Costa Colonia - Riverside Boutique Hotel

As a place so strongly defined by its historic past, a place visitors come to stroll the cobblestone streets, escape the frenzied pace of Buenos Aires and admire the beautifully preserved colonial architecture, Colonia can be forgiven for being a bit predictable. That, after all, is its appeal; the town has looked and felt about the same for the past 250 years. So it comes as a surprise that instead of an old-fashioned colonial-style hotel in the Barrio Histórico, we have the Costa Colonia, a decidedly modern hotel that trades views of old stone homes for sunsets over the Rio Plata. It’s the sort of mid-size apartment-style hotel you’d sooner expect to find in Palermo Soho. There’s a minimum of fussiness, instead an abundance of sunlight pouring in through floor-to-ceiling windows, modern blonde wood furniture, crisp white linens and airy curtains.

Even the smallest of the rooms, the 450-square-foot Loft, includes a kitchenette and a balcony, so if you don’t want to make the pleasant half-hour walk into the center of town, you could stay in to cook a light meal and enjoy it in open-air privacy. Better yet, upgrade to one of the river view rooms for, you guessed it, excellent views of the Rio Plata. By boat, it’s only forty-five minutes across that river to Buenos Aires, but when you can spend all day soaking up Colonia’s old-world charm without giving up the comforts of 21st-century accommodations, you might not be eager to leave.


How to get there:
Costa Colonia is a 5-minute drive from the Port of Colonia or about 3 hours and 30 minutes from Montevideo Carrasco International Airport. Transfers from the Port of Colonia can be organized for $10 per car.