I had my eye on Uruguay for a trip over the holidays, to replace Chi’s frigid temps with those of the gorgeous Southern hemisphere summer.
Why not spend a month there, you say? Yea, we’re game.
With no direct flights to Montevideo, naturally a stop in Brasil made sense. Diving haven outside of Rio? Sign. us. up.
Hello Sudamerica, goodbye puffy jackets.




Quick facts
1. Weather – in Uruguay, gorgeous, b/w 75-80 & sunny near daily. In Brasil, hotttttt & humid. Upper 80s with those oh so perfect summer nights.
2. People & language – incredibly nice and helpful in both places. English is not prevalent in either. For Brasil, get on those Portuguese lessons & in UY, rock that espanol!
3. Dinero – as I write this, 6 Brazilian reales to $1 USD. $43 UY dollars to $1 USD. Generally, everything is cheaper, and more so in Brasil. In both countries, the quality of the meat & seafood rocks on the whole.
4. Easy (for Jon) to drive in both countries when we had a rental in tow. Super reasonable to rent a car in Brasil, and wildly the opposite in UY. Very easy to use the Uber app in both, huzzah!
5. Time zones – in both spots, we were 3 hours ahead of Chi time, 2 ahead of ET.
How to get there.




Holiday gifts are big in our house. Perfect landscape to rack up another 50k Chase Reserve Ultimate Rewards points. With this duo not opposed to flying on Xmas day, we treated ourselves to Delta’s Premium Select seats for our flight from Chi to Rio, connection in ATL. This ran the points + ~$2400 total for the both of us. One way.
Worth it? Hell yes. Feels awfully similar to business class, with the service to boot. Javanti set foot on Brazilian soil bright eyed and bushy tailed.
Plus. On the way home, we booked no frills Copa Airlines, connecting thru our beloved Panamanian PTY airport. We didn’t learn our lesson with no wifi the first time around? Nah, guess not. At $600/pp for the 13 hour journey home (yowza!), not much to complain about.
Of course, we also had to get from Brasil to our Uruguayan haven. A 3 hour direct flight on Chilean Sky Airline ran us $358/total for the two of us, with a seat “upgrade.” Talk about no frills. The upgrade basically meant getting to choose a seat. Honestly tho, these low budget airlines are crushing it with service and technology. Zero complaints.
Runabout tips:
- One-ways seemed to be the ish here, with flight prices and options declining when doing a multi-city search. Don’t snooze on checking these!
- This adventure had us leaving ORD @ 3pm on Xmas day. Zero traffic on the roads or in-airport, and MDW’s lounge is open, people! How is it? Has a bar. Enough said.
- Lately, I’ve been checking Priority Pass to determine ahead of time whether our airports have an accessible lounge. Clutch for those stints to crush work emails, particularly without any wifi on lovely Copa Air. Luckily, GIG, MVD, & PTY each had a solid lounge, score.
- Premium seating? Rather than spending 14 hours in some dingy middle seat rows away from one another, we’ve been prioritizing paying the extra $$ for extra leg room and better perks, while not making the total plunge into business or first. Wellllll worth it, particularly on the long haul flights.
How to get around.



Having never been to Brasil outside of the stunning Iguazu Falls, we wondered how driving in Rio & its surrounding areas might be. Luckily, Igor to the rescue! We learned from a friend that driving within the country is totally fine sans avoiding a few areas (that we inadvertently could not have plunged into more. good lord, seriously).
Our lil Jeep was the perfect companion for the ~2 hour adventure to Arraial do Cabo, and then back to Rio for our total week long stint in Brasil. At $250 total, also a steal. As always, check out Skyscanner for a solid-priced rental, choosing automatic (unless you prefer stick), in-terminal pick up, and no penalty cancellation if you like a bit of flex like we do.
In Montevideo, car rentals were insanely pricey, so we opted to stick to Uber inexpensive rideshare, pun intended and just as with our Panamanian month-long stint. We had read that Snappy is a good, local Uruguayan company and figured we could book while there for any weekend rendezvous.
Low and behold, we ended up booking our weekend rides on the glorious Skyscanner after Snappy shared a much higher quote.
Runabout tips:
- When someone tells you not to drive through the favelas, listen intently. We did not. Yoikes. Jeff Gordon to the serious rescue.
- If you do (somewhat unknowingly) find yourself in a favela, allow a helpful local to guide you to park and then grab a moto taxi ride to the top of whatever mountain you may be trying to reach for a trailhead.
- Parking was super easy in Arraial do Cabo, without any meters or the like. Nice change of pace from our other recent island & beach towns.
- Having a garage spot in Rio was clutch. Loooved the bustling Leblon hood, and it was equally nice to get out for hikes within & outside of the city.
- What about Montevideo? Are there are any parking rules here? Nada, and we’ll take that alllll day. Super chill.
Where to stay.




You know I love searching for our lil love nests. And yep, here it comes. Our tried & true process to finding hotels & homes worked to find us the right hood. Don’t make this girl start harping about location again.
So, where did we land in each spot?
Arraial do Cabo
We ended up visiting Arraial do Cabo purely on Igor’s rec. Didn’t hurt that diving is incredible in this Brazilian beach town. I did search for a bit before landing on Pousada Arraial Inn.
Simple reason for that. This doesn’t seem to be a giant tourist destination, which limited the # of spots with a gym. Add in the fact that this is the busiest season here, and wala, the Inn emerged as a stunning boutiquey property… with a sauna. Hell, yes.
Easy Google Maps search for a nearby gym sealed the deal for this girl. At under $500/3 total nights, with breakfast to boot. Loved the i9 fitness haven, with random personal trainers approaching us to correct our form. Only in Brasil. Sweet deal for a mere 40 reales (just over $6)/pp per day.
Reality? Sauna wasn’t functioning, and the place didn’t really do it for us. Not a strong rec for that spot, but giant rec for Pousada da Prainha, including the gorgeous bar for no rush happy hour. Yesss, please.
Rio
I had read that Leblon & nearby Ipanema were the it places for a trendy hood with tons of food and fun options. With the location narrowed, I searched Tripadvisor and Airbnb for good options. Add in that gym feature, and the options were few, not to mention prices hiiigh during this peak season.
We ended up at this lovely Airbnb smack in the middle of the action. Did this spot really offer a gym and sauna? Hell yes, friends. And a pool. Wowowow.
At under $1200 for another 3-night stint, not cheap but well worth every penny, particularly during this super popular time.
Reality? This place rocked. Super super cozy, and we ended up hosting as well as doing date nights in. All with Jesus Christo as our special guest to boot (the view, guys). We so fortuitously did an extra night on the front end, and Leblon beach was mere blocks away. Here we come, NYE!
Strong rec for this place, from location to homey vibes. Gym & sauna were… nearly nonexistent, but who cares with all of the other positives. On the (final) note, our daily Body Tech AM visit was insanely pricey. But worth it to pump. that. iron. Brazilians are jacked, so Jon was in great company.
Nuestra hogar en Montevideo
After searching primarily on Airbnb, I fell in love with this place immediately. Another amenity pot of gold. Gym, sauna, multiple pools, tons of outdoor space, and you guessed it. Dos baños for our ~month-long condo stay. Color me exciiiiited.
An incredible $60/night, wowza. Makes you want to move to Uruguay, we know.
Another yoikes. We arrived, immediately asked about other available places, and bounced the following day. Where did we land? Here, and it def became home. Ironically, literally across the street from faux pas #1, with the amenities to boot.
Lessons learned? The amenities at many buildings rock, with a gym and sauna to boot. However, the place itself and really, the cleanliness and furnishings do it for this duo when we’re living there for a month. These can be severely lacking, so communicate with the host to confirm items that are imp to you are in-house (coffee maker, hair dryer, what have you).
If you book early, please check out this spot! We loved it, but no units with a kitchen were avail. That JD breakfast is not something this girl will pass up.
Runabout tips:
- We do tend to ask about the avail. and cost for parking on-site when we have a rental in-tow. The info. is useful, but more so, we get a great sense of the customer service.
- For a longer stay, def check on parking options and cost.
- Often times, Airbnb features multiple rooms in a particular hotel or condos in a particular apartment bldg. Peer a bit closely, and you can tell which hotel or building. Then, go to that site directly both for a closer look into the place, but also to compare the price of direct booking, without those added fees. Also a great way to search reviews outside of Airbnb, which can be limited.
- All that said, I failed on asking which level the unit we first booked was on. Maybe the piso cero action would’ve tipped me off.
How far does your mula go?

Changing $? Do it. In both places, and early at that.
Brasil: We ended up doing an ATM in Arraial do Cabo to pay for a port tax when grabbing our dive boat. Would recommend finding a cambio, which we tend to fail on on arrival. Too excited to explore.
Uruguay: Oh so easy to find a cambio & exchange USD. No passport or ID of any kind needed, and these are everywhere. Avoid exchanging at the airport for this reason, to get a much better rate elsewhere.
You’ll get by with a card maybe 70-80% of the time, depending on where you’re frequenting.
The prices? Honestly depends on the item. We prob ate & drank (very, very well) for about 60% of what we pay here in Chi/the US. The caliber of the meat and wine was unparalleled, yum.
What to do.







Arraial do Cabo!
Our first stint into Brasil was super chill. And hotttt.
Our 2 nights in this lil beach town was dive (& food, obv) focused.
- We dove with AF Diving. Service was friendly and on point, and our divemaster possibly my fave ever. So sweet and attentive. What did we see? Visibility was lower than any past experience, but the coolest sea spider and snake of all time, wildly colored fish of all sorts, puffer fish galore, and turtles! Wowowow. At $150/pp, no complaints. Other than the, at odd times, frigid water.
- Hike! There are many beaches to check out, with awesome views into some. Our fave hikes were: Mirante Praia Brava and Pontal do Atalaia.
- There was an awesome carnival/fair type deal happening on our Friday night in town. Awesome local feel and super fun to explore.
Where to eat & drink
Our first foray into Brasil was tasty.
- Fixi – favorite, gorgeous setting, and awesome seafood bites + bubbles. Put on your Sunday’s best, and take stunning pics.
- Sol na Cozhina – No rush happy hour is legit. Amazing cocktails, stellar ambiance, and the small carne y mariscos bites were had were some of the best of the trip.
- Pimienta Rosa – excellent seafood in a quaint, cozy setting. Female chef owned, get it! Our Argentine server treated us like family, so sweet.
- Casa de Piedra – perfectly perched in town, a great stop for a cocktail & perhaps small bite.
- Mangara – super well rated, but neither the bites or ambience did it for us. Awesome service tho.
Runabout tips:
- Use this lil guy to keep warm in b/w dives.
- Seems obvious that you’d only be on the boat for the total # of dives you’ve booked (usually 2 for us). We were oddly kept on the boat for a third dive by a small # of divers out of the group. Come on people, we have happy hour to get to. Divers, maybe check on that to use your time wisely.
- Bug spray is your friend in this beach town. Good lord, we were eaten alive on day 2. Couple that with our awesome diving sunburn, and this duo was clearly from the Chi.













Rio!
We looooved Rio. Despite the language barrier that is Portuguese for this girl. From the gorgeous temps to people to views, we could’ve easily spent plenty more time in this awesome metropolis.
What to do.
- Hike! Yea, I said it. There are a million hikes in Rio.
- Favorites: Pedra Bonita, Dois Irmaos, Sugar Loaf, Dona Marta. Simply gorgeous for sunrise, sunset, or anything in between.
- Pedro do Telegrafo is also an (awesome) hike, and the surrounding village Guaratiba is def worth a visit. Beach it up, paddle board, and indulge in fresh crab and oysters, yum.
- Heli ride with Vertical Rio! Insane way to see Rio, and probably oddly, the set up (pre-getting into the helicopter) was the best part. Give it a shot, and you’ll see just what I mean.
- Rage on the beach for NYE! Be sure to wear white to welcome a fresh start, with a pop of red to symbolize love, and yellow for success and money. As luck would have it, our tradition of popping bubbles on the beach at midnight fit riiiight in.
Where to eat & drink!
We ate very well and could’ve explored the city for weeks finding lil nooks & crannies.
- Clan – just wow. Best pulpo we’ve had to date. And the lobster dish was no snooze fest either. Incredible service, grub, and you can watch the magic happen when sitting at the chef’s table.
- Mitsuba – go for the sashimi and sake to start your evening, then head to some place more local.
- Liz’s – bomb cocktails and awesome bartenders. So. much. fun. Heyy Rae!
- Boteco Belmonte – we have never seen a place be so packed so often. Awesome lunch spot with super tasty small bites & vino or Chopp. Reminded us of San Sebastian, Spain, a forever fave.
- CT Boucherie – France meets asado. Bomb.
- Janeiro – lovely ambience and cocktails, and stellar service.
- Bracarense – Chopp central. Super local and smashing small bites as well as (small) sammies. Must: cheesy shrimp ball of goodness.
- Princesa – local, delish, and super cute. Gets crowded!
- Rainha – this joint came very recommended, and the arroz de queso did not disappoint. Neither did the cachacha, ayayay.
- Sardinha – first time eating fried sardines. Just meh.
- Zona Sul – I love this… supermarket. Massive, awesome selection, and steps away from our place. Perfect spot to snag cachacha to cap off a fun evening.
Next time!
Runabout tips:
- Do you need a car in Rio? Nope, and most people unlikely grab one. We loved the flexibility, and our lil SUV was clutch to get to not only Arraial do Cabo but a live saver for the sketchy hikes and sunrise AMs I insisted on.




















Nuestro hogar, Montevideo.
Who knew Uruguay has an incredible wine culture? Yea, you would think a couple of people that decided to spend a month there. Awesome, awesome surprise.
What to do!
Weekend trips! Afuera de la cuidad.
- Visit Colonia del Sacramento. This is an absolute must, guys, no matter what the locals say (often, that it’s quiet & less exciting than Punta del Este). Stay a night at Las Liebres if you want to totally fall in love with the place.
- While in Colonia, stroll the lengthy beachside, catch a glimpse of nearby Buenos Aires, explore the Old City, hit the harbor and lighthouse, and eat and drink your lil hearts out. Dulce de leche of all varieties, yes please.
- On a different wknd, head the other way to Bodega Garzon. Widely known, Garzon and its worldly head chef Francis Mallmann are a fave experience of the trip. The drive is about 2.5 hours from the city and so worth it. Super easy to book online, with a variety of dining and tasting options to choose from.
- From Garzon [Google Maps], head to Jose Ignacio, less than an hour’s drive. Holy shit guys, so happy we opted to stay the night is this stunning (not so, at this time of yr) quaint town, at Wanderlust. I’ll admit the stunning Vik properties called our names, but at $800+/night due to the high season (& general bouginess), just didn’t seem worth it.
- Wanderlust could not have been more perfect. Ping pong war, anyone?! As luck would have it, all of the bartenders we had befriended stay on the hostel side of this lovely haven. And… there’s a late night bar. Yoikes, wayy too much fun.
- We spent our Jose Ignacio night catching sunset and wining and dining our lil hearts out (you can also check out Posada del Faro for a boutiquey place run with love).
- The following day, we hit the ever so famoso Punta del Este. We opted to spend a Sunday rather than full wknd here, simply because we prefer less congested areas. That plan worked perfectly, and we do recommend doing a swanky but chill beach lunch before heading back to city life.
- El Mano on Playa Brava is cool, touristy or not (very).
- Bouza winery! Just 25 min from the city, Bodega Bouza boasted one of our top meals of the trip. That baby Bouza beef, dagnabbit.
- Pizzorno winery! There’s a theme here. We opted to do a fun lunch excursion on our last Friday in UY. Super easy $45/pp transport to & from the city to the vinedo, about 30 minutes each way. Couple that flexibility with a gorgeous scene, delectable eats, and vino for days, and we had a perfect Friday afternoon on our hands. Heyy pups!
- Stroll La Rambla, todos los dias. Such an incredible way to start each AM.
- Parque Rodo [Google Maps] – sprawling park that’s great for a picnic, or of course, a long stroll. Recommend kicking off the day here, before heading to Ciudad Vieja.
- Hit up the Feria de Tristan Narvaja [Google Maps], only open on Sundays. This large open air market offers tons of odd and cool stuff, including food, veggies, souvenirs, and many more items. Go on the AM side to avoid large crowds.
- Check out the Old City’s (Cuidad Vieja) cobblestone streets and handmade artesanías. Here, check out the Teatro Solis [Google Maps] and be sure to grab some delicious, plentiful carne in the Mercado del Puerto [Google Maps]. Then, chill out with a beer at Malafama microbrewery, and indulge in popcorn & a second lunch pizza style if you can make room.
- Bike! Orange Bike also offers tours if that’s your jam. We simply grabbed bicis and hit La Rambla for sunset. Gorgeous & oh so fun.
- Cabo Polonio [Google Maps]! A little less than 2 hours from Garzon, this place looks stunning and reminiscent of the San Blas islands. No running electricity (altho changing it seems, with solar panels and windmills making increasing appearances), and you grab a 30-min jeep ride through the sand dunes as the only way to get into CP. Just increíble.
- A bit past Colonia del Sacramento, Carmelo [Google Maps] for… more wine tasting, of course. And biking and enjoying the quaint, countryside.
- We missed hiking while in Uruguay, altho La Rambla offered an incredible daily beach walk. Perhaps climb up the Fortaleza de Cerro [Google Maps]. Outside of the city, these look amazing.
Runabout tips:
- The wineries offer a million options as far as tastings, tastings paired with bites, a la cart menus, and pre fixe meals. We opted for a la cart to try whatever we wanted & sip wines by the (fullll) glass.
- Whatsapp is your buddy for booking anything and everything, from dinner resos to winery visits to wknd stays on Uruguays lovely coasts.
- For Montevideo’s hoods to stay in, Pocitos [Google Maps] is happening and lively, Buceo [Google Maps] (where we lived) is super central and our place was a block from La Rambla, and Carrasco [Google Maps] is upscale, near the airport, as is Punta Carretas [Google Maps] with highrises offering awesome sea views. Buceo was right up our alley, with Pocitos or Punta Carretas a close numero dos.











Where to eat & drink.
The cheesy Italian influence and glorious meat forward culture that is Uruguay. Throw in empanadas and scrumptious seafood, and it’s a wonder we hopped on that return flight.
- In Colonia, Charco Bistro for a perfectly chilled negroni tradicional with a beautiful setting (hotel looks gorg as well), Sushi Life Colonia, and of course, at Las Liebres. Highly recommend doing a wine lunch on Las Liebres’ stunning grounds.
- In Jose Ignacio, La Huella is an absolute must. You may never be the same human again. Marismo is a magical, romantic close second, and La Susana is super well known & worth a visit.
- In Punta del Este, make a lunch reso at the gorgeous I’marangatu.
- In Montevideo’s Cuidad Veija, Jacinto but save room for a bloody & awesome Asian meats at Sometimes Sunday. For evening drinks, Bar Fun Fun & Lotus Club. Tango it up, friends! For those sweet sweet meats, we hit up La Chacra del Puerto. Just wowowow on that wine pour. Try the classic Medio y Medio sparkling wine to kick off a tasty meal.
In Montevideo proper:
- El Tio Bistro – truly feels like your uncle is hosting, and this was a top 5 meal of 2024 (yea, technically, eaten in 2025). The steak was perfectly cooked, seasoned, and loved, and the ravioli de mariscos paired insanely well with too many grappa shots. Opa!
- Garcia – seriously, people. Does steak get any better than in Uruguay? (sorry, Mom & Dad!). Seafood was on point as well. Everything here is great and super reasonable.
- Chivipizza down the street from Garcia was a perfect pit stop for dessert and too much grappamiel. And cachacha, ay ay ay. On a Monday. Round two at this joint on our last night in the city tossed up the best pizza of the trip, hands down.
- Cafe Misterio – super cute, scrumptious…. everything. Musts: lamb empanadas, all things carne, grappa!
- Piso 40 – just wow. That Javanti luck brought us here for a stunning sunset dinner. Giant ribeye and incredible views made for a really nice surprise.
- Francis – the squid at this seafood joint was the best of the trip. Another cute date spot, but we prefer a bit more quaint.
- We loved the cleverly named Indian Food Point & Bar to get that motherland fix in, yum.
- Speaking of clever names, we found the elusive Ramen to Go on PedidosYa. From apps to the ramen, on point. The salmon and lamb dumpling like apps, in 3 varieties, were simply delish.
- El Mingus for solid cocktails while you take soak up sweet live music.
- Peixi Preto – awesome, awesome sushi with super friendly service to boot. Do not skip this cute lil fish haven! Giant pours never hurt a girl.
- La Perdiz – constantly buzzing, nice old school vibe, and we loved the servers. Heyy Carolina! The steak and food generally was honestly not our fave, but we’d come back for tiny strong drinks any day.
- Sushi Wok Peru – yea, you heard me right. With a few locations, super cute, and the service was bomb. Hello, pisco shots! No complaints about the sushi, prob just not the cuisine to focus on here.
- Plaza de Chueca – cute ambience, made friends… and bartender friends, and the drinks… flowed. We may come back to experience the food. Yea, there’s a story there.
- Bocatti – with a location a block from our place, this was stop #1 on our first night. Such friendly service and a nice variety of empanadas (tons) to choose from. Worth a pop in!
- Genuino – great negroni, just super dead when we went. The rooms at the lil cottage may be worth checking out.
- You might also try a traditional (& giant) chivito at Expreso Pocitos.
- Bohemia Bar – ended up here in the oddest way possible and had a blast. Shots only is never a bad rule. Right? Guys?
- We’ll prob have to hit those stunning Vik properties in Jose Ignacio. Maybe.
- We missed hiking while in Uruguay, altho La Rambla offered an incredible daily beach walk. Perhaps climb up the Fortaleza de Cerro [Google Maps]. Outside of the city, these look amazing.
Runabout tips:
- Lunch & dinner resos are less essential in the city, but an absolute must for wknd excursions in Jose Ignacio, Punta del Este and of course, for the wineries.
- You might be inclined to go steak or beef, but do not snooze on that lamb (cordero)! Gloriously tasty in all varieties and cuisines, truly.
- Take-out and delivery of all sorts is giant in Uruguay, where PedidosYa was born, wowza! While we couldn’t get this working in Panama with our US phone #s, we figured out a work around in UY, heyo!















Top 5 experiences on this solid voyage:
- Bopping around Jose Ignacio’s gorgeous, warmly lit beach haunts.
- Our lil love nest in Colonia del Sacramento.
- NYE Rio, Javanti style.
- Bouza, Pizzorno & Bodega Garzon wine lunches. Each too good to choose just one.
- Can’t leave out those daily beach walks on the city’s La Rambla.










Wow, what an incredible journey! Jose Ignacio sounds like pure magic, and those wine lunches? Absolutely dreamy. Thanks for sharing your recommendations and tips—it’s inspiring me to start planning my own!
Thanks for sharing! So cool to read someone else’s trip notes when we’ve done similar! Amazing meeting you guys there (and we made the blog! Haha). We’ll get on to planning that trip to Chi.