"Castillos...or NEAR Castillos: Guardia del Monte" Castillos by ellielou

Castillos Travel Guide: 3 reviews and 12 photos

a hat, a fence, ombu tree: first line of a haiku?

where and what is this place, exactly....

Castillos is the closest town to an estancia (ranch) called Guardia del Monte in the Department of Rocha. (For more information on Rocha, see my Rocha page, which is only about Punta del Diablo, which, for some reason, doesn't have its own 'location' on VT. Cabo Polonio is also in Rocha, and, at some point, I'll have pages up on that, too. Confused?)

But, no matter where it is, Guardia del Monte made for a lovely and relaxing stay....

the building....

former old barn entrance

When reading what little I could find about estancias in Uruguay, I was drawn to what little there was out there about Guardia del Monte. On its vast land, is one of the only (or the only) forest of Ombu trees. But, truthfully, trees and forests are trees and forests, and what few photos I saw of the building were lovely, and I did read that the food was great.

...the setting

Reining Alicia

As said previously, this is in Rocha, near, at least to Castillos. While the setting was lovely, the food delish, what also made our time there special was our hostess, Alicia.

Pros and Cons

Pros:a wonderful place in Rocha that's not by the sea
Cons:you never know who else is staying in this place with few roooms
In a nutshell:relaxing, memorable, and hidden

Last visit to Castillos: Nov 2005
Intro Updated Dec 24, 2005
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Reviews (6)

yet another photo of a sunset - Castillos

it's overdone, but watch the sunset Things to Do (4)

since it's such a quiet and relaxing place, it's perfect for just watching the sun go down...at the end of a perfect... more travel advice

the food is included Restaurants (1)

more travel advice

keep an eye on the cows Things to Do (4)

it IS a working ranch, after all, and this being Uruguay, there are, of course, cows. more travel advice

Ellen & horse following Mario & horse - Castillos

ride horses Things to Do (4)

Guardia del Monte has an entire corral of horses, and you can ride around their land. more travel advice

Hotels (1)
the estancia

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Comments (7)

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kyoub Jan 1, 2008 at 9:22 AM

It looks like a lovely place to stay.
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Trekki Mar 6, 2007 at 12:10 AM

HORSE RIDING !! Fantastic - ahh :-))
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Hexepatty Jun 10, 2006 at 3:31 AM

I think Satan's heard me: the AC's not working too good. Guess it's prep for me! ; ( Sorry 4 the ill'in emails last nite!
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la_beba May 31, 2006 at 3:21 PM

True that! mmmmmmm, yum! crab smell! now there is a Jean Paul Gautier for ya! ;o) we'll have fun!
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evona Mar 5, 2006 at 10:01 AM

This must be a very interesting place for visit. Nice page :)
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mtncorg Jan 20, 2006 at 3:10 PM

Horses, cows and trees?
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kymbanm Jan 12, 2006 at 3:05 PM

confused? Nope not me! Well, not much .... I love the cow ....