I travel for work extensively throughout Uruguay, so when I say this is the best hotel in Uruguay, I have a bit of experience to fall back on. The full name of this property is Hotel del Lago Golf and Art Resort. First about the art... It is everywhere in the hotel and on the grounds. I actually walked the halls on other floors of the hotel to see it. I felt as if I viewing an eclectic collection in a modern gallery. Next, the golf.... It is surely a world class course. Beautifully laid out in a natural setting. Challenging but not overly so. Now, the facilities.... As the title says, it has everything: tennis, a heated indoor pool, a truly astonishing outdoor pool with a waterfall and island bar, play room for children, game room, gym, outdoor exercise area, cozy bar, ping pong, and I could go on and on including a sauna, spa, massage rooms, steam rooms. I should have made a list of it all. Next, the accommodations. Our room, number 103, is truly spacious, the bathroom equally large, the balcony overlooking the lake is furnished invitingly for relaxing with coffee in the morning as you watch the sunrise and sipping on a glass of wine as you watch the sunset. I especially enjoyed the Keurig-type coffee maker in the room and the well-stocked mini-bar. Finally, the location....It couldn't be better for de-stressing after a day's work or for a weekend getaway. I visited during the early off-season in mid-fall here in Uruguay and found a quiet, really quiet rural, lakeside paradise.

The hotel's setting is very beautiful, on the lake and with extensive grounds. We visited in mid-April, however and were one of only a handful of people staying in the hotel. We wouldn't recommend visiting after Easter unless you want absolute peace and quiet! Some of the facilities (sauna, Jacuzzi etc.) had been turned off.

The map on trip advisor is misleading - the hotel is not on the Punta del Este peninsula, it is about 10km away from PdelE, so be aware that you will need a car if you want to leave the resort. Taxis are very expensive in the area (about £30/$45 one-way to PdelE).

Our lake-view room was large with a huge comfortable bed and a large bathroom. The style is slightly dated country-club and some of the fittings, carpets etc are showing their age. We were expecting luxury and this wasn't quite up to the mark.

Restaurant was good, if a little expensive, but PdelE is an expensive town. Wine was reasonable value, but other drinks were expensive (but probably in line with other hotels in the area).

We paid out-of-season rates ($114/night) but honestly cannot recommend the hotel out of season and do not feel that it was worth that price.

We are staying nearby at a friend's rental house and Hotel del Lago is almost across the street. Beautiful setting, nice place, really interesting original art hung everywhere ( which is in stark contrast to the number of little kids running around! ). Lunch on the patio was wonderful. Our Spanish is limited and greatly enhanced by iTranslate on iPhone but everyone was friendly and when we all tried it turned out great. The food was really good - salad with prosciutto and sundried tomatoes, and a club sandwich. The view was spectacular, the weather clear and warm. Highly recommend!