Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo, The

I wish this guidebook had been published when I visited Montevideo 16 years ago. Though I had a good time, I see now it could have been 10-times more fun. But I’m enjoying thinking about my next trip from my swivel chair at home because the book is so lively and personable, reading it is like making a new friend. I mean, this is the only guidebook you’ll find that uses rating categories of “Thumbs up!” “Mehhh” and “Mehhh antidote.” The author, Karen, defines what it means to be the hostess-with-the-mostess. The Live Music chapter includes lists of lesser-known artists who will “blow you away,” the popular and the off-the-beaten-track venues where they play, how to post a request for a reservation via FB, and exactly what to write in Spanish! She even tells you what albums to listen to before you arrive. Though a self-proclaimed “beer woman,” Karen still goes out of her way to appeal to wine-lovers like me, consulting real experts to list the best restaurants for wine lovers, 12 best budget wines, vineyard tours from “rustic” to “luxury”, and “great little wine stores.” The guidebook has advice about everything you would expect to see, from tips on getting to and from, weather and what to wear, where to stay, what to tip—it’s all in here, along with a good dose of humor and enticement to buy your tickets to Uruguay straight-away.

This book is one of the most researched and informative travel guides I think I have ever read! I'm now even more excited about my upcoming trip to Uruguay after reading this and the companion book "Guru'guay Guide to Uruguay"! Karen Higgs has obviously poured her heart and soul into informing the reader about everything anyone would ever want to know about this country, its people, its culture, where to stay, what to do! A must for any potential visitor!

When I was planning my November 2017 trip to Uruguay, I was really struggling to find any type of helpful travel information. Again and again, I kept finding the Guru'guay blog, which has fabulous articles and recommends. Through the blog, I found this book and also wound up staying at Karen's fabulous Casa Sarandi in Montevideo.This book was a treasure trove of great information and was invaluable - not only to better understand all of the wonderful things I could do, but also to get a better sense of the Uruguayan culture.This book is a gotta-have if you are heading there - and don't miss her Beaches and Wine Country book as well!

My wife and I purchased both The Guruguay Guide to Montevideo and The Guruguay Guide to Uruguay in preparation for a trip to Uruguay with our children. The guides were instrumental to the success of our trip. We followed the books’ recommendations when possible, including for hotels, restaurants, airport transfers, and car rental, all of which were incredibly helpful and made for a fantastic vacation. We even took the Guruguay up on her offer in the books and contacted her for a recommendation for a Carnaval event to attend with our children, to which she promptly replied with yet another excellent suggestion. We are very glad we found the Guruguay!

Informational: Yes! Not what I would describe as a true guide. Author provides personal opinions based on her experiences and makes several recommendations (sounded more like sale-pitches to colleagues) without comparative points of reference. For someone who is ignorant of the culture it may be more useful than to experienced travelers. All in all she reveals things about the area that will be helpful to anyone who does not know what to expect and for that reason it will be valuable to many. For whatever is worth I bought two (one to gift), in hindsight I should have bought one and after glancing at it for a couple of hours, I would give it to someone planning on travelling there. I'll get my money's worth just to try a couple of the author's favorite places, but it will not be the rental car place she recommends - absurd pricing for car rental regardless of what they do before, or after the car rental.

The Guru'Guay guide MADE my trip to Montevideo. I was there for 5 weeks so I had a lot of time to try many of the recommendations in the book. The explanation of how to use the bus route website was invaluable. So was the insight into proper amounts to tip. I'm from the U.S. and would recommend this book strongly. Thanks Guru'Guay for the great background on the area, the spot-on restaurant reviews and the great advice for side trips. :}~

Uruguay is a good place to spend several days, especially if you are also planning a trip to Brazil or Argentina. And this Guru'Guay Guide is a must and really helps you plan your stay. We used Karen Higgs' recommendation for our hotel, the Alma Historica, and for a city guide and Carnival guide. It is an easy read, and you can also download a copy and use it on Kindle.Well worth the price

It's hard to find info on Montevideo and this has it all. She got us to and from places and helped exprience the everyday culture! Thanks to the author and her website we got tickets for the ferry between Montevideo and Argentina for half the price we were finding through Boquebus on their other brand Seacat. Same company and equip. Different brands.

I was fortunate to come across this book just before venturing to Uruguay. I read it from cover to cover making notes as I went along. I had no idea what to expect in Uruguay. It was just a place I wanted to tick off my list. This book was a godsend. It's written in such a friendly way. It's like receiving info from a friend who lives there (which, of course Karen does). It's not like other travel guides that need to be ploughed through. I enjoyed reading all the info and referred to it several times during my short stay in Montevideo before heading ( by bus) to Punta del Este. On the bus I saw two other tourists reading the same book! By the way Punta del Este covers such a massive area. There are so many smaller and quieter "villages" under the Punta del Este umbrella. I believe Karen is currently writing another guide to other areas in Uruguay. This will be too late for me but will be a huge help to future tourists. I really wouldn't have wanted to be without this book on my trip.

Currently, I am looking for work in South America again. In the past I've always focused on the Andes region so Uruguay was totally off my radar. Not anymore (and it's gone to the top of my list). I am a convert, not least because of this guide. Yes, it's full of infomation but not in your typical Lonely Planet style, with endless dry lists of things to do/see/eat etc. This has soul & passion too and is written by people who know and love the city.The book is divided into:'Logistics' - incl. invaluable info. on getting there, getting around and day-to-day functioning - I can't emphasise enough how useful just this section is. The chart of 'The best time to visit' is simply genius and the explanation of the different neighbourhoods is sooo useful.'Things to Do''Food &Drink''Society & Culture'(my favourite section)- historical/political background, films & music, books, local expressions etc.I first read through the book via Kindle Unlimited but saw how much had gone into the making of this self-published book and felt the need to support the writer by actually buying a copy. Also, it looks like a guide to wider Uruguay is on its way so hopefully this book will have the big success it deserves and help that project along too.

Last year my partner’s employer gave us the option to move to Montevideo for four years. Before agreeing to the transfer, I came to Uruguay for a short trip to make up my mind, having purchased a copy of Karen Higg’s Guruguay’s Guide to Montevideo on Amazon. Had it not been for Karen’s insightful, honest and informative recommendations, I would not have discovered the cultural, social and gastronomic gems that Montevideo has to offer. We moved here six months ago, and this book continues to be my point of reference for life in Uruguay. This publication is a must-buy for tourists and residents alike.

We used this book and Karen’s other book (The Guru’Guay Guide to Uruguay) as the basis of a two week trip around Uruguay.They were invaluable and full of really helpful practical advice.Strongly recommended.

This is much more than a helpful guide to Montevideo, it dives in a friendly way into the soul of a city, its past and its present. The food, the music, the character of Montevideo is gently introduced, so the newcomer will have a smooth landing and make the most from her visit. I highly recommend it.

The best introduction to the country you will ever read.

We spent a week in Montevideo this summer and this guide had everything we needed, great ideas for things to do and good advice for navigating all things Uruguayan.

Good guide

Guida ricca di suggerimenti e molto completa e dettagliata su tutti i punti di vista. Chiara e semplice nella lettura.

O guia apresenta uma visão pessoal da autora sobre a cidade. Mescla a visão de um estrangeiro e de alguem alguém que vive na cidade há vários anos. As dicas e recomendações do guia foram preciosas para conhecer a aproveitar os dias passados em Montevideo.

Useful background to Montevideo...

Very helpful but didn't mention restaurants with English menus...will find out when I get there.