John admires the impressive surf along Uruguay's coast
We traveled from Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, east toward the Atlantic Ocean. As we left the city and passed through suburbs and then smaller outlying towns, one thing struck me: there are no fences. There are no concrete walls shielding the houses from the street, there is no razor wire or broken glass trimming the perimeter of shops and homes - which if you’re familiar with South American cities, these accoutrements are the norm. Not in Uruguay.
The rolling green hills, stands of eucalyptus trees and brilliant blue sky make Uruguay a verdant paradise. As if the landscape wasn’t enough, just on the other side of the road is the ocean, golden sand and enormous crashing waves sending sea spray high into the air. Horses galloped across the seemingly borderless pastures on our left, and surfers lined up for the next wave on our right. My first impression - Uruguay has it all.
Suzy enjoys the peaceful view at Miradores de Laguna Garzon
We arrived at Miradores de Laguna Garzon, the home and boutique hotel built by Pablo and Andi Sosa. Upon walking in, the feeling of being in a feature home in “Architectural Digest” is nearly overwhelming. Andi and Pablo have taken impeccable care with their home and business, applying beautiful touches to even the smallest details. Even our bath towels, tied with twine and trimmed with dried wildflowers, made us feel like royalty. Pablo took us across the lagoon to his most prized property, the Laguna Garzon Floating Hotel. As he toured us through the wooden boardwalks, floating cabins, and restaurant, Pablo explained that he had to bring both power and fresh water to the lodge. The lodge has provided more than a unique tourist retreat, it has also brought electricity to the bordering fishing village, which was without power until the lodge’s construction three years ago. While the luxurious floating cabins were retired in early March for the off season, it was easy to see how this is a place that you could come back to year after year. We enjoyed an Uruguayan Tannat wine under the brilliant southern stars and slept peacefully in the quiet of the countryside. For families and honeymooners alike, the Miradores and Floating Lodge at Laguna Garzon are an experience like no other!
Looking out over the water from a floating cabin at the Laguna Garzon Floating Hotel
The holiday of a lifetime. The company is Alaksa-owned and thhat makes a big difference to the experineces you get i.e. meet genuine First Nations tribes people. The amount of wildlife was beyond my expectation, and seeing everything on sucha small, intimate boat made it even more spoecial and unique.
Liz O
3 days ago
Adventure Life covered all the details in planning our trip to Ireland. Any questions we had were answered immediately. Any trip glitches, which always happen when traveling, were resolved immediately. There were no worries, just fun!
Kathleen Weller
3 days ago
It was an outstanding, up-close, educational vacation of nature, culture, history, animals and geology! It was everything they promised! Binoculars were plentiful on the boat, but I'm glad I brought my own. Food was excellent. Rooms had black-out shades. Pack/wear multiple layers of clothing (I carried a small backpack when off the ship). Crew were delightful and very accommodating! Remember to jump FEET FIRST first when taking the optional polar plunge! Spend as much time outdoors as you are able and ENJOY!!!
Janet Dutton
1 week ago
Excellent travel advice and service
This is my second experience working with Adventure Life. I’m sold. Jess Heuermann is an experienced traveler and provides a lot of useful information when planning a trip. These are the questions I like to ask at the outset - What’s it like to go here, there, what would you suggest, what do people report, can we add any additional side trips? Jess took the time to answer my questions and seek additional information to share with me. Petchie Colina is outstanding in helping with travel logistics and final preparations. Adventure Life has excellent guides and offers private guides and small group adventures. We enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the guides and drivers to learn more about their countries, cultures and histories. A highlight was having the guides pick local restaurants where we could share meals together. Highly recommend.
Claire Cordon
1 week ago
Our six-day tour in Iceland went smoothly with one exception. We had asked for two rooms each night. Somehow we were booked with one room with three beds. It could not be fixed at the first hotel in Reykjavik because the hotel was fully booked. Once informed of the problem, however, Adventure Life rebooked for two rooms for the remainder of the trip. As an 85-year-old traveler, I appreciated that one could participate at different physical levels at many of the stops. Iceland is a great place to visit but on the expensive side.