Granja Hotel Suizo — Hotel in Nueva Helvecia

A good option for a stopover between Colonia and Montevideo, to enjoy this corner of Switzerland in the countryside of Uruguay.|The hotel doesn't deal with booking agencies, so we reserved direct with the hotel, initially for one night but liked it so much we stayed an extra day. |A car is recommended both for access and to visit the pleasant town centre area of Nueva Helvecia, well worth a visit but a few kilometers distant from the hotel.|The hotel restaurant is a big attraction in itself (best tables are by the windows) with a varied menu with Swiss specialities (including fondue) and good wine list. We had no problem in choosing time and place because our stay was mid-week but it seems that reservations are essential at weekends.|Although it is the oldest hotel in town, founded 151 years ago, it is well maintained and very clean, with a homely atmosphere. We stayed in one of the slightly more expensive but simple rooms at the front of the hotel, with a nice view of the gardens and extra perks of a bigger TV (which we never switched on), minibar and a hair dryer. The bed was very comfortable, ideal for a good night's sleep, but best to keep the balcony door closed for privacy as it is a communal facility. The gardens are well kept and include an inviting swimming pool for hot days.|Without being effusive, the staff were attentive and efficient. The resident dogs, Frida , Lucia and a third one whose name we didn't catch were extremely well behaved, did not intrude and kept themselves to the gardens but responded affectionately to attention. Wi Fi worked but during our stay was a bit slow.|The only drawback was a certain noise level - from daytime gunshot from the adjoining Swiss Shooting Club, barking dogs (of neighbours) occasionally during the night and loud conversations from customers as they left the restaurant, especially when large parties were involved, but otherwise peace and...

We came from Montevideo on the way to Colonia and expected to easily find accomodation en route, however hotels are so sparsely available that we were happy to finally find this hotel in Nueva Helvecia. As citizens of Switzerland (proper name of our country in latin = Confoederatio Helvetica) we were positively touched to stay in "little Switzerland" in a "Swiss hotel". Well to be frank - a lot of South American touch has been applied or worked on it during the past 100 years so that we sort of had to wipe out our idea of staying in a hotel of Swiss quality. That said, I want to emphasize that especially the staff were very cordial and helpful and everything was clean and ok. However the hotel has come of age and a complete renovation of this place would be certainly very positive. We chose a room to the rear side of the hotel (was cheaper, because it had no fridge and was smaller than the front side rooms) because we hoped for a quiet night. However the barking of a couple of dogs almost all night long in the vicinity really disturbed us quite a lot - on both nights we stayed there. The food in the restaurant was good and the price fair. So this hotel is ok to stay for one or two nights or even longer if you have somewhat lower expectations (as one inevitably has to have in South America if you don't go to luxury hotels). Still they have a very large and beautiful garden including a sizeable and well maintained outdoor swimming pool. A visit to the city of Nueva Helvecia is certainly an interesting aspect in taking in the experience of this really beautiful...

This is a lovely place with very nice and helpful owners. After driving from Columbia, we had an emergency back in the US and needed to store our overland camping van "somewhere" in a hurry ....we were directed to the Hotel Suizo and were so glad we were! They accommodated our vehicle and stored it for a reasonable price until we were able to return several months later. They did our laundry and kept it until we returned! The grounds of this place need to be seen to be appreciated!...beautiful plants everywhere and very well tended. There are interesting antiques around the property and it is very relaxing to walk the grounds. If you wish to walk to town it is just the right distance and makes for a fun stroll past historic farms and the Swiss Shooting Club. Although we did not eat in the restaurant, it had an attractive appearance, with many interesting historical objects on display in the lobby. It got busy at night with guests, including one who landed a small helicopter on the grass out front! Birdwatching in the trees and fields out back was also productive. A very nice place! Thank you for taking care of us! ...