A review by traveller55 on Punta del Este

Punta del Este: just a beauty
Author's product rating:

Value for Money Excellent
Shopping Good
Nightlife Excellent
Ease of getting around Excellent
Family Friendly Good

Advantages: thousands
Disadvantages: it is a litlle (? ! ! ! ?) faraway

Recommend to potential buyers: yes

Full review
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Punta del Este is the holiday resort more exclusive of the whole South America. Businessmen from Brazil, Argentina, Venezuela as well United States of America select Punta del Este as location for their holidays house. Here come also singers, sport stars, actor and actress.

The name of this resort says itself that the town is located on the point more eastern of Uruguay.
To reach Punta del Este you should first of all fly to Montevideo, the capital city of Uruguay and the drive for about one hour along a very beautiful scenic road that pass through woods, follows the coast of the Atlantic ocean, climbs the surrounding hills.

Despite the development of hotels and tourist structures in accordance with the USA style, Punta del Este keeps her fascination of a city of seamen established by European immigrants, most of them where from Italy.

In 1906 the inhabitants of a small settlement asked to the President of the Republic of Uruguay the creation of a town; the petition was accepted and rendered official with a Presidential decree on 5 July 1907.
Punta del Este was born.


I think I already said (in other reviews) that I'm not a beach lover and consequently all my visits to Punta del Este were based on the discovery of the historical, artistic and natural beauties of the resort area.


Punta del Este is located at the antipodes of our continent (Europe) and the best time to visit her is between middle of December and middle of March when the average temperature is 28°C and the winds coming from the Atlantic are mild. Anyhow also during the other months of the year the average temperature never goes below 18/20°C and the rainfall are moderate.

One of the main attractions of the area is "Ruta Panorámica" (scenic route), a road that pass through "Sierra de la Ballena" (Range of Whale, a mountain system located between Montevideo and the Atlantic ocean) and bring you from the Montevideo plain to the beaches of Punta del Este through different views.
On the highest point of Sierra de la Ballena, 2491 meters above seal level, is located the lighthouse "Juan Diaz de Solis" and from this point you have a breathtaking view from the rock coast to the "Maldonado" bay, from the "Solanas" beach to the "Sierra de las Animas" with the "Pan de Azúcar" peak.

At kilometre 10 of the Ruta Panoramica we can visit the "Grutas de la Ballena" (Caves of Whale) with their rocky formations of different shapes as a result of the corroding action of the water of the stream that cross the caves. A sight that you will never forget.

Within Sierra de la Ballena there is "Casa Pueblo" a creation of the painter and sculptor Uruguayan Carlos Páez Vilaró. It is a complex of houses in Spanish style and inside there the Vilaró studio and several show rooms with paintings, statues and other sculpture works, potteries of this artist. Sometime the complex is used for exhibitions, conferences and concerts.
Inside the complex there is also a very beautiful and interesting hotel where I have been a guest several times. The rooms are in effect several small independent cottages located on the slope of the mountain. They are white, single floor constructions with green shutters and with every up-to-date facilities (i.e. Jacuzzi inside and small pool just outside the door). It is a unique experience that I wish everybody of you can, one day, try: wake-up in the morning after a very relaxing sleeping night, open the shutters and see the blue of the sky gets mixed-up with the one of the ocean that smashes its waves against the rocky coast placed some hundreds meters below you.
The hotel has also a small restaurant run by a family where you can try the true Uruguayan dishes.

Leaving the Ruta Panorámica a road gets us to a two hundreds hectares wood called "Arboreo Lussich" from the name of its maker, an Italian from Trieste immigrant. This a place that requires your capacity and resistance to walk around for at least two hours as this is the only way to see more than four hundreds different species of trees coming from all around the world. This wood is the seventh in the world for extension and beauty.
In the wood there is the "Casona Rosada" (Pink Big House) which names is given by the pink colour of its facades. In the past was home for Lussich, his wife and his seven daughters. Now is the home of the "Museo del Azulejo" (museum of tiles) with its very impressive and beautiful collection of ceramic tiles from every country of our world. Many tiles are dated 19th century and some others are from the French town of Desvres.

To complete our visit to Sierra de la Ballena we should reach "Laguna del Sauce" a wide lake on which shores are elegant villas and gardens that are belong to south American singers and sport stars.
The lake is a place for sailing, rowing, water skiing, as well as simply fishing.
Laguna del Sauce is linked with the Atlantic by the brook called "El Potremo" that reaches the ocean near the "Playa Chiguagua", the only beach where nudism is allowed.

Punta del Este has the best beaches of the whole south America Atlantic coastline (they are better than Copacabana or Ipanema in Brazil). The sand is white, thin and sometime phosphorescent.
The coast id divided in two categories: "Brava" is called the one facing the ocean, "Mansa" the one on the Rio de la Plata estuary.

Two are the beaches most interesting.
"Playa Solanas" is just at the foot of Sierra de la Ballena and it is characterized by dense sand, smooth and not deep waters, in other words the right place for the ones that like sun tanning in a quiet surrounding.
Instead "Playa Montoya" has grainy sands, it is home for beach-volley and is also an heaven for surfers.

And, of course, we can't leave Punta del Este without a visit to few of its museums.
"Museo Mazzoni" is located in a 18th century building that was belong to an Italian immigrant nobleman, Don Francisco Mazzoni. The museum has several collections that tell the story of the region; it has also a good collection of paintings.
We are in a seamen town and consequently there is a "Museo del Mar", located at "Barra de Maldonado". The museum display a collection of more than ten thousands specimen of marine fauna originated from all around the world: seahorses, corals, crustaceans, whale teeth, turtle shells, shark jaws. And also a large aquarium and a photographic display that shows the develop of Punta del Este from its birth to now days.


I know that Punta del Este is to faraway and that it could be quite expensive going there but instead to take a couple of trips per year going to places like Sharm, Hurgada, Ibiza, Tenerife, Palma de Mallorca or may be Brazil or Thailand why don't stay home for a couple of years saving money and then go there for two or three unforgettable weeks? May be staying at the hotel of Casa Pueblo.

Tourist´s Review of Punta del ESte

Punta del Este Wowed me:

Uruguay, which is an indigenous Charrua Indian term meaning River of Birds, is the second smallest country in South America (after Surinam), sandwiched in between giant Brazil to the north and giant Argentina to the west and south. But for such a small country, it has a very
big coastline-- some 300-plus miles (500 km) of white sandy beach that is occasionally interrupted by dunes, pine, acacia and eucalyptus trees. Equivalent in size to England, it is the massiveness of the surrounding countries that make it seem so small.

Uruguay is one of only 4 nations which lie entirely south of the Tropic of Capricorn; the others are New Zealand in the South Pacific Ocean, and Lesotho and Swaziland in southern Africa. The population is primarily of European descent, mostly a Spanish-Italian mix. The people are generally quiet, friendly, and well-educated-- without the sizzle you expect to find in more famous South American places like the cities of Buenos Aires or Rio.

Along the country's southern border is the wide estuary of the Rio de la Plata, on the east is the Atlantic Ocean. Its capital city, Montevideo, is home to almost 50% of the nation's population, a modern city with a historical old town that dates back to colonial times. Surrounding the whole city lies an uninterrupted stretch of --you guessed it-- white sandy beach.

The beaches to the east of Montevideo run up towards the Brazilian border. With its low forested hills, sheltered bays, lagoons and surf-washed sand, this area is known as the Uruguayan Riviera and boasts some of the continent's most popular seaside resorts. From Montevideo to Punta del Este this coast is fairly well developed and is known as the Costa de Oro.

Punta del Este is built on a small peninsula that juts out into the Atlantic Ocean, with a calm bay on its western side, perfect for swimming, and especially friendly to children. Running to the east of Punta is the wilder Atlantic coast with beautiful wetlands and abundant bird life -- a place where locals go to escape the crowds. Large forests of eucalyptus, pine and mimosa trees lie on the edge of the city, fragrant and cool, their sweet and tart aromas mingling with the sea air.

At the tip of the peninsula is the historic monument of El Faro (lighthouse). By law, no other building in this part of town may be built higher than the lighthouse. Also in this area you will find the Plaza General Artigas, which includes a handicraft market, the Feria Artesanal. Museums, art galleries, cinemas, restaurants, nightclubs and casinos keep visitors to the city entertained long after they've left the beach.

Often referred to as the St. Tropez or Monte Carlo of South America, Punta del Este is a full fledged world class resort, 86 miles (139km) from Montevideo, and from December to April (summertime in Uruguay) this resort town rocks. Indeed, Punta del Este is one of the most sophisticated beach destinations in the world. A year-round destination, it has the reputation for allowing you to be "as you are..." --but with class.

Punta, as the city is fondly called, has long been a favorite getaway of the South American rich and famous. The 19th-century lifestyle is still lived by these people today, who travel accompanied by personal hairdressers, pets and servants, and may very well own one of the estates on the "rich" part of the peninsula.

Besides its miles of great swimming and sunning beaches (When you see the BIG Hand in the Sand you'll know you're in Punta), Punta del Este is wonderful for water sports, from surfing to yachting and fishing. There is a sophisticated marina and a number of yacht and fishing clubs, with yachting regattas, off-shore racing, etc. Punta del Este is "spotlighted in nautical sports, being a designated port for the world circumnavigation competition, in motor sports with formula auto racing as well as other sports with a great number of tournament and events.

If you're more of a landlubber, casinos, tennis, golf and polo, musical and cultural shows, nightclubs, the excitement of the casino tables and first-run movies are also available. For gourmet eating, the doors are open to a culinary paradise, because world wide cuisine is available at its best-- notwithstanding Uruguay's reputation as a beef-eating paradise.

There are charming corners, within or beyond the peninsula, international restaurants and places for a simple but tasty meal. Attractions also include enchanting bars, pastry shops, tea salons, 24-hour supermarkets as well as shopping streets with stores open all night.

And opportunities to shop for the latest European couture are everywhere in the city, which especially in the summertime is filled with "well-groomed, narcissistic tourists sporting hibiscus shirts". (http://www.lonelyplanet.com/dest/sam/uru.htm#mone) Come with a lightly packed suitcase and take advantage of the wonderful deals you'll find to return home with a full one!

Like to dance? Then brush up on your tango and join the locals at any of the nightclubs. Punta del Este is a nightlife hotspot, and the tango is a favorite throughout Uruguay-- with its own local variations. But don't expect an early night, because discos and clubs in this glamourous resort rarely even get going before 2 AM.

Approximately 90% of Uruguay's grassy interior is used for cattle and sheep grazing, and they eat a LOT of beef in Uruguay, in all its forms, with nearly every meal. Most of the restaurants in Uruguay are grillrooms, called parrilladas. Favourite beef dishes include asado, which is barbecued beef; asado de tira, which is barbecued ribs; pulpa, which is boneless beef; lomo, which is fillet steak; and bife de chorrizo, which is rump steak. (If you prefer lean meat, ask for asado flaco.) If you are adventurous, try morcilla dulce, a sweet black sausage made from blood, orange peel and walnuts. You will also find different kinds of seafood easily available, including squid (calamari), shark and mussels.

And if you're a dessert maven you must try the excellent ice cream, and especially don't miss "chaja", a sponge cake filled with cream, jam and peaches that came highly recommended by a reader of The Beat. Put your diet on hold while you're visiting Punta-- you're on vacation!

Note: Cash is king in Uruguay. Traveler's checks are difficult to change throughout the entire country (including Punte del Este, newer parts of Montevideo, and the entire interior of the country.) The exception is in the old, historic part of Montevideo (Ciudad Vieja), where checks are easily cashed-- though not at very good rates. Cambios in Montevideo and the Atlantic beach resorts will change US dollars (and sometimes travelers' checks --at a poor rate). Try the banks if you really need to cash traveller's checks. Better hotels, restaurants and shops accept credit cards-- especially in Punta-- but Uruguayan ATMs will not accept either North American or European credit cards. There is no black market.

While you explore this glamorous city and its surroundings, a good place to stay is at the Interval International 5-Star Rincon del Este resort, located in an upscale neighborhood less than 1/3 mile (500 meters) from the Golf Cantegril Country Club. Rincon del Este occupies a 4.2-acre (1.7-hectare) tract that includes a nine-hole putting green, and Rincon Club members and guests enjoy direct access to the Golf Cantegril course, as well as discounts and other benefits there. In addition, the resort's staff organizes a full schedule of social events on the off chance that you should find yourself with nothing to do (fat chance!), and will help you book a variety of tours and excursions-- on horseback, by bicycle, or on foot.

This resort also offers a bar and restaurant, an indoor heated pool in addition to the outdoor pool, tennis and paddle courts, a fitness room, sauna, whirlpool, reading and relaxation room, game room, meeting room, and art gallery. It has a central direct-dial telephone system in all units, fax capability, satellite dishes, closed-circuit television, in-unit safes, and emergency generators.

Other services offered at the resort includes babysitting, cosmetology and massage, housekeeping, laundry, security, and room service.

Surprised? You had no idea that such a sophisticated resort existed in South America outside of Rio and Buenos Aires? Clue: Punta is better. Don't miss out.