Punta del Este, Uruguay (October, 2016)

We left Montevideo in the afternoon after having had a good carne asada lunch in the city and headed East to Punta del Este, Uruguay. We booked 2 nights at the Conrad Punta del Este Resort and Casino for 50,000 Hilton Hhonors points per night (cash rates for the room were running at $585+ per night). So, for the 2 nights, we paid 100,000 Hilton Hhonors points. We were upgraded to a suite overlooking the ocean for free with Hilton Diamond status and had lounge access and complementary breakfast at the buffet each day.

We redeemed 7,500 British Airways Avios per passenger for the one way flight from Montevideo, Uruguay to Santiago, Chile. The taxes on the award tickets were a bit steep at $82/passenger. The total for our 6 passengers for this one way flight was 45,000 Avios + $492.

We hung out at the pool the first day we arrived then headed down for a stroll on the beach in front of the hotel. The beach is called Playa Mansa (Calm Beach) since the waves are very small. We spent some time just taking in the sun and walking along the beach before we headed back to the hotel and out to get some dinner.

We found a cool little brick oven pizza joint on the other side of the peninsula near Playa Brava called La Fusion Arte Cafe. They had delicious rectangular pizzas served on flat slate plates. It was definitely some of the best pizza we've had in South America.

The next morning we were off to explore and we headed east along Playa Brava all the way to a small little town called Jose Ignacio. We were pretty much the only ones there and there was not much infrastructure, but we spent a couple hours lounging on the beach while the kids found some crabs and played on the rocks and in the sand. When we wanted a change of scenery, we headed back along Playa Brava towards the Punta del Este peninsula and found a cool little diner called Rex Diner to have lunch before stopping on the main beach at Playa Brava to take some obligatory pictures at the famous dedos (fingers) and to take in some more waves and sun.

Family, taking in the scenery at an overlook just before entering Punta del Este, Uruguay.

A view of the Conrad Punta del Este from the pool...we were given a corner suite overlooking the ocean (the room 2 floors up on the left side of the picture above).

View of the beach and boardwalk from the pool at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Nash and Ryder, playing in the pool at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Family dinner at La Fusion Arte Cafe near Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

A view from our balcony at the Conrad Punta del Este.

Kids, sitting on the steps outside the Conrad Punta del Este.

Video of flags flying outside the Conrad Punta del Este (Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Uruguay).

Zander and Nash, playing on the rocks at the beach in Jose Ignacio near Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Video of kids playing at the beach in Jose Ignacio near Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Family picture at the dedos (fingers) at Playa Brava in Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Nash and Zander playing in the waves at Playa Brava, Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Video of kids playing in the waves at Playa Brava, Punta del Este, Uruguay.

Montevideo, Uruguay (October, 2016)

We rented a car in Colonia, and, after exploring the town, we headed east towards Montevideo, Uruguay where we had booked one night at the Sheraton Montevideo for 3,000 SPG points per room (booked 2 rooms). We spent quite a bit of time in Colonia, and left late in the afternoon, so we arrived in Montevideo just after dark. We spent the next day checking out a few things in the city and exploring the coastline for a few hours. We found a cool boardwalk along the coast where there were hundreds of people rollerblading, riding bikes, jogging, and walking. We joined them for a bit and ran into a park right by the ocean that had a place where you could walk out on the rocks along some cement paths. We spent a good part of the afternoon just relaxing there and watching the waves come in.

The kids looking out to the ocean in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Nash, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Walking out along the rocks in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Eliza and the kids in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Video of our family walking on a path out to the ocean in Montevideo, Uruguay.

Walking along the rocks near the ocean in Montevideo, Uruguay.

After spending about a day in Montevideo, we headed further east towards Punta del Este, Uruguay, where we would spend the next few days.

Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay (October, 2016)

We woke up the next day, had a relaxing morning and a good breakfast in the hotel (Intercontinental Buenos Aires) and then took an Uber to the port to catch the ferry (Colonia express) to cross the La Plata River from Buenos Aires, Argentina to Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay. The ferry ride was comfortable and it took us just over an hour to get to Colonia, where we had arranged to rent a car for the next few days while we explored Uruguay.

We drove around the small town of Colonia and parked in the historic district and spent 3-4 hours wandering the streets on foot and exploring some of the old buildings and infrastructure. We had some excellent hamburgers at Boca de Santo and some ice cream and then we were on our way to Montevideo, Uruguay to stay the night in the Four Points Sheraton, Montevideo, where we had booked 2 rooms for 3,000 Starwood SPG points per room per night.

The old "plaza de toros" in Colonia (Bullfighting arena).

Kids, getting some fresh air along the coastline of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Kids in front of an old car on the cobblestone streets of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Wandering the streets of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Base of the lighthouse in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Kids on Calle de los Suspiros (translated: Street of the Whispers) in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Cobblestone streets of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Kids, posing on the old cannon atop the city wall of Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Ice creams in Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay.

Time lapse of part of the drive from Colonia del Sacramento, Uruguay to Montevideo, Uruguay.

Buenos Aires, Argentina (October, 2016)

We had a few days off of work and school at the end of October, so we decided to take a weekend trip to Buenos Aires, Argentina, cross over into Uruguay on the ferry, and rent a car to explore the countryside of Uruguay. We redeemed 9,000 British Airways Avios + $30 tax per passenger (54,000 Avios + $180 total) for the one way flight between Santiago, Chile and Buenos Aires, Argentina. We booked 2 nights at the Anselmo Buenos Aires hotel located in the San Telmo area of Buenos Aires for ~$140/night (opting to pay cash instead of use Hilton Hhonors points due to the relatively low price of the room compared to the points cost of the room). After 2 nights we switched hotels (wanting to move to the Microcentro part of the city) and booked 1 night at the Intercontinental Buenos Aires by redeeming 25,000 IHG points.

We got some Argentina team soccer shirts while we were there.

The kids outside the Anselmo Hotel (part of the Hilton Collection).

The first night we were there we took the kids to an "artsy" show called Fuerza Bruta. It is hard to describe what kind of show it is. Basically, you stand there and the show happens around you, above you, and you are right in the middle of it. You have to move around sometimes and sometimes you are being pushed up against other people in the audience to make space for the performers. It was very entertaining. Our kids were definitely the youngest ones there as most people were adults.

Family picture outside Fuerza Bruta.

Video of part of the Fuerza Bruta show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Video of part of the Fuerza Bruta show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Video of part of the Fuerza Bruta show in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The next morning we got up, had breakfast in the hotel (Hilton Diamond status gave us breakfast for free), and then headed out on a scavenger hunt through Buenos Aires called the Hummingbird Trip that we paid to have someone organize for us. It was pretty cool to be able to see so many important sites in Buenos Aires and be on a "mission" to experience so many cool things in a short period of time. We had hot chocolate in popular cafes, counted the number of clocks in the "plaza," found and bought certain types of traditional Argentine street food, learned the steps to Tango, learned how to make "mate," along with lots of other things. Best of all we were able to walk around Buenos Aires for about 5 hours and get a feel for the city. We were able witness people leafleting to organize strikes, saw tons of street performers, children on field trips, and  had to interact with a bunch of street vendors and ask them different things about the city. The scavenger hunt was a bit expensive at $120 USD per person, but in the end was very well done and a memory that we will not forget. The ladies at the Hummingbird trip also put together specific tasks for each one of our kids and gave them each their own packet to take home (basically crafts to do later).

Kids in plaza 21 de julio in Buenos Aires.

In the plaza 21 de julio in Buenos Aires.

Enjoying some candied, fried peanuts and almonds from one of the street vendors in Buenos Aires.

The kids in front of the doors to a huge church in Buenos Aires.

Enjoying some hot chocolate and alfajores at London City, a popular cafe in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Eliza, learning the different cuts of meat and what they are called in Argentina.

The kids waiting patiently for their choripanes at a popular "hole in the wall" lunch spot in the city.

Eliza, pretending that she likes "mate".

We had to practice the steps of the Tango...this mural painted on the street was of infinite help to us.

Heading down into the metro to cross under the widest street in Buenos Aires.

Posing in one of the main parks in Buenos Aires.

Cool monuments and architecture abound in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Video of Sawyer trying "mate" for the first time.

Video of Ryder trying "mate" for the first time.

After our scavenger hunt, in the afternoon, we headed to Recoleta Cemetery to look at the graves of all the noteworthy people in Argentina's past. We spent about 45 minutes wandering around this city of dead people. The tombs were amazing and very ornate. Surprisingly, we really enjoyed Recoleta Cemetery...it definitely exceeded our expectations.

 Eliza and the kids at Recoleta Cemetery.

 Looking down one of the countless rows of tombs at Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 Most of the tombs had locked doors and sitting rooms where family and friends could come and hang out. 

 Some of the tombs were as big as churches and very ornate.

 Family trying to break out one of the dead bodies in Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

 Zander and Ryder think they found a Harry Potter symbol.

Looking into the countless memorials at Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

After Recoleta Cemetery, in the early evening, we went to an escape/puzzle room called Sali del Molde and did 2 puzzle rooms. One was soldier themed and the other was zombie apocalypse themed...Zander and Nash backed out of the zombie room after getting freaked out in the first couple minutes. We worked well together in the soldier themed room and got out with time to spare with only one minor clue. The second room was much more difficult and despite the 2 clues we were given, we did not make it out in time.

The kids posing after having completed the first escape room at Sali del Molde in Buenos Aires.

 Family is feeling confident after having conquered the soldier themed room at Sali del Molde.

We didn't do so great at the Zombie room.

Since we were in Buenos Aires, we decided to adapt to the culture a little bit and stay up late, so we went to a magic show at Bar Magico (with dinner) after the escape room. There were 3 separate magic acts and although we only lasted through 2 of the 3 (we did stay until about 12:15am with the kids, so we will take that as a win), we had a great time. These were some truly great magicians. Ryder (our "gamer") was the only one that wasn't asleep in the chair at the magic show by the time 2 acts had finished. As is clear from the picture below, our dinner (that arrived after 11pm) went mostly uneaten as these kids are accustomed to going to bed before 8:30pm every night and sleep prevailed over hunger at that hour of the night.

Kids (except Ryder) falling asleep as the magic show drags further into the night.

The next day we had a lazy morning in the hotel (due to the amazing, yet exhausting day we had the day before), had breakfast, took an Uber to switch hotels from the Anselmo in San Telmo to the Intercontinental Buenos Aires in Microcentro and relaxed for a while in the new hotel (we had to try out the lounge in the Intercontinental as well), then we headed out into the city. During the afternoon, we took some archery classes and did some archery target practice and then went out for some carne asada and provoleta to a nice restaurant in the evening.

Eliza, enjoying some Argentine pastries and Coke Zero in a wine glass in the lounge at the Intercontinental Buenos Aires.

The kids, learning to shoot archery in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Eliza, looking like a fierce huntress.

Ryder, getting the hang of his bow and arrow.

Sawyer, eyeing up the target.

Video of Ryder doing archery.

Video of Nash doing archery.

Video of Zander doing archery.

 Fantastic lomo, greens, and provoleta at El Desnivel in Buenos Aires.

 Cody is happy with his Argentine beef and fried provolone cheese.