite the hotel's concerted efforts, after 5 days, the air conditioned was still NOT working! This outtage occurred during the height of summer (Dec-Feb is summer, here) and it was hot and muggy, and all of us had to get dressed up for the various parties, rehearsal dinners and the wedding itself, in stifling heat!! Not fun, nor pretty!

I obtained only a 10% discount on my room rate, when I threatened to move to the Sheraton around the corner. (And I almost did, but wanted to stay with my friends and family.) I think they also gave me a free drink and dinner entree, for my inconvenience. Frankly, I just wanted the bloody air-conditioner to work. Sleeping with the window wide-open all night was crazy noisy, windy and wild.

So, just be sure the air-conditioner is working if you plan on staying at the Cala di Volpe. Other than our bad luck re the A/C, this hotel is well-located for the beach, shopping at Punta Carretas Mall, just one block away, and a 30 minute bus trip, via # 121 to the Ciudad Viejo. There are some good seafood restaurants along the sea front, and other good restaurants nearby, as well. A good location for those not wanting to be in the center of Montevideo.

In front of la rambla, a few blocks from downtown, this is an outstanding option in Montevideo. The room (I recomend de "corner" one") is beautiful, you feel like being in a boat. Good breakfast, very good in overall attention.