Prior to departure

 

Main 

List of participants

Agenda

Prior to departure

Tips

Sightseeing spots

   
Visas, Passports and Tickets. Baggage requirements.
Arrival in Montevideo. ATMs at the Airport. Customs.
Transfer to Conrad Hotel. Regular busline Airport-
Punta del Este. In Punta del Este: Accommodation.
Finances, Phone calls. Internet. Regular busline Punta
del Este-Montevideo. In Montevideo: Accommodation.
Finances. Phone calls and Internet. Departure.
 
VISAS, PASSPORTS AND TICKETS. Travelers must have
a valid passport before arriving in Uruguay and a return ticket to their country of origin or to another destination. Only citizens of the following countries require a Visa to enter Uruguay: Albania, Bulgaria, South Korea, China, Egypt, Guyana, India, Rumania and Russia. Diplomatic passport holders from Canada and the United States must secure a visa from the Embassy of Uruguay in Ottawa or in Washington DC. American citizens not holders of diplomatic passports do not require a VISA to enter Uruguay. You will need 2 photocopies of your passport one of them to present at the check-in at Conrad Hotel and the other to expedite replacing your passport in case of loss.

 

Facts about Uruguay

Fulbright Uruguay

   
BAGGAGE REQUIREMENTS. Airlines such as United
Airlines and American Airlines establish that one passenger may carry at most two suitcases 14.5 pounds (32 kg) each. United Airlines allows you onboard a handbag or substitute of up to 6.8 pounds (15 kg) and American Airlines a handbag or substitute of up to 4.5 pounds (10 kg).
       

OPTION: SENDING MATERIAL IN ADVANCE. Presenters using powerpoint presentations or passing out handouts who wish to send them in advance, please do so to noel@fulbright.org.uy  as soon as possible.

     

 

ARRIVAL IN MONTEVIDEO.  Prior to arrival at
Montevideo's International Airport, airline personnel will distribute an international embarkation-disembarkation form. Please complete it onboard.

On arrival at Montevideo’s International Airport you will be conducted to immigration. Going through immigration may take some time. The immigration official will want to see your passport and the completed immigration form. Keep any form(s) returned to you securely in your passport so that you may return them when you depart Uruguay. Most of the immigration officials do not speak English.

 

     
ATMs AT THE AIRPORT.  In Uruguay the ATMs are called
Bancomat, Redbrou and Redbank and they belong to different groups of banks. All of the ATMS are connected to the international payment network Cirrus-Maestro. You can use your bank debit card to retrieve money. Also you can utilize a Mastercard international credit card.

At Montevideo's International Airport, there are two ATMs. A Redbank machine is located next to the AVIS store to the right after leaving Customs. The other ATM Redbrou is located in the petrol station in front of the airport.

       
CUSTOMS.   Once through immigration, proceed to the
baggage area where you can collect your luggage. Carts are available in this area. A baggage-man, non-English speaker will offer to assist you in carrying the cart. You can answer “ No, gracias” or “Si, gracias”. If you agree to it, they will accompany you with the cart and will expect a tip.

Your luggage will go through an x-rays machine so previously remove any item which might get spoiled. The last procedure is having your luggage opened and checked by airport officials. Last, you will cross transparent doors where a person from the Bus Company Transhotel will be there to meet you. Look for someone carrying a sign with the word Fulbright.

       
TRANSFER TO CONRAD HOTEL.    A Transportation
company wil transfer you to Hotel Conrad in Punta del Este, where the Western Hemisphere Meeting will be held. The trip lasts 1 hour and a half. During the trip you will receive a Conrad Hotel check-in form. Please complete the form. When you arrive proceed to the check- in, a special desk has been created to attend the meeting participants and hand in your form and a copy of your passport.

       
REGULAR BUS LINE AIRPORT - PUNTA DEL ESTE
The company "Bus del Atlantico" offers transport services from Montevideo to Punta del Este. It stops at Montevideo's International Airport and continues to Punta del Este.The bus stop lies just in front of the Airport.The journey takes 2 hours.
You can buy the bus ticket at the bus company branch at the Airport. To reach the office, turn to the left after leaving the arrivals hall and walk up three meters. If lost ask someone for: "ofisina COT". The office is open Monday to Friday 7 AM to 9:30 PM, Saturday 9 AM to 4:30 PM and on Sundays it remains closed. The office telephone is (00 598 2) 604 03 29 extension number 13250. 
At the office you can pay the fare in dollars. It is 122 pesos (4.3 dollars). If the office is closed you can pay the fare on the bus, however it will charged in pesos and you will not have a seat reserved. Once you are on the bus indicate to the driver that you want to be dropped off at the Conrad Hotel.
The exchange house "cambio" is located in front of you after customs and crossing the transparent doors. The exchange house is open Monday to Sundays from 7 AM to 12 PM.
Bus Arrival Schedule at Airport         

 (leaves immediatly for Punta del Este)

6:50 AM, 7:35 AM, 8:40 AM, 9:40 AM, 10:55 AM,
11:55 AM, 12:55 AM, 1:40 PM, 2:40 PM, 3:40 PM
4:40 PM, 5:55 PM, 6:40 PM, 7:55 PM, 8:25 PM,
8:50 PM, 10:35 PM, 11:20 PM (not direct)
For more information visit www.copsa.com.uy (in Spanish)
       
 IN PUNTA DEL ESTE

 

 

 

 

 
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS.  The Conrad Hotel known
as Conrad Resort and Casino is a five-star hotel of modern architecture, being of one of the most glamorous hotels in Punta del Este. All of its 302 rooms have a panoramic view of the city bay.  It is located at Parada 1, Rambla Claudio William and Avenida Chiberta. Tel: 042 49 11 11.

Reservations have been made for all the meeting attendants. Apart from the hotel room, which includes breakfast and lunch, participants are responsible for all other expenses incurred while guests at hotel.

 

 

 

 
FINANCES.  Local currency is the Uruguayan Peso. 28
pesos =1 dollar (average November 2003). Denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 and 1000 Uruguayan pesos are printed in different colors.

There are two ATMs at Conrad Hotel. In the lobby a Redbrou is located and in the Casino a Redbank ATM. Both can be readily used for debit cards and/or a MasterCard international credit card.

MasterCard and Visa are accepted almost everywhere. American Express and Diners are mostly accepted too. With regard to travelers’ checks, it is sometimes difficult to cash them.

In Punta del Este, dollars can be exchanged at the BROU bank branch located within the Hotel Conrad. It is open from Monday to Friday from 1 PM to 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday from 1 PM to 5 PM.  You can also buy pesos at the exchange house located in Punta Shopping Mall which lies at a close distance from the Hotel. This exchange house is open from Monday to Sunday from 11 AM to 9 PM.

To go to Punta Shopping Mall walk up Boulevard Artigas heading for Maldonado (the other direction leads to the peninsula) until you reach a traffic circle. Then turn to the right and walk up three blocks and you will see Punta Shopping, a white building shaped like a wave. At the shopping you can ask for “cambio”. 

 

 

 

 

PHONE CALLS.  Phone calls made through the Hotel are
expensive. Public telephone booths are available with prepaid telephone cards. Cards of  20 and 50 minutes can be bought at the boutique in the Hotel at the cost of 200 pesos (7.2 dollars) and 500 pesos (18.0 dollars). The cost of calling to the United States and to Latin American and the Carribean varies between 9.5 pesos (0.34 dollars) and 11.5 pesos (0.41 dollars).

 

     
INTERNET.  The hotel room includes a plug for laptops so
that you can connect free of charge to Conrad Hotel’s server.  If you do not have a laptop, you can access the Internet at the business center of the Hotel which costs 9 dollars the hour and is open from 9 AM to 7 PM. You can access the Internet at the cybercafe in Punta Shopping Mall, which costs only 60 pesos (2.2 dollars) per hour and is open from 11 AM to 11 PM Monday to Sundays. At the Punta Shopping Mall just ask for “el cibercafé”.

       
REGULAR BUS LINE PUNTA DEL ESTE-MONTEVIDEO
You can travel by bus with the bus company "Bus del Atlantico." Their office is located at the Terminal Punta del Este. It is open Monday to Sunday from 4 AM to 11 PM. We reccomend reserving the ticket with 2 days anticipation calling at (00 598 42) 48 68 10. The bus fare costs 127 pesos (5 dollars), payment being accepted in dollars. There is an exchange house at the Terminal open from Monday to Saturday 8:30 AM to 20:30 PM and Sunday 8:30 AM to 1:00 PM.
You can hire a cab from the Conrad Hotel to take you to the Terminal Punta del Este, which will cost around 3 dollars. A van ride with capacity for 15 persons costs 15 dollars, a micro ride with capacity for 20 persons costs 25 dollars.
Bus Departure Schedule from Punta del Este
(Destination Montevideo)
4:45 AM, 6:00 AM, 6:30 AM, 7:00 AM, 7:30 AM, 8:45 AM
9:45 AM, 11:15 AM, 12:30 AM,1:00 PM, 2:15 PM,
3:15 PM, 4:15 PM, 5:15 PM, 6:15 PM, 7:15 PM,
8:15 PM (not direct) 9:30 PM 11:00 PM
For more information visit www.copsa.com.uy (in Spanish)
     
 IN MONTEVIDEO
       
HOTEL ACCOMMODATION.  On Friday December 12,
transportation is arranged to take participants to the Sheraton Hotel in Montevideo to attend the final stage of the Fulbright Western Hemisphere Meeting.  Hotel accommodation at the Sheraton has been paid until Friday night. It includes breakfast and lunch. You are responsible for any other expenses incurred.

 

     
FINANCES. The Sheraton Hotel is located adjacent to
Punta Carretas Shopping Center. At the Shopping Center you can find ATMs and an exchange house.

Redbrou is located within the supermarket Disco on the ground floor. Bancomat, another ATM, is located on the first floor close to the entrance of the Shopping Center, next to the Banco Comercial branch. If you get lost just ask for "Bancomat" or "Redbrou."

The exchange house lies on the ground floor. It is called “Cambio Varlix” and it works from 10 AM to 10 PM Monday to Sunday.

Banks attend the public from Monday to Friday from 1 PM to 5 PM. Generally you will not get a better exchange rate than the one offered by exchange houses. The only bank present at Punta Carretas Shopping is Banco Commercial.

 

     
PHONE CALLS,  INTERNET. The room reserved at
Sheraton Hotel contains a plug to connect your laptop to Internet. However the use of the Internet is not included in the accommodation costs. The fee is 9 dollars per hour (15 cents per minute).

Also you can use the business center to access the Internet using the PCs available or bringing your own laptop. Here the Internet fee is 6 dollars per hour. The business center is permanently open.

The cheapest place is the cybercafe on the third floor of Punta Carretas Shopping in the store “Free ware house”. The Internet fee is 1.4 dollars (40 pesos) per hour. The cybercafe is open Monday to Sunday from 10 AM to 10 PM.

 

     
DEPARTURE.  For those departing on December 12:
3 rooms at the Sheraton Hotel are set aside for you, where you can keep your luggage and use the rest room.  

Sheraton Hotel offers a hired car service which costs 380 pesos (13.57 dollars) to take you to the airport. Also a van service for 9 persons or 12 persons is available. The van ride to the airport costs 30 dollars.You must approach the front desk the day before your departure and arrange with them to drop you off.

At the airport you will be charged a departure fee of 22 dollars. Please include this sum in your personal expenses.

 

     

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Sources: United States Embassy in Uruguay, Central Bank of Uruguay. Voice information from Conrad Resort and Casino, Sheraton Hotel, Punta Shopping Mall, Punta Carretas Shopping, American Airlines. United Airlines