Finding My Bed For the Night

My taxi driver stopped in the middle of a street. A street full of nondescript buildings and a cafe were the only noticeable things about this street. Nothing about this street said hotel.

I gave him the address again, and he literally drove around the block, stopping again at the same exact spot. Thinking this had to be it, I got out.

I looked up, and sure enough, one level up, there was a sign, displaying the name Azur Real Hotel.

I rang a button and was admitted into a lobby. A totally deserted lobby except for a tube that looked like a space ship. With no idea what was happening here, I got inside.

As soon as the doors closed, I was whisked up and found myself on this floor. I walked out (yes, that is a glass floor) and was greeted by the smell of lavender wafting through the air and a great music soundtrack. Was this heaven?

I made my way around the corner and found the check-in desk. Not only did she have a room for me but I could get early check in. Check in typically was not until three, but she had a room available and I could check in immediately. I could also use the pool (!) but I would need to wait until 10am, after the staff was finished cleaning.

Before we finalized the cost, I had remembered all the Visa signs in Uruguay, so I asked if there was any discount for credit card holders. She looked through a book of promotions and found one that would work for my one night stay. My already reasonable rate was just made even more reasonable and I got perks of early and late check in and a free glass of wine and tapas at the bar at happy hour.

I paid for my room, we talked about my plan for Cordoba and I was given a map. Then I was shown to my room. Ahhhhhhhh. This was so worth it.

I didn’t have a converter for Argentina, so my laptop was no good. The hotel staff had an extra one so I let it charge while I went to explore. I had an extra skip in my step because it seemed like there was a strong WiFi connection and I was certain I would be able to Skype with my family while in this hotel. So even though I wasn’t going to meet many new people, I’d be able to chat with the people closest to me — even though they were far away.