Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo - Softcover

Higgs, Karen A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1693100533 ISBN 13: 9781693100536

Publisher: Independently published, 2019

Synopsis

The only guide to Montevideo, Uruguay, written by an author resident in Uruguay. With the end of the pandemic in sight, we reviewed our guide and thanks to our careful selections, can confirm our guide is still the best to finding the gems. The beauty of buying a guidebook by a local.

Mentioned in the New York Times, BBC, National Geographic, Le Figaro, Decanter and more.

Following rave reviews for its debut, this second edition was sponsored by the Uruguay Ministry of Tourism and the government of Montevideo—and is indispensable for getting the most out of Uruguay's capital as a visitor or expat.

Forget those guides with dry laundry lists of things to do. The Guru'Guay guides have passion and soul.

The Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo goes in-depth on:

SOCIETY & CULTURE

• history How did this tiny country get to be so progressive? Your burning questions answered.
• the Uruguayan character, a chapter of entirely personal anecdotes from presidents to petty thieves
• expressions used on the street and what they mean
• films to watch, albums to listen to and books to read before you come

FOOD & DRINK

• what time the locals eat and how Uruguayans survive through to a 10pm dinnertime
• street food
• wine and craft beer from Uruguay are winning prizes internationally. What to try and why
• restaurants for people desperate for gourmet and veggie options
• restaurants for wine-lovers
• historic cafes The most charming and the most gritty

THINGS TO DO

• guided tours to wine, carnival and more
• great day trips, from UNESCO heritage site Colonia de Sacramento, to glitzy Punta del Este, to the Santa Lucia wetlands
• architectural highlights in the city with the biggest concentration of Art-deco after New York
• art museums and underground art coops
• beaches including which of the 10 is best for children, windsurf and boat rental, etc
• shopping and buying original gifts Really. A guidebook that helps you with this thankless task
• why Carnival in Montevideo is unique Where and when to track down the best (and worst) of carnival, including off-season
• tango Tango is something the locals do, it's not “for export”
• the best live music and live acts that Montevideo has to offer Tiny Uruguay has a huge share of highly talented musicians. Pay under 10 USD to see a world-class band in a tiny cafe.
• gay Montevideo has a small but charming scene

LOGISTICS

• flying into Uruguay A candid look at airlines to choose and avoid
• getting to Montevideo from Buenos Aires The fastest, cheapest and most leisurely routes
• best times to visit and how long to stay Insights only a long-term resident can give
• public holidays and festivals you must not miss, like the Sea Goddess celebrations
• best neighbourhoods to stay based on your personal preferences
• architecturally-lovely accommodation
• personal safety Dispelling myths and tips specific to neighbourhoods
• getting around on public transport like a local
• driving and car rental The logic to seemingly erratic traffic patterns and driving habits
• tipping demystified eg why you don't tip taxi drivers but do tip street parking attendants
• money exchange including troubleshooting ATM withdrawals

About this title

About the Author

Karen A Higgs grew up in the South Wales Valleys. At 22 she found herself stranded in the Mexico City airport with just a pocket Spanish dictionary for company. Since then she's lived most of her life in the Americas. She sang 60s covers in a psychedelic rock bar in Costa Rica. In Buenos Aires, she impressed her teenage English language students by riding a 500-cc motorbike around town. She created her first website in 1997 whilst living in the USA and she moved to Uruguay in 2000 to work as director of communications in an international company.

A decade and another career change later, Karen ventured into tourism, first as the owner of an award-winning guesthouse, and later as the creator of Uruguay's most popular English-language site, Guru'Guay, which received its one millionth visitor in 2021. 

Since then Karen has published The Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo (1st ed. Jan. 2016, 2nded. Sept. 2019)--the only English-language city guide to the capital--and its companion The Guru'Guay Guide to Uruguay: Beaches, Ranches & Wine Country (Nov. 2017). 

Karen is the only Uruguay guidebook author who actually lives in Uruguay and the difference to other guidebooks is palpable.

The Uruguayan public has also fallen in love with Guru'Guay, a huge compliment as Uruguayans as a people are extremely self-critical. They tell her that no Uruguayan could have written such affectionate, yet honest, books about their country. Karen appears regularly on Uruguayan TV and radio and in the international media—The New York Times, BBC, National Geographic to name a few—as an expert on life and travel in Uruguay.

From the Back Cover

Uruguay and its capital Montevideo are still off-the-radar destinations in South America

Part of the reason is that there's very little information available and what there is is written by writers who jet in for a week and jet back out.

The Guru'Guay Guide to Montevideo is a twenty-year labour of love. And it's so thorough, it's good for visitors to the rest of the country too.

What readers say

• "The Guru'Guay guide MADE my trip to Montevideo."
• "One of the most researched and informative travel guides I have ever read."
• "We ate the most delicious meals, drank amazing wines and made close friends--all based on the recommendations of Guru'Guay."
• "Great advice for side trips."
• "Guru'Guay's advice saved me 500 dollars on my airline ticket."
• "Invaluable to get a real sense of Uruguayan culture."
• "This book is a gotta-have--and don't miss her Beaches, Ranches and Wine Country guide too."
• "I don't want to visit the most popular cafe, I want to visit the most interesting one. This book highlights what I am looking for. Montevideo, here I come!"

Guru'Guay is proud to be part of the official country brand of Uruguay and to be sponsored by the Uruguay Ministry of Tourism and the Intendencia de Montevideo, the city government

Edition details

• Publisher: Independently published
• Publication date: 2019
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1693100533
• ISBN 13: 9781693100536
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 132