Hotel Montevideo

It might strike you that it takes quite a bit of confidence to name your hotel after the city it calls home. But it turns out the Hotel Montevideo has plenty to be confident about. This 80-room boutique-style luxury hotel aims to be nothing less than the finest hotel in the Uruguayan capital, and there’s no question it lands in the top tier.

The building, an eye-catching modern one, stands over the upscale partially residential district of Pocitos, barely a quarter-mile from the beach of the same name. And its rooms and suites are not just luxurious — though they’re certainly that — but distinctive in their design as well, full of custom-designed furniture that ranges in inspiration from well-loved antiques to modernist design classics. All of them come with at least one balcony, and the long-stay Residences add kitchenettes and walk-in closets.

There’s a swanky fitness center with high-end equipment as well as a heated outdoor pool with a view of the city skyline; the lack of a spa is probably the only thing separating the Hotel Montevideo from the bigger luxury hotels. Then again no one else has a restaurant and bar quite like Polo Bamba and the Polo Bamba Skybar, both overseen by the well-known local chefs Ale Morales and Florencia Courreges.