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Montevideo, Uruguay tour guides

knuts1

By knuts1,
in South America

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Heloise1234

Heloise1234

Posted
Posted
We used Jaime Gutierrez Castro jaimegutierrez@adinet.com.uy last year. He has a small taxi cab, speaks good English and is very knowledgable. We had an excellent day and I highly recommend him. He will take you to what you want to see or just show you around.

 

Hi. We are going to Montevideo and Punta del Este in March. I found your recommendation on another thread and I have been trying to contact Jaime for a couple of weeks now. He hasn't responded after 4 emails. I also tried the cell phone number that (I think) you provided as well and the digits do not seem correct and don't go through to a phone. His home phone number rings out. Someone said he works with Julio but I don't have a contact. Any ideas for an alternate email/cell? Thanks. Christine.

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Heloise1234

Heloise1234

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His card that I got from him last March shows a telephone number as +598 (2) 682-51-17 and cell +598 099 152-560. I hope this helps, he is a wonderful guide.

 

Thanks yes those are the numbers we have tried. We are on the other side of the world (Australia) and calling is hard if there is no-one at home during the day. We will keep trying the home phone as we can't get the cell number to work at all. Pity he doesn't answer the emails and he sounds perfect. Many thanks.

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polySeraph

polySeraph

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http://www.realenglishtours.com/

 

we used these and were very happy with them.

 

"Elizabeth Cowley" <liz@realenglishtours.com>

 

We used Real English Tours to arrange a full-day tour for 10 roll call members. We had a great day. It was inauguration day for Uruguay’s new president so navigating the maze of roadblocks could have been a challenge. Our guide and driver were totally unfazed and always managed to find a way to get our small group close to all the landmarks. Our winery tour finished up with a wine tasting which included generous portions of cheeses, breads, and cured meats. After our tour had concluded back at the port, DH asked our guide about eating at the Mercado del Puerto. (He had gotten the idea from Anthony Bourdain's Uruguay episode.) The guide graciously walked us across the street to the Mercado and gave us an impromptu briefing on Uruguayan grilled meats. She even had some good suggestions for the vegetarians in the group.

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smeyer418

smeyer418

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We used Real English Tours to arrange a full-day tour for 10 roll call members. We had a great day. It was inauguration day for Uruguay’s new president so navigating the maze of roadblocks could have been a challenge. Our guide and driver were totally unfazed and always managed to find a way to get our small group close to all the landmarks. Our winery tour finished up with a wine tasting which included generous portions of cheeses, breads, and cured meats. After our tour had concluded back at the port, DH asked our guide about eating at the Mercado del Puerto. (He had gotten the idea from Anthony Bourdain's Uruguay episode.) The guide graciously walked us across the street to the Mercado and gave us an impromptu briefing on Uruguayan grilled meats. She even had some good suggestions for the vegetarians in the group.

 

 

We met Liz at the restaurant in the the Mercado....

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  • 4 months later...
CRUZGAL53

CRUZGAL53

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We just returned from South America and used Jaime Gutierrez in Montevideo as our tour guide.Jamie is great...he was fun to be with is so proud and knowledgeable of his city and country. We would highly recommend Jaime...he made our day in Montevideo a lot of fun.

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lynsy

lynsy

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Hi,

 

We just returned from Montevideo where we took a wonderful, reasonably priced winery tour at the Varela Zarranz winery. It was super and I am not even a wine drinker. A driver picked us up right outside the entry to the port and drove us to the winery about 45 - 50 minutes away. The tour was very comprehensive, the grounds were lovely, included a sit down, delicious lunch with wine and champagne and the others in the group raved about the wine. We were met by at the winery Magdalena the tour director who couldn't have been nicer. The only draw back was that the driver did not speak English. I believe he was a last minute substitute. If you go, make sure to ask for an English speaking driver and your tour will be perfect.

 

Lynsy

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air7700

air7700

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We booked tours in Montevideo and Punta Del Este with Herbert Sismondi (hsis@adinet.com.uy) having found his name on the CC web site. He took 10 of us in his van and we were all very satisfied with our tours. His english is very good and he was more than generous with his time. We would definitely use his services again should we ever return to Montevideo. We traveled on the Celebrity Infinity in January 2011.

Angela

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  • 1 month later...
pmacher61

pmacher61

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Hi,

 

We just returned from Montevideo where we took a wonderful, reasonably priced winery tour at the Varela Zarranz winery. It was super and I am not even a wine drinker. A driver picked us up right outside the entry to the port and drove us to the winery about 45 - 50 minutes away. The tour was very comprehensive, the grounds were lovely, included a sit down, delicious lunch with wine and champagne and the others in the group raved about the wine. We were met by at the winery Magdalena the tour director who couldn't have been nicer. The only draw back was that the driver did not speak English. I believe he was a last minute substitute. If you go, make sure to ask for an English speaking driver and your tour will be perfect.

Lynsy

I can second this recommendation. You will have a 45 miute ride from the pier to the winery, a guided tour of the gounds and wine making process by an English speaking hostess, Magdalena, and a wonderful lunch with wines which you can plan in advance with her help. All in our group of about 14 had a good time. It was reasonably priced too. Expect to pay about $65 pp.

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SunDapple

SunDapple

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We used http://www.toursbylocals.com to find Gabriel C. an architect who conducts walking tours that can be customized to our liking. Very reasonably priced for a lovely day spent in taking in the sights and various neighborhoods of Montevideo. We walked but we also took taxis so as to cover a larger area and not miss the specifics that we wanted to see. Great meal at the Puerto Mercado at the finish of our day.

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digitl

digitl

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RealEnglishTours: excellent!

 

Check whether or not your ship changes to Uruguayan time. Ours didn't so there was an hour's difference. The rest of our party arrived an hour late for the tour and claimed they hadn't heard the multiple announcements over two days, nor had they seen the warning in the ship's timetable for the day. They didn't even apologise but Liz kept calm and dealt with the situation admirably.

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  • 9 months later...
KYteach

KYteach

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We just returned from a fabulous cruise from Santiago to Rio, including a pre-tour at Machu Picchu and a post-tour at Iguazzu Falls. We booked private tours in Ushuaia with Mario Miraglia and in the Falklands with Patrick Watts. Both were fantastic! In Punta Arenas and Buenos Airies we took Princess tours (both very good!) In Montevideo we booked a private tour with Marta ******* for Feb. 15. This tour was booked (and confirmed) on Aug. 31. The tour was booked as one for my husband and I to take a city tour and a winery tour. During future e-mails with her, I re-confirmed the fact that the tour was only for the two of us, but that I would mention it on Cruise Critics. Another lady and husband contacted her about joining our tour shortly before the cruise, but she did not respond to them. On the day of the tour, she did meet us, but let us know that she was unwilling to take just the two of us on a tour. She arranged for us to get a city tour with another vendor (which was good) but did not include the winery tour that we wanted. We were very disappointed, as there were other winery tours we could have booked if we had known this ahead of time. For the record, I contacted her less than two weeks before the cruise to confirm that (at that time) it was just the two of us. I am very unhappy with the way this tour was handled.

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reynoldswrap

reynoldswrap

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KYteach - I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with Marta, but really appreciate you sharing it with us.

 

We also have Mario and Patrick booked so am glad you had a great time with them!

 

Would you also share your experience at Iguazu Falls? Did you do it on your own or use a tour company? How long did you stay? Thank you again for sharing!

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ruthnlarry

ruthnlarry

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Just returned a few weeks ago from our fantastic Rio to Valparaiso cruise on Oceania's Insignia.

 

Before the cruise, we spent a couple of days in Rio and had excellent tours with Manu Peclat http://www.cariocawayoflife.blogspot.com/.

 

We then flew to Iguazu Falls and stayed at Marica's B&B for 4 nites. Our stay was fantastic. It's not surprising that this B&B has received such great reviews on TA, and is rated so high!

 

We did Iguazu Falls on our own, and had Roberto who was recommended by Maria drive us to our destinations. We spent 1 day on the Brazilian side going to the falls and bird park, 1 full day on the Argentine side, and 1 day going to the dam and other sites. Our 3 days were unbelievable, and we would use Roberto again and recommend him to all!

 

In Montivideo, we used the services of Jaime Gutierrez.

jaimegutierrez at adinet.com.uy (no spaces). Jaime showed us the highlights of Montivideo, and took us to Bouza Winery. The 4 of us were very happy with Jaime and highly recommend him.

 

Upon disembarkation, we used Bestourchile for 3 days. After we were picked up at the Port of Valparaiso, we toured along the coastline, stopping several times for panoramic photos. As we made our way to Vina del Mar, we ate at an amazing place that overlooked the ocean. Then we visited the Naval Museum in Valparaiso. A traveling exhibit of the rescue equipment used to extract the Chilean miners was on display. We were actually able to stuff ourselves into the cage used in the rescue.

 

After the museum, we walked the streets of Valpo for a close-up look at Chilean life on a Sunday afternoon. Riding several funiculars, we traveled up and down the spaghetti-like streets of Valpo, visiting handicraft displays, snapping photos, and taking in the convivial atmosphere of the city. We ended the day by stopping a secret place that only Mauricio and Rodrigo can show you - no, I'm not giving you any hints.

 

On the 2nd day, we drove through the Casablanca Valley on our way to Santiago, and stopped at 2 marvelous and fascinating wineries. Again, there was a surprise stop at the end of the day. All I can tell you is that we experienced the most generous hospitality that Chile has to offer, and all of us were thrilled and honored that Mauricio and Rodrigo thought enough of us to take us there.

 

The amazing Andes Mountain Range topped our last day. We worked our way over 40 switchbacks to a ski lodge, stopping several times to acclimate to the extremely high altitude, and observing numerous condors. One last time Mauricio and Rodrigo showed us an out of the way secret before dropping us at the airport. We would never spoil your fun by revealing it.

 

We were deftly chauffeured in a clean, comfortable Mercedes van, where we were plentifully plied with cold drinks and snacks. We were very impressed with Mauricio's driving skills as he effortlessly transported us from place to place. Both competent guides spoke excellent English. They were always prompt, very entertaining, extremely knowledgeable, and so positively personable.

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KYteach

KYteach

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We did the Princess post-cruise tour at Iguazzu Falls--and it was fantastic (except for flights on Web Jet!) The boat ride into the Falls was sooooo much fun! We stayed in great hotels (Cataratas in Iguazzu and Sheraton Rio in Rio). Both very nice. We were in Rio during Carnaval so everything was very crowded. Iguazzu Falls was a "not to be missed" experience. Don't know what you are doing in Buenos Aires--but we did a Princess City Tour and Tango Show--and it was top notch!

KYteach - I'm so sorry to hear about your experience with Marta, but really appreciate you sharing it with us.

 

We also have Mario and Patrick booked so am glad you had a great time with them!

 

Would you also share your experience at Iguazu Falls? Did you do it on your own or use a tour company? How long did you stay? Thank you again for sharing!

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