Enjoy Punta del Este Resort & Casino

I never thought a single ATM machine could end my trip — but it did. While staying at the Hotel Enjoy in Punta del Este, Uruguay, I was advised by casino staff to use their ATM machine to withdraw USD (since they don’t accept Uruguayan pesos to gamble — who knew?). Moments after inserting my American credit card, the machine swallowed it and displayed a cold “Out of Order” message. I begged the casino and hotel staff to help recover my card. The answer? “It’s not our machine.” Turns out it’s run by a third party. No access. No override. No urgency. I was told maintenance comes once a week. That card was my only source of funds. On my way back to the room I met a person who just had the same experience. No card, no cash — no choice. I had to cut my trip short and fly back home to California. I’m an experienced traveler. I’ve been to dozens of countries. But I never imagined that a simple ATM, located inside a luxury hotel & casino, would trap my card and shut down my vacation — with zero accountability from the businesses involved. Travel tip: Bring a backup card. And avoid that ATM like the plague.

My husband I just left Enjoy after being there a week. We had a wonderful time. Great pool and restaurants there. Would definitely stay there again… but would come when it is still in season so more places and amentities would be open, especially the beach club, nightclub, and pool area.

A third or fourth stay at the Enjoy Punta Del Este. The location is fantastic and offers easy access to the beaches and other attractions of Punta Del Este. Given the nice weather, I didn't use the pool nor the fitness center, preferring the beauty of the outdoors. But the wi-fi was fast and stable, breakfast was excellent--although it can get very crowded at times. All encounters with the staff were excellent and friendly. Although the overall experience was excellent, the hotel rooms can use some refreshing. The decor and some of the furnishings scream the 1990s or early 2000s. Time for an update. The room was clean but a bit too much wear and tear. Still a solid choice for visiting Punta Del Este but some caveats.

We were at Enjoy for a panamerican karate competition and the hotel was hosting many of the meetings and events leading up to the competition itself. Lovely and helpful staff. Great restaurant. Very nice conference facilities. Loved the gym too. Highly recommend!

If you make an online reservation, through their website, it re-routes you to com-hotel dot com, AKA "booking dot com". I made a cancellable reservation (made sure of that). If you then cancel through booking dot com they send you a voucher to spend your money at another one of their hotels; DECEPTIVE! Read the fine print in the email and you can find a way to reject the voucher and have them refund your credit card but then they tell you it will take up to 14 days; DECEPTIVE! After you get through all the deception, they keep a $5 fee for screwing you!!! Now I have to go look to make sure they refund my credit card in 2 weeks because I don't trust them; I feel like I have to go take a cold shower now! :-O